There is nothing like free food. It’s even better when it tastes good.

Since it’s summertime there’s a limited menu at Kearny Hall, the dining room at Dillard, but we will manage. The food service provider is Sodexo, but this isn’t the Sodexo we’ve seen at our schools. This is the Sodexo that’s your older sister’s cute friend, something new that you haven’t experienced yet.

The lunchtime menu was fried chicken, carrots, greens, and red beans and rice.

The carrots were a little bland, but I decided to go ahead and finish them off anyway. My mother always told me, “Don’t waste food; eat your vegetables.” Along with the carrots were greens, which packed a punch and made for a good follow up. I am an avid fan of Popeye’s red beans and rice  so I have to keep in mind that all red beans and rice don’t taste the same. The serving I had today was decent, but what made it tasty was the sausage and bacon it included. The chicken was definitely the highlight of the meal – it wasn’t dry … (YES!)  And what’s a meal without dessert? I had a homemade Rice Krispie Treat to top it off and a sweet tea to wash it down.

This was lunch on the first day of the New York Times Student Journalism Institute, and already we were stuffed and nodding off.

Such a good lunch raised my expectations for dinner.

The dinnertime menu was beer-marinated grilled pork chops, shrimp fried rice, scalloped potatoes, peas and corn.

I attacked the peas and corn first. Both were delicious, especially the perfectly seasoned corn. The shrimp fried rice was tasty as well. I enjoy breakfast more than any meal of the day, so the pieces of eggs served as the kicker. The potatoes were probably the weakest part of the meal, but still stood strong. The grilled pork chop was pretty good. It was tender and had flavor. The only trouble I had was separating the meat from the gristle. The drink of choice was a Hi-C fruit punch.

The desserts that were available were the same thing from lunch. I opted not to. I didn’t want to ruin a good thing too fast.