People are eating again in the Forum Library. The first evidence was the breadcrumbs I found in a keyboard. And now I have seen a few people at it.
A few years ago it was perfectly normal to eat in the library. It probably wasn’t really allowed even then, but no one took any notice if you peeled an egg or opened a tin of sardines.
That changed in 2017, after the renovations. The new carpet had to be kept clean, so the ladies and gentlemen who run the library introduced a strict ban. No eating allowed. If you so much as thought about food you would be asked to leave the library. That strictness took a bit of getting used to, but it had its advantages. No more loud chewing or distracting food smells. It did make the world a slightly better place.
If you so much as thought about food you would be asked to leave the library
But things are loosening up again now. You still can’t walk into the library eating, but once you are sitting at a desk you can get away with quite a lot. And it’s tempting to get out your lunchbox, I understand that. But just don’t. It’s a slippery slope. What starts with breadcrumbs in a keyboard soon escalates until there’s ketchup on the ceiling. And nobody wants that. So, guys, if we make one resolution for 2020, let’s make it that we stop munching in the library. For quality of life.
Vincent Oostvogels (24) is exploring the delicate interface between nature management and food production through his two Master’s programmes, Forest & Nature Conservation and Animal Sciences.