The Student Room Group

Scroll to see replies

Original post by Sockpirate
Pembroke's really good on the hall food front as a whole:

Precisely. I think Alex just doesn't realise how limited and unhealthy hall at other colleges can be.
Whether or not I'm 'fussy' :shifty: pretty much everyone in Peterhouse was unhappy with the food. Every day in the queue all you heard was people moaning and complaining about it.
Original post by Craghyrax
I've already covered at great length, in my reply to Supermerp, the several reasons that this reasoning is flawed.

Ah, I missed that post, sorry. I've now read it.

Regarding the food issue, I really doubt it is possible for each college to cater for every possible combination of dietary requirement and fussiness. While it would be nice if they could hire enough chefs and buy enough ingredients to cook each person an individual meal based on their specific requirements, obviously that's unrealistic and the line has to be drawn somewhere. Different colleges will make different judgements over where that is, and I think it is fine for them to do so, provided that they keep within the relevant laws.

It's not that if you have a different opinion on what kind of food you like to eat that you need to 'conform to regular standards and be like everyone else', but that you should understand that they have no obligation or reason to make a special exception for you.

Original post by Craghyrax
Its straightforwardly obvious that eating healthily is in everybody's best interests whether or not they like the taste of it. Healthy eating has a dramatic effect on longevity. Eating a serving of brocolli each day adds something like a decade to your average life expectancy (I will ask for the source when my fiance is home if you like).

I'm not denying this (though the broccoli thing sounds very much like omitted variable / common cause to me, but that's beside the point), I'm just saying that when given the choice, people (and especially students) tend to opt for short-term pleasure over long-term gain in this and many other aspects. My guess is that if you did make all the food in hall healthy, you'd find that many students now instead go for the takeaway pizza / Chinese / Indian / etc. For cost efficiency reasons colleges want as many people going to hall as possible, so switching the menus to something likely to reduce the numbers in order to please a minority does not appear to be a very logical decision.

Original post by Craghyrax
I find it completely preposterous that you think it acceptable for a caterer to limit consumers to a diet which several years of research correlates with strokes, heart attacks and diabetes.
There's a big difference between a restaurant and a supplier that is obliged to offer students a balanced and healthy diet which they could subside entirely on if they needed to.

I didn't realise that colleges were "obliged to offer students a balanced and healthy diet which they could subside entirely on if they needed to". My point of view was always that they provided a service which you could choose to use should you wish to. For instance, in my final year the number of times I went to hall (not counting Formals) was in single figures. There were plenty of meals that could be cooked with just the hobs, and also plenty of other places where you could buy food around Cambridge.

Original post by Sockpirate
However the cooking facilities are poor at best. I have 1 hob plate (the other's broken), a microwave and a fridge. I didn't even have a microwave until I asked housekeeping specifically! Not having a freezer is the biggest pain I think, however an oven would also be a godsend.

Are you on the college site? Most of the off-site accommodation I visited had pretty good cooking facilities.

Original post by Craghyrax
Yes it might be only a minority of students who wake up at 4 to revise in Easter or keep going till 4, but you do get them and with the kind of pressures you have in terms of work at Cambridge its an absolute nightmare if your dissertation deadline is the next day and the people in the house next door are having a party. Its 2am so the porters have gone to bed, and the library is shut...

If this happened to me it would teach me to be better organised and/or more disciplined in the future and not leave it until the last minute.

Original post by Craghyrax
I just think that some colleges have the attitude of grudgingly providing the basics and being really stingy, and others seem to be really open to investing in everybody's welfare. I think they ought to make it better for everyone, even the minorities, at the very least out of self interest. Most colleges want their students to produce high academic results, and even if only a minority of people are being greatly inconvenienced that's certainly enough people to affect your Tomkin's standing. In both of the examples I've described the kind of provision that we're talking about isn't actually that expensive or difficult to arrange. That's why plenty of colleges do provide 24 hour libraries and adequate kitchen facilities. As Crazy Emz says, Cauis even profits from hall. So I don't think that it being a minority of students should matter.

I'm not sure what the objectives of colleges are really - for obvious reasons they want to keep costs down but I think things like Tompkin's standings will matter to some colleges more than others. As for Caius profiting from hall, it's likely because they force students to buy a certain number of tickets (I think the number is gradually falling though, due to many people not being happy about the current system - an example of where change is eventually enacted if there is enough support for it).

Original post by Craghyrax
And also its very natural for one to think 'I don't have a problem with x therefore most people are probably like me', which is an extremely unreliable way of judging what the preferences and attitudes are of ordinary students. It might be a minority who audibly complain about the problem, but that's not to say that there aren't a large amount of people out there who put up with it but who would be very enthusiastic if anyone were to offer an improvement.
My suspicion is that people dissatisfied with provision are a minority, but probably a larger one than you think. 70:30?

This is an interesting point and I broadly agree that it's not easy to tell how many are truly dissatisfied with the current provisions.

Original post by Craghyrax
And each of you who have objected/said you weren't aware it was a problem are male. Not to pigeon hole, but there are fairly obvious reasons that a random sample of men would be more likely to say that kitchen facilities weren't an issue in comparison to a random group of women :lolwut:

And what would these 'fairly obvious reasons' be? This sounds a bit sexist implying that women care more about food than men.

Original post by Craghyrax
Precisely. I think Alex just doesn't realise how limited and unhealthy hall at other colleges can be.
Whether or not I'm 'fussy' :shifty: pretty much everyone in Peterhouse was unhappy with the food. Every day in the queue all you heard was people moaning and complaining about it.


People (especially in Britain) like to moan and complain about things, if it was really such a big problem they would have 'voted with their feet' and just not gone to hall at all (as previously mentioned, I found it easy to source my meals from elsewhere).
Original post by alex_hk90

Are you on the college site? Most of the off-site accommodation I visited had pretty good cooking facilities.


Yeah, I'm in college. Looking forward to next year, when I'll have a freezer and a combi oven thingy :smile: will just make things that little bit easier!
Original post by Craghyrax
Precisely. I think Alex just doesn't realise how limited and unhealthy hall at other colleges can be.
Whether or not I'm 'fussy' :shifty: pretty much everyone in Peterhouse was unhappy with the food. Every day in the queue all you heard was people moaning and complaining about it.


From what I've seen/heard about Peterhouse, it sounds like it's definitely worse off than Caius hall food, which is saying something considering our reputation haha :p:
Reply 8024
Original post by alex_hk90
In that case you would've struggled with the Crystal Maze Musical that I went to see at Robinson theatre a couple of years back. :tongue: Oh, and the review is accurate.


The review is inaccurate. Everyone in it was brilliant:p:
Original post by Zoedotdot
Definitely do. Although LM complained about it in his tutor meeting as well and at the end made a joke about how maybe things would be changed in ten years or so, and our tutor said she was glad he was being realistic :p: So it doesn't mean much will get done, but the more people campaign for it the better!


Will do. :} I'm in a linguist house basically, and I suspect we'll have Views if the kitchen isn't up to much...

edit: I shouldn't complain, really, but instead of being at a classical concert for free, I'm at home declining numbers because there was a mix-up with the tickets. I know which I'd rather be doing...
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Slumpy
The review is inaccurate. Everyone in it was brilliant:p:


:lol: It was pretty fun to watch regardless.
Reply 8027
Original post by alex_hk90
In that case you would've struggled with the Crystal Maze Musical that I went to see at Robinson theatre a couple of years back. :tongue: Oh, and the review is accurate.


Original post by Slumpy
The review is inaccurate. Everyone in it was brilliant:p:


Good, because I'm seriously considering rewriting Bach with Daily Mail comments and calling it the Littlejohn Passion.


Belated birthday party today - have had the meal, and the cake-eating and present-giving session is in about half an hour. Mighty dread has filled my troubled mind... hopefully they won't remember the running joke about the chocolate body paint.
Original post by lp386
hopefully they won't remember the running joke about the chocolate body paint.

I don't see the problem. Just use it as a spread for sandwiches :dontknow:
Reply 8029
Original post by Craghyrax
I don't see the problem. Just use it as a spread for sandwiches :dontknow:


Plenty of awkwardness already. Earlier I was talking about how I can't roll my Rs and people misheard it as my being unable to roll my posterior. And that's probably just the tip of the iceberg...
Original post by lp386
Plenty of awkwardness already. Earlier I was talking about how I can't roll my Rs and people misheard it as my being unable to roll my posterior. And that's probably just the tip of the iceberg...


I always do that as well! I always have to preface it with "the letter".
Reply 8031
Original post by lp386
Plenty of awkwardness already. Earlier I was talking about how I can't roll my Rs and people misheard it as my being unable to roll my posterior. And that's probably just the tip of the iceberg...

hahhhahahahahahaha 'just the tip'
:facepalm2:
Just got a job as 'security' at Emma June event - anyone know what this will roughly entail? (Stationed in Chapman gardens if it helps!) Never worked a june event/may ball before! Also, what's the deal with clothes when working a may ball/june event? Ta! :biggrin:
Reply 8034
Original post by Sockpirate
Just got a job as 'security' at Emma June event - anyone know what this will roughly entail? (Stationed in Chapman gardens if it helps!) Never worked a june event/may ball before! Also, what's the deal with clothes when working a may ball/june event? Ta! :biggrin:


There's a little passage from Front Court into Chapman's Garden - based on previous years I'd say you'll be sat next to the path checking wristbands :smile: should be fairly easy work! It's usually just plain black clothes - I'd recommend bringing lots of layers and wearing trousers rather than a skirt as working gets really cold because you're not moving very much or drinking.
Original post by Sockpirate
Just got a job as 'security' at Emma June event - anyone know what this will roughly entail? (Stationed in Chapman gardens if it helps!) Never worked a june event/may ball before! Also, what's the deal with clothes when working a may ball/june event? Ta! :biggrin:


From the location I would imagine stopping gatecrashers from scaling a wall (it's adjacent to St. Andrew's Street) or coming in through the backdoors of Emma via South Court. Also probably stopping people from falling into the pond.
Original post by Sockpirate
Just got a job as 'security' at Emma June event - anyone know what this will roughly entail? (Stationed in Chapman gardens if it helps!) Never worked a june event/may ball before! Also, what's the deal with clothes when working a may ball/june event? Ta! :biggrin:


I worked as security at Emma last year. Wasn't in Chapman gardens but essentially I had to make sure nobody crashed the ball. That will probably be the main thing you will have to do. You will probably have a briefing session closer to the event to let you know what you will be doing and what to wear etc. Last year workers just had to wear a black t-shirt and black trousers/jeans.
Cool, thanks all! In terms of then attending the ball (I'm working 1st half, and allowed to attend 2nd half), do we just wear workers clothes for it? Or do you take nice clothes and get changed into them? Sorry if that seems like a stupid question, and know we'll probably find out at the briefing thing, but I'm just curious!
Original post by Sockpirate
Cool, thanks all! In terms of then attending the ball (I'm working 1st half, and allowed to attend 2nd half), do we just wear workers clothes for it? Or do you take nice clothes and get changed into them? Sorry if that seems like a stupid question, and know we'll probably find out at the briefing thing, but I'm just curious!


Last year I worked first half and had 2nd off so I wore my tux to the ball but had my work clothes in a store for later. If you are working first half you will probably bring your nice clothed with you and change into them after your shift
Original post by It could be lupus
Last year I worked first half and had 2nd off so I wore my tux to the ball but had my work clothes in a store for later. If you are working first half you will probably bring your nice clothed with you and change into them after your shift


Oh right, so there is somewhere we can leave them then? Good good :smile: very excited I must say!

Latest