The Mess

What is the first thing you see when you enter one of IIT Delhi's chauvinistic hostels? tainted walls? A library? A roomful of geeks?
The mess! A distinctive rush of euphoria floods one's entire being, as one witnesses the utter beauty of this holistic place. The mess is "big", and by big, one refers to IIT standards. Bigger than an entire section of the hostel floor.
It can seat almost 150 people at a time - But it doesn't,usually. It houses state-of-the-art architecture and seating arrangements - if only the food was better.
The Mess works by a menu, but the chief cooks constantly surprise us. Had it not been for our "experienced" seniors, one could never have guessed that the brown elastic matter was actually a "chapati". However, the cuisine speaks of immense variety - both colour and taste. Once a week, the mess has a special offering for junk-food lovers. The attendance at such an event is overwhelming - a sad state of affairs, given how unhealthy it can be.
The mess has timings - slots of two hours for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Anyone 'un'lucky enough to miss it can visit the nearby Food Court.
It's popularity is wavering - However, if plotted as a function of time, the mess' popularity can best be approximated to a strictly decreasing function, as one graduates from one semester to the next.
To be honest, the quality of food available is the best one can avail with the given resources, and saying so, i can speak only for my hostel, Karakoram. The mess staff is extremely friendly, and occasionally, one can hear them humming or singing. It is their positivity and happiness that makes the food so much better.

Note: Above picture depicts Kumaon Mess.