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A college without a canteen is like monsoon without the rain! The canteen is an integral part of the college. It is highly essential to the students of the college as they associate the canteen with the countless hours spent there with friends and food. The canteen therefore, is pivotal in every student’s college life as it is the place where most of the masti happens! In St. Francis College too, the canteen holds a special place in the heart of all students. Disha Jain, a 2nd year student of B.Com said,  “The canteen is the best place in college, where we can sit and relax with our friends, eat good food and gossip. Sometimes, we also sit there and complete our records while listening to the good music that plays there. It is the spot where friends meet each other after classes. For me, it is very special as I spend most of my time there. It has given me many fond memories.”

The food at the canteen seemed to get mixed responses from students.

While some students loved the food, others thought it was oily and unhygienic. Haritha Singh, a student of B.Com 2nd year said,  “I really like the canteen, especially because everything is so reasonably priced. I love the muffin, sujon sticks and dosa. The music that is played there is amazing!”. Apoorva Maramraju, a student of B.Sc 1st year said,  “The food in the canteen is awesome! Especially the chole bhature, aloo tikki and the ice creams. Even the prices are reasonable. The only problem is that the food is too oily.” She further added,  “There are some rocks in front of the canteen. We climb on them and eat our food on the rocks! It is a different high!”

The fresh fruit juice stall. Credit:Mystical Vigilante

Frooti "on the rocks"! Credit:Mystical Vigilante

Inside the St. Francis Canteen. Credit:Mystical Vigilante

The food being too oily emerged as the common complaint regarding canteen food among students. However, many of hem thought the food was tasty inspite of this flaw. Aditi Rao, another student of B.Sc said,  “Yes, I agree that the food is very oily, but it is very delicious. My favourite is sujon sticks, which is like a desi version of french fries. It is yummy!” Another common complaint was that the food was not very hygienic.  “The food is too oily and is unhygienic.”, said Hansika Sawhney, a student of B.Com 3rd year. She further said,  “The food is just not that good and I wouldn’t prefer eating there. One can’t expect too much from the ambience too.”

But, for Afshan Musani, a final year B.A student, the canteen is much more than just a place to get good food as she said she has many memories attached with it.  “I will miss the canteen a lot. Especially the dosa and the Chinese bhel. Even the people who manage the canteen are really friendly and the atmosphere is very welcoming.” she said. The people who manage the canteen at St. Francis are almost like stars in the college as most of the students can’t stop singing praises for them. Deepika Phakke, a 2nd year student of B.M.S. said,  “The people in the canteen are very cooperative.I am a representative of the

Placement cell of the college and they helped us many times in arranging for refreshments for our guests during various activities. Sometimes they even kept the canteen open till 5 pm.” She also said,  “I really like our canteen. When we are low on money, it is our last resort. Even though the food is oily and not very hygienic, when we are really hungry all that doesn’t matter!”

Garama-Garam Dosa! Credit:Mystical Vigilante

The menu of the canteen. Credit:Mystical Vigilante

Students enjoying a plate of Sujon sticks. Credit:Mystical Vigilante

However, there are a few students, who do not hold a very high opinion of the canteen. Samantha Moss, a student of B.A. 2nd year said,  “I don’t like the food served in the canteen. I think it is very unhygienic and it does not even look appealing.”  It is evident from students’ comments that inspite of having some strong positive points, the St. Francis college canteen leaves much to be desired. Perhaps this is why the students are overflowing with suggestions to make the canteen better. Monisha Dorothae Pinto, a student of B.M.S. said,  “The menu should be revamped as it is very monotonous. Apart from that, I think it is pretty good. It is the perfect place to sit while bunking classes.”  Snigdha Agarwal, another student of B.M.S said,  “The canteen is crowded and stuffy all the time. Something should be done to tackle this problem. There should be more variety in the menu and recharge cards for all leading mobile phone networks should be made available.”

Though the canteen at St. Francis is not perfect and has a wide scope for improvement, it manages to carve a niche for itself in the hearts of all francisians. It is a place where friends unwind while listening to foot-tapping music infused with sounds of hearty laughter and munching on tasty food. No wonder it lingers on in the hearts and minds of all students in the form of cherished memories for a very long time.