Cafeteria no. 7 at Tsinghua University is incredibly crowded. The space issue is compounded by the reservation system, which is a fancy way of saying that students stake out seats with a mitten, hat, or notebook. Walking into the cafeteria at rush hour – 12 pm sharp – is an entire lesson in strategery. Otherwise you may find yourself with a full plate of whatever RMB 4 buys you these days, no seat, and nowhere to go but the -2 C weather outside. Groups complicate the issue; it’s really best just to go with one other friend to lunch. On a particularly crowded day, I once saw a guy chowing down on his plate of… READ MORE | 3 Comments