Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Sweet and simple

Although the menu promised ginger, nutmeg and sherry, this soup is decidedly one-note. Fortunately, that single note is sweet and satisfying. This creamy soup is a smooth blend of butternut squash and yams punctuated with a few pieces of leek. While you may not be heading back for seconds, this uncomplicated soup is enjoyable and filling. After so many disappointments in the cafeteria lately, even this moderately boring soup should be counted as a success.

Location: NG Cafeteria

Price: $1.87

Ginger Chicken and Brown Rice

Inoffensive but boring.
An overwhelmingly drab soup lacking any of the kick or heartiness suggested by the name. Given the successful performance of this soup in the past, today's showing only furthers the rumors that the cafeteria kitchen has been in serious decline since the fall of 2008. Among other problems, the soup featured bizarrely tiny pieces of suspect chicken (which were difficult to avoid due to their size). Furthermore, the minuscule diced carrots and onions suggested to this reporter that the kitchen staff either received a fancy new knife set for Christmas or has resorted to ordering large bags of frozen, diced vegetables.

Location: NG Cafeteria
Price: $1.80