Mila Ivanova is a student of Medicine and writes for EM . She commutes regularly between Woudestein and Hoboken. In this section she reveals the differences and similarities between ‘East and ‘ West’. Part 3 : Food and Drink ( Also read part 1 en part 2)
Even though Woudestein has almost seven times as many students as Erasmus MC, it’s noticeable that there are quite a few similarities regarding places to eat. Woudestein has a Spar on campus, while there’s an Albert Heijn To Go on Hoboken.
Students in the east can get coffee and related items at places such as the Erasmus Paviljoen, while those in the west can get their cuppa at Dok 10. And after lectures, on Woudestein they can grab a beer at the campus café In de Smitse, which has a counterpart on Hoboken, ‘t Vat. And here’s another similarity: the Espresso bar at Erasmus MC is comparable to the coffee corner in Woudestein’s C-building, including its wide range of croissants, cakes and smoothies.
Beer and pizza
But since Woudestein is quite a bit bigger, there are some extra options for eating out. A real Food Plaza has been in business for a few years, offering a wide range from toasted sandwiches to noodles, from super-healthy snacks to old-school satay and everything in between. Not that there’s no Starbucks at Erasmus MC, but both the coffee chain as well as all kinds of treats are available the hospital’s main entrance, just that bit too far from the Education centre and from the students. This is in stark contrast to the centrally-located Food Court, or the architectural gem also right in the middle of the campus: the Erasmus Paviljoen. There, hungry students can choose from five different types of pasta and not between just two (as on Hoboken), and we’ve not even started on the pizzas. And it should be said: for humanities and social science students, not only fans of Italian cuisine are in their element, the beer lovers are too. The Smitse actually has a separate beer menu, with an even bigger range than ‘t Vat.
Coffee and cheesecake
However, it’s not only culinary sorrow at Erasmus MC: there’s unlimited free coffee, tea and chocolate milk – throughout the entire Education Centre – including special types of coffee, such as Wiener Melange. And the toasted sandwiches aren’t expensive either: available at ‘t Vat for one euro, while you can get small filled mini-baguettes at the Koffiekade. At Dok 10, you’ll find many treats produced by Koekenla, the bakery that’s close by: from chocolate truffle tart to cheesecake with cherries, from brownies with nuts to various types of muffins. And although there’s maybe less choice than on the other side of the city, you can create your own meal at Kade 80 in the evenings, where the menu changes daily.
Conclusion
To summarise, the range on Woudestein is (much) greater than on Hoboken, but medical students don’t need to worry about that too much: in contrast to their colleagues on the east of the city, they can be in the city centre within minutes, where they can eat and drink wherever they want.
