COSMOSIS
Which UTC Store is the Best?
This week, I polled COSMOS students on their favorite store or restaurant to visit on trips to the University Town Center. Out of the 28 responses, the overall favorite was Target–which had twice the votes of the second place store, Trader Joe’s. Their reasoning was often that Target “[is] the everything store, even if everything is expensive AF.” Trader Joe’s was considered “litty” enough to get five votes because of its kombucha and specialty snacks. Many different restaurants at the University Town Center also received votes, with five total votes going towards various boba shops. One notable response, however, was not on the University Town Center’s store registry. There was a single vote for “Anywhere with Sarah”, “Because Sarah is supa amazing.” The author of this article, Sarah Madden, is both flattered and confused.
In summary, COSMOS students appreciate the nearby Target to stock up on forgotten supplies and the Trader Joe’s to purchase snacks. One anonymous COSMOS student, however, prefers my company to any of the companies at the University Town Center.
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By: Sarah Madden
*This rating is based on personal opinions, I love brandywine thank you
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Wednesday, June 17th
This Wednesday was by far the most highly rated, but what made it so? Not only was the shrimp and alfredo pasta a fan favorite (I think probably because of the fact that it wasn’t chicken), but the beef teriyaki bowl also received high praise from everyone I talked to about it. The shrimp was said to be nicely cooked, the pasta sauce flavorful, and the rice in the beef teriyaki bowl was just rice but it was good as a base for the rest of the dish. No rating for this dining hall lunch was under 8.5, an incredible feat when compared to other days this week, which I will not speak of in an effort to keep this review as positive as possible :)
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Tuesday, June 16th
Tuesday’s lunch was cheese stuffed pasta shells and tacos, a definite show stopper for sure considering they served it for dinner too (I didn’t hear any complaints about it though!). As someone who cannot stand tomato sauce, the cheese stuffing and the option of chili flakes really brought the dish up the rankings for me. Ratings from my classmates (Cluster 9!) ranged from 6/10 to the upper 8s, so Tuesday’s spot on the list is definitely undisputed.
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Thursday, June 18th
Our last spot on the list goes to Thursday’s lunch which consisted of corn, BBQ chicken, and egg rolls. The corn was sweet, the chicken well seasoned, and I didn’t try the egg rolls but I heard they were the best part of lunch. While complaints about lunch being chicken again were received, the food nonetheless accumulated ratings as high as 7.5/10, heavily thanks to the egg rolls.
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By: Shefali Prasad
Brandywine Top 3 Lunches
A Guide to Brandywine
Good day to all my readers. Today I will supply you with a handy guide to the local cafeteria, Brandywine, which I’m sure you all have paid a visit to. Sit down with a cup of tea and enjoy the sunshine while perusing this editorial complete with insightful evaluations.
01
Broccoli Cheddar Soup —
-7 rats out of 91 sewers
To be quite frank, I was expecting way more for this dish. I have been a fan of all kinds of soups since I was a little lad, but this one just did not impress me at all. In fact, my life would have been exponentially better if I had never tasted this. I may even declare that this horrid excuse of a soup is an offense to God himself! The texture was appalling, a great transgression on my poor taste buds. The grittiness of the below-par cheddar overpowered the entire concoction, multiplying the disgustingness of the already ghastly mush and synthetic broccoli.
03
Vegetable Curry –
20 chickpeas out of 2 potatoes
As one of those unfortunate fellows who cannot handle the extraordinary pain that spice brings to the tongue, imagine my surprise when that first bite was pleasantly painless! This beautiful, non-spicy curry is a great option for vegetarians. The flavors are immaculate and the mix of different vegetables nutritious.
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05
Suspicious Meat at the Compass –
2 snickers out of 71 twixes
While I truly tried to find even a teensy bit of likability in this dish, I found none. In fact, it was so disappointing that I even forgot its exact name. The meat is extremely stale, so lacking of juice that it seemed like a vampire sucked it dry. Might I add that there was barely any flavor either, leaving my taste buds to search for something that would never come. My teeth also got a fair beating, wrestling with the stubborn pieces of dead muscle, trying to tame it so that it may go down my throat smoothly. There must be better sources of protein than this.
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02
Ice Cream —
99 fireworks out of 10 Fourth of Julys
Might I say that this delicacy is one of the finest of its kind! With an astounding variety of flavors, including but not limited to chocolate, strawberry, and even acai, my tongue danced with this fantastic mixture of subtle sweetness and powerful flavor. The scoops are also quite big, with some even complaining that it’s too big. Now I say that there is no such thing as an ice cream scoop that is too big! Ice cream always strikes that special chord in my heart.
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04
The Apex Soup Duo: Chicken and Rice Soup & Chipotle Pork and Veggie Soup 365 yums out of 3.14 hearts
From my precarious journeys to the unfrequented soup station and back, I’ve found that this duo is absolutely scrumdiddlyumptious. With an extremely powerful flavor and the perfect blend of proteins and vitamins, these will fill up your belly every single time! An added plus is that there is no spice in any of these soups. However, some people may find that it is too oily and salty.
06
Lentil Curry –
9 gaslightings out of 11 generational traumas
FTruly, there has never been a worse betrayal than that of the Lentil Curry. With such a pleasant surprise from the last vegetable curry, I decided to give this one a go – but I ended up with a torn soul and a broken heart. I should have spotted the red flags, I know, but my blindness did not help me in differentiating tomatoes from red bell peppers. What I thought was my favorite vegetable turned out to be the most disgusting, vile creature, one that made me throw up in second grade after just looking at it. A wave of horrible memories rushed to the front of my head and I had no choice but to push it to the side. Completely ruined my appetite. Not the best experience.
Special Guest Review: Suraga’s Take on the Turmeric Tofu
Suraga Nallan, my dear friend, was terribly dispirited by the joke that they called “Turmeric Tofu”. According to her, a devout vegetarian who already has limited options at the dining hall, the dish was nauseatingly unauthentic. Expecting much more flavor, her first bite of the tofu was bland and tasteless, traumatizing her to the point that she can never trust the tofu of the dining hall again.​
Thank you for reading this editorial, and I hope you all have gained some sliver of insight into the current conditions of Brandywine. Have a great day, my children. See you next time.
Our Beloved Brandywine
01
Vietnamese Pork Bowl
Ingredients: pork, sweet chili sauce, cucumber, onion, carrots, lettuce, rice
Although I’m not sure why this dish was labeled as “Vietnamese,” as my Vietnamese friend confirmed that this dish was indeed not Vietnamese, this pork bowl was delicious nonetheless. Specifically, although it was interesting to see a coleslaw-like mixture of cold vegetables and cucumbers added to the pork bowl, it seemed to work well with the dish. When mixed, the flavors blend nicely, and the dish is tied together with the sweet chili sauce. The rice was at a perfect level of stickiness.
03
Baked breadsticks
Ingredients: bread, olive oil/butter, herbs, garlic powder (I’m guessing)
Served as a side to Spaghetti and meat sauce alongside cauliflower and squash, the baked breadsticks truly outshone their counterparts to snag the number three spot in my rankings. Next to the breadstick, the other items are depicted as mere peasants. The perfect softness, warmth, and seasoning of the breadstick make it scrumptious.
05
Pork Burrito Bowl
Ingredients: Shredded pork, shredded lettuce, and rice
While this dish only contained three main ingredients, it was executed perfectly. The pork was well seasoned and hydrated, which paired well with the shredded lettuce and rice to make a simple yet delicious meal. To ensure that each bite contains all the ingredients, one should mix the bowl before eating to fully experience this dish.
02
Pork Spring Rolls
Ingredients: pork, vegetables, flour & other ingredients to make the spring roll
Served alongside sweet chili sauce (which seems to be a Brandywine staple for all Asian dishes), the pork spring roll, although Americanized once again, was a hit. Choosing pork as the filling was a splendid idea, and you must try it yourself to experience what the meaning of life truly is. (Apologies to any vegans/vegetarians.) While the cooking time of each spring roll varied depending on the batch, as the one in the picture was burnt, the filling made everything worth it. Personally, I believe the sweet chili sauce was slightly overpowering, and preferred to eat the spring roll without any sauce, but that is up to the consumer’s preference.
04
Al Pastor Pork Tacos
Ingredients: onion, cilantro, tomatoes, other salsa ingredients, pork, tortilla wrap
Served as a tortilla wrap with pork on it, the tacos had a toppings bar set up next to it that contained onion and cilantro as well as lemon, and two different salsa options, one green and one red. The one depicted in the picture was mildly spicy. While I do wish there were more toppings available for consumers to choose from, a combination of all the available toppings proved to be a delicious lunch.
01
Broccoli Cheddar Soup —
-7 rats out of 91 sewers
To be quite frank, I was expecting way more for this dish. I have been a fan of all kinds of soups since I was a little lad, but this one just did not impress me at all. In fact, my life would have been exponentially better if I had never tasted this. I may even declare that this horrid excuse of a soup is an offense to God himself! The texture was appalling, a great transgression on my poor taste buds. The grittiness of the below-par cheddar overpowered the entire concoction, multiplying the disgustingness of the already ghastly mush and synthetic broccoli.
03
Vegetable Curry –
20 chickpeas out of 2 potatoes
As one of those unfortunate fellows who cannot handle the extraordinary pain that spice brings to the tongue, imagine my surprise when that first bite was pleasantly painless! This beautiful, non-spicy curry is a great option for vegetarians. The flavors are immaculate and the mix of different vegetables nutritious.
​
05
Suspicious Meat at the Compass –
2 snickers out of 71 twixes
While I truly tried to find even a teensy bit of likability in this dish, I found none. In fact, it was so disappointing that I even forgot its exact name. The meat is extremely stale, so lacking of juice that it seemed like a vampire sucked it dry. Might I add that there was barely any flavor either, leaving my taste buds to search for something that would never come. My teeth also got a fair beating, wrestling with the stubborn pieces of dead muscle, trying to tame it so that it may go down my throat smoothly. There must be better sources of protein than this.
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02
Ice Cream —
99 fireworks out of 10 Fourth of Julys
Might I say that this delicacy is one of the finest of its kind! With an astounding variety of flavors, including but not limited to chocolate, strawberry, and even acai, my tongue danced with this fantastic mixture of subtle sweetness and powerful flavor. The scoops are also quite big, with some even complaining that it’s too big. Now I say that there is no such thing as an ice cream scoop that is too big! Ice cream always strikes that special chord in my heart.
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04
The Apex Soup Duo: Chicken and Rice Soup & Chipotle Pork and Veggie Soup 365 yums out of 3.14 hearts
From my precarious journeys to the unfrequented soup station and back, I’ve found that this duo is absolutely scrumdiddlyumptious. With an extremely powerful flavor and the perfect blend of proteins and vitamins, these will fill up your belly every single time! An added plus is that there is no spice in any of these soups. However, some people may find that it is too oily and salty.
06
Lentil Curry –
9 gaslightings out of 11 generational traumas
FTruly, there has never been a worse betrayal than that of the Lentil Curry. With such a pleasant surprise from the last vegetable curry, I decided to give this one a go – but I ended up with a torn soul and a broken heart. I should have spotted the red flags, I know, but my blindness did not help me in differentiating tomatoes from red bell peppers. What I thought was my favorite vegetable turned out to be the most disgusting, vile creature, one that made me throw up in second grade after just looking at it. A wave of horrible memories rushed to the front of my head and I had no choice but to push it to the side. Completely ruined my appetite. Not the best experience.