About canteens
Vilnius canteen culture in short.
Many windows in Vilnius Old Town have the same new white plastic frames. It is just one example of the blind ambition to destroy everything that is old. Pizzas which cost a few Litas and kebabs full of mayonnaise are also new things, just like those frames... But they are hardly better than the old ones.
The Soviet period is the painful past that we are trying totally to erase. But erasing the past is not a feature of conscious humankind.
Canteens belong to the Soviet period. They will never be found again as unique. Moreover, you could refer to canteens as small-time machines which take you back to the 20th century. Nowadays these places have become both a sub-cultural issue and the proof of confrontation with the dominant fast food culture.
Not everyone can remember the Soviet canteens in a good way. Some of us couldn't stand the idea of going back to the canteens and using the aluminium forks, as well as the odd smell of the food. However, there is also the other side of that issue. First of all, sincere service-women who usually work in the same canteens all their lives. Secondly, there is a menu that has not been changed for 50 years, authentic atmosphere and interiors too. In the Soviet Union the canteens were based on the ideology. They were nourishing people and became a great part of mass culture. Today the canteens have been confronting the restaurants. They do not have any modern traditions of toadyism or a need to please clients. Therefore, the canteens unconsciously form opposite moral values. An immediate relation with the staff and food cooking in front of the customers nowadays have become exotic. These small authentic museums are the only eating places which haven't changed since Lithuania declared the independence of the country.
What is the real canteen just in few words.
A canteen is a place to eat, usually located at schools, in the factories or other places where a lot of people work, visit, etc. The system is easily recognized here: there is the sink to wash your hands, odd and old-fashioned interiors, a tray to carry your lunch (also a self-service system most of the time), talkative workers who take your order, traditional drinks on the menu - a glass of compote a window for dishes, , a mirror near the entrance. Here the real life begins during lunchtime. Then hundreds of customers are being fed. Customers usually have their favourite dishes, and different canteens in town are famous for some special dishes or exclusive cutlet titles.