Johnny’s, you’re just not the same.

Last semester, I loved Fac Shack with my entire heart.

It was my go-to spot for lunch an embarrassing number of times every week. The Indian food was good and it was so conveniently located—right in between John Jay and Butler. I loved the grab-and-go model too. For those of us who feel a little too busy to have sit-down lunch at a dining hall, it was so nice to be able to bring a bag from Fac Shack and eat in Butler Cafe while doing work for my classes or for Bwog without having to skip lunch.

(Is it bad for my work-life balance that I eat lunch in front of my computer? Probably. But does anyone here have a good work-life balance? Don’t judge me.)

In short: My precious Fac Shack of the fall kept me fed and happy through even my busiest days. I became very dependent on those chicken-and-chana-masala bowls, mini apples, and soft chocolate chip cookies. Food is pretty good here at Columbia! I thought. I felt sorry for my friends who go to schools with inferior dining halls and no gourmet food trucks.

So imagine my shock and horror this January when I came back to campus after winter break… and Fac Shack was far, far away in Wien courtyard. And in my poor lovely Fac Shack’s place was this new food truck called Johnny’s, which I am very sure none of us asked for.

It would be one thing if Fac Shack was only farther away this semester, and I had to haul myself to Wien to get it. (I would have been fine, but it would have made me sad to have to walk outside longer in the windy 20-degree weather we’ve been having this week. But I would have told myself to stop being a baby and brave the cold for my beloved Fac Shack.)

But Fac Shack this semester is different… and worse. Not only is it farther away but the food itself is also a downgrade. I’ve been trying Johnny’s with an open mind (I really have!). But so far, it hasn’t been a match for last semester’s Fac Shack.

Before I go any further, I want to say that I’m in no way blaming Columbia Dining or the Fac Shack or Johnny’s staff! I LOVE Columbia Dining and so appreciate everyone who cooks for all of the hungry college students. But last semester I loved Fac Shack with my whole heart and soul, and here I’m merely channeling my own personal grief in essay format.

So why is Fac Shack different and worse this semester, and why does Johnny’s not compare? I’m so glad you asked. I’ve been thinking about this for a while.

1. The new portions at Fac Shack are too big.

Last semester, a bag from Fac Shack was the perfect amount of food for lunch. Not too big and not too small. The main bowl, naan, apple, and two cookies were perfect and left me happy and satisfied.

Now, at Fac Shack, you get SO MUCH food. I appreciate their generosity, but I usually don’t come close to finishing half of one of the bowls. And I’m the kind of person who hates throwing food out and feels so guilty every time I do; however, saving the leftovers and bringing them back to my dorm isn’t super feasible because I’m usually hurrying to eat lunch in between classes and don’t have time to go home with the excess food.

2. The food itself is worse.

Last semester at Fac Shack, you got a lovely bowl with rice, curry, and stewed vegetables. You could choose either the chicken option or the vegetarian one (which usually but not always had tofu) and you always got vegetables in your bowl. They were DELICIOUS. Perfect seasoning and the curry was always excellent whether it was chicken or veggie. Plus, I always felt like the bowls were healthy and I was eating my vegetables for the day.

Now, it’s very much chicken or vegetables. What if I want them both? Chicken on rice isn’t unhealthy, exactly, but I’ve been wishing for the chana masala chickpeas or stewed eggplant or tomatoes or the other things you got back in the day when you ordered the chicken bowl. Also, now, it seems like it’s just the chicken or vegetables sitting on top of rice, not combined all together in a nice curry. I might be overthinking this all, but I really really miss the food from last semester. 

3. The chicken chunks are too big.

Maybe I’m being silly and no one else cares about such petty things. But last semester, when you got the chicken, it was in curry and in bite-sized chunks. I liked being able to eat the whole bowl with a fork and have the chicken and veggies and rice all mixed together. It was so yummy and healthy.

Now, in addition to the chicken being on top of the rice without curry or sauce (even when it says “chicken curry” on the sign, which it did this Tuesday), it’s in much bigger pieces. And while large pieces of chicken have their time and place, it just feels awkward to have to cut it up with a knife and fork before proceeding with the rest of my bowl. To me, the fact that it’s a rice bowl means that the chicken chunks should be small (I think the Hooda Halal chicken should be a good reference). Big pieces of chicken feels like a completely different kind of meal on a plate.

4. The sign is confusing.

Again, maybe this is just me being stupid, but the new sign outside Fac Shack with the menu is hard for me to figure out.

Last semester, it was very clear what the two options were: chicken or veggie. Now, it seems like there are three options? This week, there seemed to be chicken, tofu/potato curry, and chana masala. Is that even right that there are three, or was I misreading the sign?

One day, I also got a separate container of lentil dahl, which was delicious, but it was in addition to the bowl and I just wasn’t sure what was going on. If this sounds idiotic, feel free to ignore this point, but I don’t know why the sign has to be so different from last semester.

5. Johnny’s is just not the same. (I’ve tried it, I promise!)

With Fac Shack no longer what it once was, switching to Johnny’s seemed like the natural solution. Admittedly, I’ve only tried Johnny’s about three times this semester. But my main issue is that the food is completely different every day.

Maybe last semester, some (incorrect) people criticized Fac Shack for only having Indian entrees every day? And maybe Johnny’s having a wildly different menu every day comes in response to those concerns? Personally, I liked knowing what I was getting with Fac Shack. Besides, it was different Indian food every day. It wasn’t the exact same thing.

The food I’ve had at Johnny’s hasn’t been bad, but it’s so unpredictable and that stresses me out. Also, instead of the lovely soft chocolate cookies, now you get Oreos. My friend who doesn’t like soft cookies says this is an improvement. I disagree.

In summary, I’ve been having a good spring semester overall—but there’s a Fall 2024 Fac Shack-sized hole in my heart that nothing has been able to fill. I’ll keep going to Fac Shack (I went Monday and Tuesday this week), and I’ll keep trying Johnny’s.

But I’m still heartbroken that something so good is gone now, for no apparent reason. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Why can’t we just have nice things?

Beautiful Fac Shack back in the fall semester via Bwog Archives