A Food Review: The Rutgers Grease Trucks

For those of us, who fondly recall college life, there's always at least one special eating place that stands out in nearly every university. For some, it could be a special restaurant in the college town that serves a dish specifically glamoured to the school spirit, whether by name or ongoing popularity among the student body. But for Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ the place to be for food were the "Grease Trucks"--mobile kitchen trucks that served the signature Rutgers cuisine of "Fat Sandwiches."

Costing roughly $5 each, these "fat sandwiches" came in all different types of styles with "fat" names to compliment each one. The "Fat Cat" for instance, would be a hoagie roll jammed with fries, two hamburger patties, cheese, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and mayonnaise. The "Fat Sam", on the other hand, which is one of my personal favorites, would have all of the above, but with cheese steak in place of the hamburger patties. The "Fat Darrell", which was actually named the top sandwich in the nation by Maxim Magazine (August 2004 edition), consists of chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, fries, onions, lettuce, and tomato, drenched in marina sauce all in one hoagie roll. So, essentially, rather than the usual serving of a sandwich meal with condiments and side-dishes that were, well, on the side, for a fat sandwich, everything is effectively thesandwich. As one can expect, the fat sandwiches have easily garnered the title of a "heart-attack on a roll", which very few people would argue with.

But as far as taste is concerned, everything you could ever want in a heavy feast for a cheap buck is provided by a fat sandwich. In fact, I found that it really hits the spot in every tasty way, especially if you happen to be overly famished either from a long car ride to visit old friends or from a long night of studying, if you happen to be a student. The rich starches of the fries and roll, coupled with the greasy meats, cheeses and sauces (depending on which sandwich you get), really makes a fat sandwich quite an experience as your mouth vainly attempts to sort out the different textures and flavors that eventually blend together into one greasy whole. If someone is ever in a quest to discover a cornucopia of flavor with a blunt, down to earth, grease-on-your-elbow type of way, then may I present to you your holy grail (that currently comes in over two dozen "fat" configurations).

One thing I would like to note, for the sake of other fellow Rutgers alumni out there or for those who tried a fat sandwich long ago, much hasn't changed for these sandwiches, besides maybe the pricing and a larger menu. From the first time I sunk my teeth into a Fat Cat during my freshman year in college (oh those were the days) to several years later during a recent visit to the old campus, the taste is still very much the same as it was years ago.

Being a Rutgers University alumnus, a life-long NJ resident, and a writer with a taste in food reviews, this article was almost an inevitability for me. And given that this review is not exactly on a "restaurant" (no real "restaurant" involved besides mobile food truck vendors and their specialty dish), a star rating may not be an accurate scale to apply. But if I were to give it one, it would be a 5 out of 5 stars, simply because a fat sandwich is something that needs to be tried, not really for the sake of gimmicky appeal, but simply for the uniqueness of the experience that is hard to find anywhere else. And for those of you who might be a bit queasy about heavy foods, this may obviously not be an experience to relish, but then again, any meal with "Fat" for a first name clues you in on what you're jumping into if you try. As for me, after writing this review, I'm already pondering another trip down to the old school simply for the sake of nostalgic flavor. Unfortunately, because the current gas prices are a little too "fat" for my wallet, I guess that trip would have to wait for another day.

The Grease Trucks are located on College Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ.