The Neelsie and various student hubs are swarming with students from 12h00 to 14h00, all waiting to get their lunch fix.
MatieMedia investigates what students eat during lunch, where they like to go and how much they spend on it.
This is what we found:
Out of 100 students, the majority (53) prefer to buy their lunch on campus.
“It’s more convenient, most of the time, to just buy something on campus or to grab something together with friends. Lunch is a social gathering as well and it’s just more convenient if everyone gets their food together,” said Yantarni Smuts (22), a Drama Honours student.
Only 39 of the students said that they make their own lunch at home. The other 8 students do not eat lunch, because they say it is too expensive or they are too busy to think about food.
Rayno Mostert (21) an Actuarial Science Honours student added: “Often I get to the end of a long day and realise I’ve had a bunch of coffees but no lunch. Then I just grab a wrap from the Hub for dinner.”
How Stellenbosch students prefer to get their lunch. GRAPHIC BY: Martinette Hay
Meal options on campus vary greatly with large and smaller portions available, as well as quick and easy or healthier meals on the menu.
The Neelsie alone offers standard fast food options such as pizzas, burgers and chips and chinese noodle takeaways, but also caters to the health conscious or students with food allergies with quinoa salads, kale wraps, smoothies or Halaal options.
The most popular place to get lunch is Food Lover’s Market with 26% of the vote.
“Most of the BA students come to Food Lovers because it’s a little cheaper than the Neelsie and closer. They also have several ready made meals that are relatively healthy and filling, as well as weekly specials,” Nalize Ferreira (22) an English Honours student said.
Nca’Kos came in second place with 11% of the vote, followed by 8% for Kwikspar and 7% for Jeff’s Place. Some of the other places where students get their afternoon fix include: Miriam’s Kitchen, Chalkboard, various residences, Hutmakers and Woolworths.
Popular lunch spots in Stellenbosch. GRAPHIC BY: Martinette Hay
Most students (43%) spend between R30 and R45 on average per meal. That comes to a total of approximately R280 a week and R1 120 a month. Averaged over a ten-month academic year, this amounts to R11 200 a year and R33 600 for a three-year degree.
Students spend thousands on lunch per year. GRAPHIC BY: Martinette Hay
Lunch is an important meal of the day for everyone. It provides energy and nutrients to keep the body and brain working efficiently through the afternoon.
“Skipping lunch is like going on a mini fast. If you go too long without eating, you begin to get very hungry and this leads to deterioration in your performance at work or class,” Dr. Pieter Liebenberg, a general practitioner said. – Martinette Hay and Andeline Wieland