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Patrick Dugle, a graduate student, says the Bush Canteen was his favourite eatery in the University of Ghana ten years ago when he pursued his first degree. And he still prefers the Bush Canteen to any other eatery in the University. �Here at the Bush Canteen there is variety so you�re assured of whatever food you like,� he explains over a plate of plain rice and stew. �The food sold here is also cheap and affordable when compared to other canteens in the entire university,� he adds. Patrick is, however, worried about the sanitation of the area. �Sanitation here is a big problem. It needs serious attention,� he says. Poring over meal of banku with viscous groundnut soup and fish, Andrew Muniru Nantogmah, says he recently abandoned a plate of banku with groundnut soup and chicken he had paid for.�I saw a fat maggot in the soup,� he explains. But he hasn�t stopped patronising Bush Canteen. He only switched to a different vendor. Andrews however believes sanitation of the canteen has reached a level that deserves �serious attention� from authorities of the market and the university. �Apart from the maggot I saw in the soup,� Andrew says, �I had the opportunity of passing behind main arena. That is where they cook the food, and what I saw was an eyesore. If there�s one improvement I will like to see at the Bush Canteen, then it should be the sanitation problem. It�s serious.� Andrew and Patrick�s concerns represent the major opinion shared by students, workers and authorities of the Bush Canteen, the most popular eatery in the University of Ghana, Legon. The name Bush Canteen At the topmost corner of the second gate is a grammatically handicapped inscription: �University Worker�s Canteen.� The inscription notwithstanding, not many people know the real name of this market. They call here Bush Canteen.Or �Bush K� for short. The name has however outlived its relevance. Mr.Akoto Akwasi Bani, chairman of the Bush Canteen traders association, says in the 1980s when the canteen was built, the university had not expanded to its present state.One had to walk through the bush to get to the canteen. �Here was actually in the bush. So the students called here Bush Canteen.� Aba Sampson, a student of Communication Studies says Bush Canteen is �the heartbeat of Legon.� Apart from food Bush Canteen has a lot more to offer � a vibrant market. The entire market is about half the size of a football pitch but the canteen occupies only one- third of that space. The rest is occupied by traders and artisans offering all manner of services. There are five barbering shops and eight hairdressing salons, as well as,many provision shops. Many students sew their clothes here.There are also books and stationery shops, photocopy and printing services as well as a music shop. There is a cobbler in this market. The market can boast of five drinking spots, which are empty by day but very much alive under the cover of darkness. The entire market is, however, called Bush Canteen. And but for the high prison-like tall walls that cordon off the area, the Bush Canteen would have been visible commuters at the Legon Bus Stop on the Madina-Accra road. The canteen itself is made up of a cluster of diverse food vendors. One is sure to find any meal of one�s choice, both �local and continental.� The sheds are in two long rows, facing each other. Facing the east of the Bush Canteen one sees writings advertising some of popular vendors of the canteen: Makafui Yesu Special Kenkey, God is Good Special Beans and Plantain, C. Amanda�s Fast Food and Babson�s Fast Food and catering services. The opposite direction is occupied by sellers of mainly banku and fufu. The Cost Cutter, Delasi�s Kitchen and Sarah�s kitchen are among the boldly written signs fighting the sooth to retain their conspicuousness and original colour. The middle, which is about the size of a basketball court, is where people eat. It can sit about 120 people at a time and at peak hours it is a common sight to find people holding the food and waiting for someone to vacate their seat. The atmosphere at Bush Canteen is characterised by the rhythmic sound of heavy wooden pestles hitting fufu. The task is usually carried out by stocky young men, with bodies dotted with beads of perspiration. The long rows of dining tables are distinguished from one vendor to the other by the colour of their coverings. Turning their heads skilfully to scoop soup, patrons of the canteen must also keep waving a hand over the food to ward of the relentless houseflies that invade the area. Bellow the corrugated iron aluminium sheets that serve as she hung ceiling fans but their effect is never felt. Quality but unhygienic food �Our main problem here is the heat,� says Ms. Sarah Addo, owner of Sarah�s Kitchen, the most popular joint in the Bush Canteen. Sarah�s Kitchen serves banku and fufu. The 40-year old vendor, who looks like someone in her early 30s, has been in the Bush Canteen for the past eight years and says heat is the main reason some people in the university do not patronise Bush Canteen. �Can you imagine a student or somebody taking his lover to the canteen only be met with this heat?� she asks. Louisa NiiQuaye, 39-year old owner of Daavi�s Special Beans and Bambara agrees with Sarah. Louisa has been in this business for 20 years and says despite the profitability, heat is what might force her to quit the job. �The kitchens are too small and so some people as you can see warm their soups and do part of the cooking here,� she says. To the vendors, the heat might be the main cause of their discomfort and worry because it sends potential customers away from the eatery. But the customers and other observers have a different concern. The Director of Health Services at the University of Ghana believes sanitation at the Bush Canteen needs serious attention. Dr. Christian Kofi Amenuveve says gastro intestinal disorders such as cholera, diarrhoea are among the top four sicknesses students of the University of Ghana are diagnosed with. Dr. Amenuveve, who would not give a definitive answer about whether he patronises the Bush Canteen or not, says the place is a strategic component of the university and must be given more attention. �Some of the foods they serve are of better quality in terms of taste and nutritional value than even some well-established restaurants in the city. It is no wonder many people prefer Bush Canteen to other canteens in the university. The only problem is the sanitation,� he said.