THE SCHOOL’S student cafeteria is often where many students choose to have their meals. It is more approachable and less costly than other restaurants near the campus. Yet, we rarely focus on the individuals preparing and serving the food we consume. By getting to know the cafeteria workers, students can broaden their insight into their surroundings. The Yonsei Annals conducted an interview with nutritionist Sim Su-jin, who is in charge of Go-leul-saem[1], the student cafeteria inside the Student Union Building, to learn more about the cafeteria we often visit.

The  Yonsei Annals: Please introduce the student cafeteria you work in. 

Sim: Located on the first floor of the Student Union Building, Go-leul-saem is a student cafeteria that provides Western food to students as well as the faculty. It serves a variety of signature menus such as spaghetti, gratin, and salad—like other western restaurants outside the campus. Our cafeteria's signature menus, which are unavailable at other restaurants, and the opportunity to taste delicious western dishes at a reasonable price, in my opinion, are its two main advantages. The most popular signature menus are the pork red pepper paste and cream spaghetti, spicy seafood tteokbokki[2] spaghetti, and oven rice with chicken cutlets.

Annals: Tell us about your job as a school cafeteria nutritionist. 

Sim: Nutritionists work differently depending on their workplace. My duties are store management, food material management, safety and hygiene management, manpower management, and food distribution management. I do paperwork, customer response, and etc. You can think of it as a general manager of a business. I think it is an advantage and a disadvantage that a nutritionist acts as a general manager. I like that by carefully managing everything that happens in the workplace, I could include my thoughts and opinions in the menu, kitchen, and store management. This is also the rewarding point of my job. But on the other hand, as it is with any profession, you would need to work responsibly and under pressure to avoid problems.

Annals: Is there a reason you decided to work at the student cafeteria?

Sim: I experienced both regular meals and patient meals during practice training and I felt that regular meals fit my profession better. In addition, I wanted to work in a place where I could develop various menus. So, I got a job at the student cafeteria and worked here for about two years. 

Annals: What was the most memorable experience while working at Go-leul-saem?

Sim: The most memorable episode while working at the student cafeteria was when a customer who ordered spicy pork red pepper paste cream spaghetti once asked for a bowl of rice, saying the spaghetti was so delicious. I was confused at the time because Go-leul-saem didn't provide rice separately. But now that I think about it again, I'm thankful to feel that the customer had eaten the spaghetti deliciously enough to enjoy it with rice.

Annals: How can one become a nutritionist working at a student cafeteria? 

Sim: In order to become a nutritionist working at a student cafeteria, obtaining a nutritionist license is a must, and it is helpful to have a cooking license. Also, I think it is necessary to understand the profession of a nutritionist and the workplace if you hope to work through nutritionist practice training. Furthermore, I believe that expertise in nutrition, leadership, decision-making ability, and physical strength are the necessary competencies for being a nutritionist. Therefore, making an effort to improve those skills will be greatly beneficial.

Annals: Any last message for the students reading this?

Sim: You can eat delicious spaghetti and gratin if you come to Go-leul-saem. So please visit Go-leul-saem often! I also want to say thank you to those who use Go-leul-saem often and enjoy the food!

[1] Go-leul-saem: The name of the student cafeteria.

[2] Tteokbokki: Korean spicy rice cake dish