Day 4: Canteen Confidentials: Chronicles of a Hungry Med Student

Canteen Confidentials

Because even soggy dosas deserve screen time.

Let’s be honest—at some point, we’ve all done the mental math and come to the same conclusion: being a chai wala is definitely more profitable than whatever degree we’re currently slogging through. I’m convinced it’s a universal truth.

The canteen? It’s not just a place to eat—it’s where friendships are forged, heartbreaks are dissected, and round-table discussions more important than international conferences are held. It’s where both literal and figurative tea is served piping hot.

Welcome to Canteen Confidentials—a behind-the-scenes peek into the unfiltered (and often undercooked) reality of our daily dine-in drama.

Episode 1: The Great Masala Dosa Mirage

As someone who’s always painfully punctual (read: perpetually late), the canteen has become my default breakfast place. And every single time I decide to be adventurous and order the dosa, I receive a sad heap of sogginess that looks more depressed than my future.

Still, I eat it. Because:

1. My broke student existence can’t afford to waste 50 bucks

2. HUNGER

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Episode 2: Maggi Magic

Never in the history of food has there been a bigger lie than the “2-minute” Maggi myth. No matter who cooks it, it never takes less than 5 minutes.

The canteen bhaiya (a Michelin-star chef in disguise) takes 20.

But somehow, that overcooked maida marinated in masala is exactly the therapy I need after an 8-to-5 day of being medically gaslit by textbooks.

Episode 3: The Mystery of the Gravy

Every lunch order is a game of Russian roulette. What am I eating? Potato? Paneer? Paper mache?

Honestly, it could be Play-Doh. The taste doesn’t argue otherwise.

My policy is simple: close your eyes, chew, and pray.

Episode 4: Coffee That Could Revive the Dead

I don’t know what they put in it. I don’t think I want to know.

But one cup of that overly sweet, overly frothy liquid courage and I’m ready to fight wars, lead nations, pass pathology, and solve global warming.

It’s not coffee. It’s chaotic divine intervention in a steel cup.

Final Thoughts

Canteen food might never earn Michelin stars, but it’s the beating heart of every student on campus.

It’s our impromptu conference room, therapy den, library, hangout zone, and crisis-management center—rolled into one noisy, steamy, stainless-steel space.

And honestly? That’s where half the med school memories are made.

What are your canteen tales??