Why the Dunkin always a better choice for lunch than Starbucks

I never planned to become a regular anywhere, certainly not at Dunkin’ Donuts. The thing is, you don’t quite realize you’ve been coming in five days a week until you’re on first-name basis with every employee and have over 2000 unspent points in the rewards app. The Dempster and Dodge Dunkin’ is an essential part of my week and perhaps the thing I will miss most after graduation. They know my name, ask after me when I haven’t been by, and occasionally provide me with what my family calls the “South Asian solidarity tax” of free food. I have given entire paychecks to the Dunkin’, but I will never feel guilty for that. I will never feel any shame because Dunkin’ is the most underrated ETHS lunch spot. 

Anyone who leaves for lunch knows that the line at the Starbucks drive-thru is insane and the wait for drinks diabolical. Don’t even get me started on the price—I used to eat at Starbucks every Wednesday and Friday, spending $13 every time. 

Bring back Kit Cafe

Throughout my four years in high school, my greatest takeaway has probably been an extreme caffeine addiction. I roll out of bed at 8:00 each morning, rushing to make it to first period before the bell rings, every time with some sort of drink in hand. Freshman year, I would come in with a Yeti tumbler filled with a minimum of three espresso shots. As a sophomore, I started to buy my coffee on the way to school (shoutout to my boys at the Dempster and Dodge Dunkin’). Senior year, I was converted to energy drinks. Junior year, though, was different. Junior year was the year of the Kit Cafe.

The Kit Cafe was around for approximately one semester, and it was the best thing ETHS ever did. My alarm could ring at 8:10 and I would still have time to pick up a coffee on the way to Mr. Dickman’s AP Physics class. The joy of grabbing a Kit Cafe coffee at the crisp hour of 8:28 almost made up for the fact that it was Mr. Dickman’s AP Physics class I was going to. 

The Kit Cafe was a haven for me and like-minded insomniacs, and my heart goes out to all future ETHS students who will only know life without it. They say it is better to have loved and lost than never loved at all, and such is my message to the Kit Cafe.

The Subway on Dempster and Dodge needs to stop not having sliced mozzarella

I don’t eat here everyday but it’s become a staple for any time I go out to eat. I usually get a footlong white bread with tuna, shredded cheddar, lettuce, mayo, and most importantly, sliced mozzarella. The contrast between two cheeses creates a much better flavor and the resistance that the mozzarella gives to the bite makes for a perfectly balanced texture, something that tuna sandwiches often struggle with. Now I will admit that I haven’t gone very often at all this year, and so I might just have gotten unlucky every time I stopped by for lunch, but every time I go, they don’t have the sliced mozzarella.

The pain of this discovery is also amplified by the addition of the metal covering over the meat and cheese section, which I have no idea why they have that. If I could actually see the ingredients before I talk to the employee so that I know they don’t have any sliced mozzarella, that would save me the suspense and hassle of asking if they had it and being told no. Like that metal cover at best, does nothing, and at worst, makes the whole process of making the sandwich slightly less efficient.

Okay, I looked it up, and it says that the metal covers are meant to keep the meats and cheese colder, since Subway changed from pre-sliced to freshly prepared meats. That actually makes sense but that doesn’t change the fact that the aforementioned hassle with the cheese still exists. I’m not saying that Subway should remove the metal covers, that’s not even the original point, but apparently some locations have stopped serving the fresh mozzarella, and if that’s the case with our Subway on Dodge and Dempster, then they should absolutely bring it back. 

Jimmy will get his ring

A highlight of my life was getting on the Chicago Bulls Jumbotron with a Jimmy Butler jersey and a sign near the courtside, maybe 10 rows away. My dad bought us season tickets for the Bulls when we first moved to the United States for the 2016-2017 season, probably because it was the only time in his life he would be able to watch his favorite player (Dwayne Wade) in person for the one season that he was there. So pretty much whenever there was a home game, even on weekdays, my dad would pick me up from Dewey and take us straight to the United Center. He would root for D-Wade, and I would root for Jimmy, so much so to the point that I was loyal to a player winning a ring instead of a team at first. When he moved to Minnesota, I rooted for the Timberwolves. Then when he was at Philly, I rooted for the 76ers, and they got really close but Kawhi ultimately ended that dream with one of the greatest clutch shots of all time.

Then, in perfect timing, as I became more knowledgeable in the sport and its history, Jimmy moved to South Beach. After learning more about Wade’s greatness in his prime and the history of the Heat, I decided Miami would be my team, regardless of Jimmy’s ultimate fate. This didn’t stop me from rooting for Jimmy’s journey specifically as well though. Butler carried the organization to two finals appearances with his ludicrous playoff performances to no avail, quite literally pouring his blood sweat and tears into the team. The Heat have a legendary ring against all odds in 2006 and two rings from a superteam in 2012 and 2013 that I can go back to, but for a player like Jimmy putting so much effort and passion into the game to not have a chip is criminal.

But with his transfer to the Warriors, Butler has the supporting cast and stardom to make it all the way. No man in the league deserves it more for all that he has brought to the game. Jimmy will get his ring. Curry and Draymond will get their 5th, and Kevon Looney will win his Finals MVP. Go Warriors.  

First stall of North first boy’s bathroom is the most consistently clean and usable bathroom stall for men