As I reminisce about my time as a university student, what I remember best, apart from some peculiar lecturers, is the cafeteria and the food I could try there. My time as a student of history invariably evokes memories of dinners, just like at home, eaten at the cafeteria which used to be in Collegium Historicum (today’s Collegium Martineum). For many years it was run by Maria Królska – an amazing figure in the world of Poznań restaurant industry. The university cafeteria consisted of three rooms: a restaurant, a canteen for students and the so-called professors’ hall. Today we would call this last room a VIP area for important guests and new doctors. It was customary for the latter to invite their supervisors to formal dinners to celebrate at Ms Maria’s place receiving a degree. I used to spend hours in that cafeteria to pass the time between classes. It was there that me and my friends would come up with secret methods to study for the hardest exam in the history of Antiquity. The history of the building at Święty Marcin Street, which used to house “Ms Maria’s garden of tastes”, is very rich. Until 1990 it was the seat of the Regional Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party. After the Party was dissolved, the building was handed over to Adam Mickiewicz University and thereby the underground was adapted for a restaurant. The majority of the décor remained the
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Drawings: Wikimedia Commons
ONE SLICE OF DELICIOUS HISTORY
ska Agata Kierzkow C PH
same. Massive pillars, stone floor, chandeliers – all of that created the unique atmosphere of the place. From the very beginning, the canteen was run by the Królska family, with Ms Maria as the boss. However, I do not want to talk about the building but about the food and the people who made it. Numerous articles have been written about Maria Królska and a lot of films have been made. I read and watched many of them. I also talked to my husband who is a graduate in history himself. Both of us have different memories connected to the place pertaining to the tastes and smells of home-like meals. What I remember best are mushroom soup and pancakes with spinach filling. From the canteen’s menu I remember well the giant sandwiches. They were sold by a nice, bearded man. My husband remembers with nostalgia cold beet soup and braised beef. There is even a term for the food which brings back good memories – comfort food. It is the food that makes us reminisce about the people, places and events from the past. I wanted to learn more about the Królskas’s culinary heritage so I decided to arrange a meeting with Ms Maria. Anyone who has ever had a chance to meet her knows that it is an extremely warm-hearted and open person. She would never let anyone go hungry. Thus, our meeting began with a plate full of delicious sandwiches. This is how my sentimental journey began – full of memories of the people and good food. People from all walks of life used to eat in Collegium Historicum: students, professors, famous people like Krystyna Feldman – an actress who was a regular here. Many customers had their favourite tables. There was a token system. The green token entitled you
