The Melted Magic of Grilled Cheese: A Tribute to the Classic Sandwich

The power of a well-made grilled cheese is idescribable. The buttered bread perfectly encases melted cheese of any variety, and it can transport you back to the deepest memories of childhood, or just the last time you went to Sonic. Either way, the combination of simple ingredients has an ability to awaken one’s inner child. A bad grilled cheese, however, is no gouda. Recently the “action station” in the Patterson Dining Hall, the “Caf” for short, a beloved destination for experiencing the Caf’s most eccentric ideas, featured grilled cheese. This, in itself, is an incredible opportunity for the student body to revisit a favorite childhood dish. Even if it was just for a day, it felt like a long time coming. The Grilled Cheeses had the chance to be on par with Brenda’s legendary desserts. The cheeses available, though, were far off from legendary. The options were a ghost pepper cheese, parmesan, and Swiss. The ghost pepper cheese was a great choice if you could handle the spice. It would melt, provide a good pull, and had a nice flavor. Parmesan, however, has none of these traits. You may disa-brie with that statement. After all, parmesan is a fantastic addition to any salad, pasta, or savory dish. Grilled cheese is not one of these dishes. Furthermore, parmesan is used in small quantities for those dishes, but in the “Caf,” it was a thick slice that was supposedly “ready” for consumption. Regardless of the other two cheeses available, the addition of such a cheese is heresy. Though it may not be a great cheese for grilled cheeses, parmesan is still viable, but it must be melted at a much higher temperature. This can lead to charring the bread or overheating the other cheeses on the sandwich. This is not to say that the grilled cheeses were completely unenjoyable. That would be blasphemy. It is simply that this was a Swissed opportunity to start up a new Lyon tradition. I say this because of the timing of the grilled cheese fiasco, early April. From henceforth, there will be a standing proposal to have the cheesiest day in Lyon history. April 1 of every following year should have grilled cheese. Not only as a chance to revisit a simpler time, even if for just one meal, but to explore new flavor profiles that we may not have gotten to as children.