The Tale of Asia’s 2^ndLargest Canteen

China happens to be one of the most vivid examples of food and cultural diversity across the globe. Different cuisines from various parts of the countryplayvery important rolesin Chinese culture. And for the migratory birds like me, the school canteen is not only a place to satisfy our appetitesyet in addition a place to have atasteof China's super diversified foods originating from various parts of the country. There is a Chinese saying, “大学之大，在于食堂”,which literally means “If you want to find out how enormous the university is, simply go through its canteen”. Fortunately, the canteen in the central campus of Shandong University is the 2^ndlargest canteen in Asia, while some callit a five star canteen. Shandong University is by all accounts the main foundationofJinan where a larger number of individuals cometo eat than to study. It has five floors from ground floor to the 4^thfloor with thousands of delicacies. The ground floor is open from 6:30 to 22:00 consistently, you can find fresh and seasonal fruits here.Itis known to beone of the best placesfor self-study ormeetings. The first floor is known to be the most cost effective one. “People Mountain, People Sea”isthe exact phrase to describe the rush in the 1^stfloor. It is exorbitantly well known among the early birds to have their breakfast here. As per the information of the cafeteria, steamed stuffed buns and omelets are thebest sellingbreakfasts. Approximately 600 steamed stuffed buns, 800 dumplingsand 3000 egg pancakes are sold everyday there. Those egg pan cakes are made of 135 kilograms of eggs. 6 to 8 yuan is sufficient to have your meals in the 1^stfloor in general. Now,foodinthe 2^ndfloor is a bit pricier thanthatinthe 1^st. International students of SDU preferto have their meals here in the 2^ndfloor. The only Muslim corner of this canteen is here and some other foods are available here as well including fresh fruit juice. There is no specific recommendation but almost all the dishes in this flooraredelicious. 6-12 yuan would be decent to fulfill your yearning here. Now,though some may feelthe third floor isonly open for the faculties & staffs, but fortunately it’s open for everyone. It’s a kind of multi-purpose restaurant.Fromhotpot buffet to wedding banquet,everything is available here.Youevenhave the freedom to orderlikeina restaurant. Variousitems are available here.By the way, don’t forget to try dumplings from this floor. Finally, the 4^thfloorisawesternizedandmore agreeable spottohaveyour feast. Not only foods from different parts of China but also foreign delicacies are available. The food items keepchanging here andeachwillbebetterthanthe next. The fourth floor is my personal recommendation. You won’t feel likebeingina canteen here.Itisbetter than most of the restaurants outside. It’s a bit more costly than other floor but notas pricy as outsiderestaurants.

This was the story of Asia’s second largest canteen.Nomatteryou are an international student, a Chinese student or someone even from other schools or a visitor from other cities, the five star canteen of Shandong University always welcomes you warmly.