Lunch at the University

The University site is so large (161 hectares), it is difficult to comprehend how some 20,000 students and 2000 staff can get fed in 30 minutes at one place. The building is in the centre of the campus and is three stories of food serveries and dining area, efficiently catering for so many people.

It's not difficult to find. Just follow the throng at lunch time. It's a 15-20 minute walk from our staff room, quite pleasant through landscaped gardens and past a huge ornamental lake. But it would not be very pleasant in inclement weather. So we have been ordering our lunch from the same kitchens, to be delivered to the staff room.

A huge central kitchen with hundreds of white uniformed staff serving behind long rows of mainly hot food counters. Students can select from hundreds of options and they stick a "food card" into a special machine in front of them as the serving staff punch in the purchase amount, updating the balance on the card. All incredibly efficient!
The ground floor ("first floor" in this part of the world) is typical uni union refactory with lots of useful shops, fresh fruit and veges (strawberries!), photocopiers, computers, chemist, technology store, and a well stocked supermarket selling a good range of food and goods. This seems to be a better place to shop than the maddening Carrefour supermarket back in the city. And all purchases in the student building can be made using the "food card" - wonderful!

Strolling back to my own building I delighted in the blossoms appearing on the ornamental trees, and the first blush of green of the willows and other decidious trees, all with white painted lower trunks.