Cormet is the new caterer in the Forum. Opening times during the day have been expanded and a hot meal is served in the evenings. The food was going to be cheaper and still as tasty. How is that panning out? Desalegn Etalo from Ethiopia PhD student of Plant Sciences ‘Today I am having a light meal because I am sitting at the computer all day. Two current buns, a croquette and a bottle of forest fruit juice. The price strikes me as quite normal, but I am not very satisfied with the range on offer. There is too little choice and variety. The basic meal is still a filled roll and I am not so keen on those. I would rather have a hot meal. The Chinese food is fine but the choices are exactly the same every day and that gets boring. So I sometimes go to the Restaurant of the Future, where there is more variety in the hot meals.’ Chenxi Zhang from China Master student of Food Safety ‘The Chinese food used to be pre-packed in plastic trays, and the amount of waste was a shame. Now it is a sort of buffet with more choice than there used to be. For example, you can choose between white rice and fried rice, and it is served on a plate. Of course the food comes from the same kitchen but I think it is more appealing and better presented. The Chinese curry with beef and fried rice is tasty. All my life I have been used to eating a hot meal at midday, so that I am nice and full. That is really the Chinese standard: eat plenty at midday and in the evening just enough to fill the stomach.’ Gerrie Holmer On the library staff ‘I think the new caterer is better than the old one. The rolls are similar to the ones served last year but the soup is better – and cheaper. I think the canteen at the Leeuwenborch is even better. They have very nice vegetarian soup there and everything is freshly made. You can also get fresh orange juice there, which is very nice. And even though they make everything fresh, things are better organized at the Leeuwenborch. Here at the Forum it is a bit chaotic – long queues, a messy setup, and very busy. But I have no complaints about the food; I am not hard to please.’ Tom Hardy, second year student of Geo-information Science ‘I find it very hard to compare. Last year I occasionally got myself a roll in the canteen. That was OK, but a bit pricy. This year I have only eaten Chinese so far. And that is quite tasty and good value for money. So I think I’ll be doing that more often. Apparently you could get it last year too, but since I wasn’t in the Forum very often then, I didn’t notice it.’ Hubert Krekels On the library staff ‘I think this caterer is better than the last one. I like good food. The rolls are fresher and better filled than the ones served last year, and there is more choice of rolls. The choice of croquettes is a plus, too. The only thing is, they haven’t got a clue about logistics. The trays were at the back at first; luckily they have brought them to the front now. And the milk, the most popular product, is right at the back in the corner, so you get a holdup. They obviously haven’t listened to the people who’ve been here for years and know how it’s done.’ Robert Baars Lecturer at Van Hall Larenstein ‘It is satisfactory and I haven’t noticed big differences from last year. I don’t eat a lot; I have a bowl of soup and a cup of milk, so I am not a very good customer for spotting the differences. Is the soup cheaper now? I have no idea; I use my chip card and I really don’t look at the price. It is a lot busier now in the canteen, at the start of the school year. Yesterday we couldn’t find a place to sit and today we had the last empty chairs.’
Titis Wardhani from Indonesia
Master’s student of Molecular Sciences ‘Today I’ve brought homemade Indonesian rice with me. I spend almost an hour cooking every morning. If I can’t manage that I go home at lunchtime for a hot meal. I don’t go to the canteen very often. I had noticed that there is a new caterer, but I think the food on offer is pretty much the same. I am not very impressed by the menu. If they were to serve Indonesian food now and then, I would go more often. After all, they can make Chinese food, can’t they?’ Milena Banic Student of Nutrition and Health ‘I have eaten at Cormet two or three times so far. I don’t think it is all that different from last year, except that there are now fresh fruitshakes. I usually go home to eat at lunchtime, but if I have a meeting I eat in the Forum. Then I always eat a filled roll. I would like more vegetarian options. A problem for me is that I am sometimes hungry at eleven thirty already, but often only at two thirty. Downstairs at the Grand Café you can only buy cookies and sweets. Oh, is the canteen open longer hours these days? I didn’t know that, but that would be super-chill.’ Text: Nicolette Meerstadt and Albert Sikkema