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“Rice every day and a steak hard as a rock”: Student criticizes Zagreb cafeteria

From Večernji List · () Croatian

Translated from Croatian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Zagreb students criticized university cafeteria food on Reddit, describing repetitive meals, small portions and poor taste.
  • Users compared Zagreb cafeterias unfavorably with those in Split, Zadar and Rijeka, while noting that student meals receive public subsidies.
  • A student said food quality at the FER cafeteria had declined over the past year, citing hard steak, watery goulash, overcooked pasta and stale bread.

“Rice every day and a steak hard as a rock.” That is how one student described the food at Zagreb’s FER cafeteria, where the daily menu allegedly includes the same limited selection again and again.

A discussion on Reddit began after a user described a meal at a Zagreb student cafeteria and compared it with cafeterias in Split, Zadar and Rijeka. In the user’s view, Zagreb facilities offer the poorest food in terms of quality and taste. The fact that the meals are subsidized, the user argued, should not mean students receive food that is not good or enjoyable.

The food is constantly the same, rotating through six or seven meals a week, and the portion is not enough to feed half a person. Everything is fried, unfortunately.

· Reddit commenterThe commenter described the repetitive menu and small portions at Zagreb cafeterias.

Other commenters shared similar complaints. One said the menu rotates through only six or seven meals a week, while portions are too small and much of the food is fried. Another rejected the argument that low prices excuse poor quality, pointing out that students do not pay the full cost because meals receive subsidies.

I understand that it is a meal at a subsidized price, but why do students not deserve for that meal to be good and tasty, as it is in other cafeterias?

· Reddit userThe user questioned whether subsidies should justify lower food quality.

A commenter who focused on the FER cafeteria said its quality had fallen considerably over the past year. When she began studying, she had been told it was the best cafeteria in the city, with a broad selection that included dishes unavailable elsewhere. She now described hard “naravni odrezak” steak, watery goulash, sardines with unsuitable side dishes, sausages with rice, breaded meat pâté, overcooked pasta and various sauces.

She also complained about bread that is often hard, along with salads and desserts that, in her experience, commonly consist of doughnuts, pudding or cakes. She suggested staff shortages and efforts to cut food and wage costs as possible reasons for the decline. The article presents these as students’ claims, not as independently verified findings.

The meal is paid for at the requested price, so it should be of an appropriate quality.

· Reddit commenterThe commenter argued that the subsidized price does not remove the expectation of acceptable quality.
About this summary

Originally published by Večernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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