The food is terrible. Like, not 'if I ate this at a restaurant I wouldn't leave a tip' terrible, 'if I ate this at a restaurant I would call the city health department' terrible. There's a casserole that's sticky all the way through and not quite right, texturally, and there's kabobs that were, by the time the freshmen got there, literally scorched from someone frying a mal that had been trying to creep up between them, and there's rolls that are utterly flavorless, and there's brussel sprouts that are weirdly bitter and horrible for no clear reason, and there's banana pie that tastes like the people who came up with it never actually met a banana, and her carton of milk tastes like it wants to go off. Julia has her enchanted spice shakers that are supposed to make food taste better and the food is still notably worse than, like, leftover McDonalds which has been overnight in the shared rec-room minifridge for alchemy works-in-progress. Also the enchanted spice shakers make the milk taste kind of cinnamony and she's going to get sick of that real fast. 

 

She finishes her plate, because she has been instructed to be sure to get enough calories in the Scholomance even if it is deeply unpleasant, but she complains nonstop while she does it. 

 

New York is sitting together. That's one of the perks an enclave offers, a seat at their table at meals, to sit surrounded by the people who have it made, and hear all the gossip, and have Orion Lake protecting you from anything stupid enough to come near him. Julia is allowed to give out New York's junk, generously enough that she doesn't come across as someone who has to nickel-and-dime you on it, but she is not allowed to offer seats at New York's table willy-nilly. Those have to be earned by being awesome, and her decorating crew has not yet demonstrated themselves to be awesome. 

Zeke, of course, has his girlfriend at their table. No one gives him a hard time about this because his girlfriend is probably going to be eaten in three weeks and he may as well enjoy himself in the meantime.