There are three well known types of American macaroni and cheese: there’s the good old, homemade-just-like -grandma’s macaroni and cheese, the efficient and easy, yet delicious instant macaroni and cheese, and then there’s school macaroni and cheese (which half of the time can’t even be considered as real macaroni and cheese). For all of you who regularly eat lunch at Lewiston High School, an entirely new kind of macaroni and cheese has been brought to your attention.

Now, we all know about the usual school made macaroni and cheese. In elementary school, macaroni and cheese was something to avoid at all costs (for me anyway, though some of my friends seemed to enjoy the taste). If memory serves correct, it was a soupy, mushy mess. The cheese powder never seemed to melt properly, giving the cheese a gritty taste. The noodles always seemed overcooked, which made them mush into the cheese sauce unappetizingly. When I was in elementary school, macaroni and cheese day was my least favorite day, because on those select days, I was forced to choose between PB&J or a Munch-A-Lunch. And everyone knows that Munch-A-Lunch’s never kept you full for the rest of the day.

In Middle School, not much changed, except my tastes. Suddenly the macaroni and cheese was no longer slimy or gritty. The noodles were no longer overcooked and mushy, but still, it didn’t match up to my favorite instant brand of macaroni and cheese (there’s a reason it’s called the cheesiest). I became resigned to the fact that no macaroni and cheese would live up to my insanely high standards. Then I went to high school.

Now when I started to hear about the macaroni and cheese every Tuesday at the high school, I simply brushed it off and ignored it. But one day, a friend let me have a taste of their macaroni and cheese. The moment I tasted it, I knew I had to try more. This time, the noodles weren’t overcooked, the sauce wasn’t soupy. It was perfect. The harmonic balance of creamy cheese and well-cooked noodles was extremely delicious. Come to find out, the macaroni and cheese was devised when someone thought to put the nacho cheese used for pretzels onto the regular noodles. A stroke of genius from an unknown person, whether it be from the lunch staff, or a student. Whatever way it was created, I have to say that it was a fantastic development.

Apparently, I’m not the only one who thought so. Every Tuesday is now known as macaroni and cheese day to a good portion of the student body. Each Tuesday, the lunch lines are full, and the cafeteria is always out of noodles before the end of D lunch. I once stood in a line of students reaching the guidance office, all waiting 10 minutes before the bell, just for the noodles to cook for the macaroni and cheese. The school has become entranced with the new macaroni and cheese, and every Tuesday, you can hear whispers among the halls, “Hey guys, it’s Mac’N Cheese day!”