Some Silly Thoughts About Lunch at Work
At my current job, we’re discussing a bit of a kitchen re-do, or at least, a re-organization. It’s gotten me thinking of how funny office breakrooms are - one of the few places we ALL have to share and a place with significant value to most of us (any place that involves food has significant value to me).
The kitchen or breakroom is, possibly, the only space at work where you get a glimpse into your coworkers’ personal beliefs about food and hygiene. In the office kitchen, you learn what others eat, which can have an intimate feel in the dusty and minimalist walls of corporate America.
Once, as we all sat around eating out of reheated Tupperware, a colleague informed me that she doesn’t eat shrimp, “or anything weird like.” Another time, I watch a colleague make a cottage cheese mixture that made no flavor sense to me. I’ve watched coworkers eat things cold that should not have been cold. I’ve seen a few nibbles for lunch and an entire Thanksgiving feast, in a Tupperware. One friend would bring cloth napkins every day. Others insist on dumping their food out of the Tupperware and eating off a “real” plate. Lunchtime shows you, not only who eats and who doesn’t, but because many of us bring leftovers from the previous night, it offers a peak into each of our at-home lives. I look around the table and see who grilled last night, who ordered pizza or Chinese, and who is trying to eat healthier.
Workplace kitchens and breakrooms come with some unspoken rules too: avoid microwaving stinky foods like broccoli, fish, or cabbage. There is an expectation of clean-up: wash your own dishes, don’t leave your food in the fridge too long, and wipe down the microwave if your food explodes. Emily Post even has some guidelines.
And yet, these rules are simultaneously known and broken daily. And we tolerate and expect this. We aren’t shocked when someone leaves a dirty spoon in the sink or we push aside someone’s too-old leftovers in the fridge. We’ve come to accept this about breakroom space.
I, for one, have violated the rule about microwaving stinky foods. What can I say? I love salmon and broccoli, and if I’m eating leftovers, so be it. We’ve all forgotten about a Tupperware we left in the work fridge, only to be shamed by the “we’re cleaning out the fridge this Friday” email or another colleague’s open disgust upon finding it.
Certainly, none of us live like such slobs at home. Right? When I was a teacher, I was lucky to get 20 minutes for lunch and, often, the washing of my dishes was just not feasible. I’d inhale my food, then throw the containers back in my lunch bag - or - I’d throw them in the sink, with the intention of returning after school to clean and retrieve them. You know how this goes, I’d forget and, the next day, there they would sit as a coworker stood over the sink sharing a sermon about the sins of dirty dishes.
Office silverware is a wild thing too. Grabbing a community fork out of the drawer suggests you feel confident with the washing ability and attention to detail of whoever used that fork before you. To be honest, this is not something I ever thought too much about until a colleague with Celiac’s told me she won’t risk using anyone else’s dishes or silverware. And I’m not gonna lie, those forks almost always have some bit of hardened food on them, previously washed in a rush, and allowed to drip dry in a public dish drying rack.
For a while, a friend of mine would post pictures of office fridge finds that were way past due. We’d take guesses on her feed as to what the item originally was.
It’s funny to me that, in all our different jobs and different lifestyles, the office kitchen space yields the same struggles everywhere. There’s always a food thief or someone who is “just borrowing” your ranch or “only took one of your La Croix’s.” There’s always that person whose food takes FOR-EVER in the microwave. The one who never washes their dishes. The one who leaves their leftovers in the fridge for too long.
And yet, we are never “that person,” right? And while it seems like it should be the easiest place to maintain (lots of people cleaning and wiping things down), it’s instead, generally a place of crumbs, spills, and questionable smells.
My lunch routine at my new job (not teaching) is WAY less stressful and harried than when I taught. Now, I have a solid 30 minutes and none of that is eaten up by a commute to the lounge (I just walk down the hall). Also, I am not dictated by a bell schedule anymore, so if I need a few minutes to finish eating or wash my dishes, it’s fine. I work in a small office, so I now take lunch alone, which is much less fun than sitting around a table with 5-10 colleagues laughing or bitching about the day, but it’s given me time to listen to books on tape or watch some Netflix as I eat. Heck, now I can even run an errand on my lunch break if needed!
And it’s wild what a change it makes in my day to have 30 minutes of calm and quiet. The entire day of a teacher is busy and rushed - including lunch. In fact, not too long ago, I told my boss that I was so swamped that I really should just work through lunch if I was going to get anything done. He said to me, “If you’re that busy, all the more reason you need to take a lunch! Hit pause and chill for a half hour!” Say what? Purposefully stop and relax?! In the middle of the workday?! Unheard of!
Anyway, here are a few lunch-related links for your perusal:
This NPR story about the hashtag #whitepeoplefood and why it’s trending in China.
This Grilled Zucchini Salad, which I highly recommend, won’t stink up your lunchroom.
I intended to tell you about this Jeff Goins piece about cooking salmon (which WILL stink up your workplace), but then I discovered this poem about hunger and decided they both fit with my theme here!
On my lunch break, I’ve been reading Mexican Gothic. It’s slow going because my lunch break is about the only time I’ve had to read, but I’m enjoying the novel so far.
Finally started watching Insecure, now that it’s over and everyone has moved on. Since it moved to Netflix, it kept showing up in my queue, reminding me to give it a try. Loving it, but that’s easy because I have a not-so-small crush on Issa Rae. Watch it on your lunch break - with earbuds!
I just ordered this lunch container because it’s been on sale on Amazon. I love it because I’m always packing lunches with components that need to be warmed up and some that don’t. This way, I can keep the cold stuff on top and microwave the bottom. Also, great for keeping your salad from getting soggy.
Cheers!