Something Smells Fishy

When Yvonne lived in Italy, one day she ordered in lunch. She shared an office with three other people.  There was a lot of work to do and she thought she was being efficient. The Italians thought the whole thing stunk!  "They told me that my toasted sandwich was stinking up the office and making it smell like meal time in a hospital."  

I felt their pain or at least I smelled it when one of my colleagues brought in a 'nice' piece of fish (Why is fish always nice?) that was leftover from her dinner.  She popped it into the microwave and had the office smelling like a seafood shack. The scent lingered like cheap perfume for the rest of the afternoon, at the end of the day it wasn't nice at all.

We don't have anything against seafood but eating it in a limited space with poor air circulation is disrespectful, it shows  lack of regard for your fellow workers.  Don't reach for the tuna fish sandwich, don't even think about the salami hero and watch out for egg salad.  A bag of chips is all right but peanuts and corn chips are best eaten when when you're in your own home. 

How you eat in your own space at work is one thing but if it' a working lunch with other people, watch your mouth. Who created the working lunch? Was it a ploy to get a free sandwich on the company's dime?  No way can it be time efficient because you have to sit there and wait for people to bite and chew. Of course there are always those who can't wait to make their point. This is never worthwhile because they usually have to repeat what they've said. It's hard to speak clearly about projected earnings with a mouthful of a mysterious lunch meats.

Turkey sandwiches don't offend and ham and cheese is all right depending on the cheese.  Roast Beef won't cloud the air and neither will grilled vegetables. Stay away from those steam tables with meats and vegetables playing hide and seek in sauces and gravies. 

Lunch makes sense. It's good for you and we can all use a break. But the next time you have lunch at the desk, give the rest of the office a break.