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Eating in offices : an essay

  • 31-10-2019 1:17pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 939 ✭✭✭


    Is it actually possible to consume a plate of edibles in an office without attracting nosy commentary from co-workers? Has this actually ever happened in any office anywhere in the world even once?

    Today's highlights:

    - I bought lunch from a nearby cafe. "Ooh, that smells nice. Is that a beef casserole?" "Has that place gotten any better? I got an awful salad from there a few weeks ago". "It's very expensive". "Do you not like the lunches here?"
    - From a co-worker who has observantly notice that I like to eat a lot of chicken. "No chicken today, bitofabind?"
    - Another colleague walks back to his desk with some of the Halloween treats from the kitchen. Nearby co-worker, "one of these days you're going to pop, with the amount of food you eat!" And another, "ooh, they look naughty. I can't eat that stuff otherwise I'd be huge." And another, "hahaha, you've got the food palate of a toddler, haha"

    What is it with office workers and the relentless food commentary?


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,928 ✭✭✭✭Panthro


    Don't eat in the office.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,633 ✭✭✭✭murpho999


    I think it's just called making conversation. You should try it.


  • Posts: 8,856 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Are you going to eat all of that?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,602 ✭✭✭JeffKenna


    Ignorant eating in the office.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,346 ✭✭✭TheW1zard


    Why dont we talk about people who eat their smelly food at their desk? Stinking the whole place out of it, chewing loudly and not using the canteen :pac:


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,742 ✭✭✭lalababa


    Tis called making conversation and 'having the craic'. Two things implanted into the Irish brain at a young age to 'oil the wheels'. Food is seen as a easy way in, a safe enough topic, also it's interesting as we're not very far from the animal food instinct and food jealously.
    All you have to do in these situations is prolong the conversation endlessly describing all the ingredients and protesting an indept knowledge of all things food in an enthusiastic manner....it won't be long that they'll think twice.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,794 ✭✭✭Aongus Von Bismarck


    Dining ‘al desko’ is a disgusting habit. You are either hopelessly addicted to the internet, or aren’t doing your job properly if you consider eating at a desk to be normal behaviour.

    I work in a far more demanding and stressful job than pretty much all of you, and I still manage to take the time to have lunch away from my desk and office. Lunch is a great time to put away the devices and enjoy the pleasures of eating.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,967 ✭✭✭Pyr0


    Sounds like general office lunch time talk to me.

    "Did you get that in the new Dunnes food hall? What do ya think? I had X from there last week and it was good!"

    I don't see what the problem is.


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 78,393 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    I always eat at my desk - in fact I'm currently munching an apple. If people don't want to witness it, they can stay outside the door to my office


  • Posts: 8,856 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Beasty wrote: »
    I always eat at my desk - in fact I'm currently munching an apple. If people don't want to witness it, they can stay outside the door to my office

    Thinly veiled I’m so important I have my own office with a door :P


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,148 ✭✭✭Salary Negotiator


    Beasty wrote: »
    I always eat at my desk - in fact I'm currently munching an apple. If people don't want to witness it, they can stay outside the door to my office

    I go a step further and close the door while I’m eating my lunch.

    Everyone can piss off, lunch is my time.


  • Posts: 24,714 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Our kitchen and seated lunch area is open plan with the office so even if you don’t eat at your desk you are still eating in the office.

    Don’t see the big deal, most of us go get sandwich and bring them back and some eat got food they brought with them. Only bad thing is people who have earlier lunches making you hungry with the smell of their food.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,034 ✭✭✭✭PopePalpatine


    What is this magical place that lets you have edibles on the job? Are you a food tester in Amsterdam OP? ;)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,814 ✭✭✭harry Bailey esq


    Dining ‘al desko’ is a disgusting habit.

    I work in a far more demanding and stressful job than pretty much all of you, and I still manage to take the time to have lunch away from my desk and office. Lunch is a great time to put away the devices and enjoy the pleasure of eating
    How on earth do you know what everyone else works at? We all know your in finance, as you've mentioned it once or twice.. other posters are usually a little more vague about their respective lines of work. I do agree with everything else in the post though. I have a carvery most days, usually with a pint. Love em or hate em, they do the trick for me.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 163 ✭✭PinotNero


    Dining ‘al desko’ is a disgusting habit. You are either hopelessly addicted to the internet, or aren’t doing your job properly if you consider eating at a desk to be normal behaviour.

    I work in a far more demanding and stressful job than pretty much all of you, and I still manage to take the time to have lunch away from my desk and office. Lunch is a great time to put away the devices and enjoy the pleasures of eating.

    I imagine you wash it down with a nice crisp Riesling.:D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,108 ✭✭✭Lirange


    I don’t eat at my desk all that often. But I usually do have some digestives on hand to hold me over if I get a bit ravenous. I do have a colleague that will ask for a few every time I dip into my supply. I normally wouldn’t mind but if on every occasion he’s expecting his allotment it becomes a bit grating. One time the chancer declared he could kill for some biscuits even though I hadn’t been eating any. So I said “gwan on kill me then.”


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,680 ✭✭✭Apiarist


    bitofabind wrote: »
    What is it with office workers and the relentless food commentary?

    This is their way to assert their dominant position by preventing you from eating. You should show that you are the dominant one by issuing a low growl and taking their food.

    lion-eating-elephant-300x201.jpg


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,794 ✭✭✭Aongus Von Bismarck


    How on earth do you know what everyone else works at? We all know your in finance, as you've mentioned it once or twice.. other posters are usually a little more vague about their respective lines of work. I do agree with everything else in the post though. I have a carvery most days, usually with a pint. Love em or hate em, they do the trick for me.

    I presume the vast amount of people who post in AH work in IT, the civil service, or a semi-state. This presumption is supported by the extremely low quality of debate, wit, and logic one observes around here.

    The type of people who consider a chicken fillet roll to be an attractive lunch option, and then wolf it down while staring at a screen reading the comments section of the journal.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,524 ✭✭✭Gynoid


    I presume the vast amount of people who post in AH work in IT, the civil service, or a semi-state. This presumption is supported by the extremely low quality of debate, wit, and logic one observes around here.

    The type of people who consider a chicken fillet roll to be an attractive lunch option, and then wolf it down while staring at a screen reading the comments section of the journal.

    Put one right off ones luncheon even condescending to heckle them, Aongus


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,193 ✭✭✭✭jimgoose


    Gynoid wrote: »
    Put one right off ones luncheon even condescending to heckle them, Aongus

    Stop distracting the AVB-meister from his roast wigeon in Cointreau jus!


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  • Posts: 24,714 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    I presume the vast amount of people who post in AH work in IT, the civil service, or a semi-state. This presumption is supported by the extremely low quality of debate, wit, and logic one observes around here.

    The type of people who consider a chicken fillet roll to be an attractive lunch option, and then wolf it down while staring at a screen reading the comments section of the journal.

    I had a lovely hot chicken roll accompanied by a bag of crisps today, I wouldn’t have traded it for a meal in a 5 start restaurant, was delicious!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,845 ✭✭✭Antares35


    murpho999 wrote: »
    I think it's just called making conversation. You should try it.


    If by conversation you mean incessant, meaningless, repetitive, predictable drivel then I'd rather stay quiet. People who have genuine things to converse about don't need to resort to commentary or monologues on the eating habits of others. It's up there (down there) with shíteing on about the weather and the "grand stretch" or "real cut" in the evenings :o


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 832 ✭✭✭Nevin Parsnipp


    I go a step further and close the door while I’m eating my lunch.

    Everyone can piss off, lunch is my time.

    From the tone of your posts I don't think there would be a large Q wishing to interact with you ?

    Of course I could be mistaken.....


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 939 ✭✭✭bitofabind


    I presume the vast amount of people who post in AH work in IT, the civil service, or a semi-state. This presumption is supported by the extremely low quality of debate, wit, and logic one observes around here.

    The type of people who consider a chicken fillet roll to be an attractive lunch option, and then wolf it down while staring at a screen reading the comments section of the journal.

    Sorry pal but without hard evidence to the contrary you are also just another smelly internet basement dweller furiously masturbating in your childhood bedroom while you write your War and Peace monologues about your amazing high rolling life in Finance and caviar lunches.

    Thems the internet rulez i'm afraid.


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 78,393 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Thinly veiled I’m so important I have my own office with a door :P
    I actually gave up my office to my replacement a few weeks ago. Still need time for a siesta at my desk for the 4 days a week I still turn up, and I've taken up residence along the corridor in one of the offices reserved for the Board. I'll just stay away when they are in town.....


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,524 ✭✭✭Gynoid


    For some reason the notifications of posts on this thread are now labelled as no subject, no reply, so I get a message that says Beasty has posted and I think Oh what the fcuk have I said wrong now!


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 78,393 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Gynoid wrote: »
    For some reason the notifications of posts on this thread are now labelled as no subject, no reply, so I get a message that says Beasty has posted and I think Oh what the fcuk have I said wrong now!

    I'm getting similar "notifications" of PMs (don't follow threads via notifications) - will drop a note for the developers as something is clearly not right


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,435 ✭✭✭✭Purple Mountain


    Beasty wrote: »
    I always eat at my desk - in fact I'm currently munching an apple. If people don't want to witness it, they can stay outside the door to my office

    You work from home, I guess?

    To thine own self be true



  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 78,393 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    You work from home, I guess?

    Certainly not! Well I may claim to on occasion.....


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,197 ✭✭✭✭Strumms


    I’m a desk eater in the main. Canteen jammers, fûckwits trying to play anecdote tennis or constantly banging on about work which is violence inducing.

    Desk is peaceful, phone to ‘make busy’ and relaxing. Best way to unwind.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,653 ✭✭✭AulWan


    Are employers obliged to provide a lunch room, because I've worked in offices where there was no option but to have your lunch at your desk or leave the building. As eating out every day can get expensive, most people brought in their lunch and ate at their desks.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,003 ✭✭✭Hammer89


    I'm eating my lunch Kate.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,197 ✭✭✭✭Strumms


    AulWan wrote: »
    Are employers obliged to provide a lunch room, because I've worked in offices where there was no option but to have your lunch at your desk or leave the building. As eating out every day can get expensive, most people brought in their lunch and ate at their desks.

    No apparently not but I thought it would be mandatory.

    From the ‘health and safety at work act’...


    The need to provide rest rooms would arise where arduous physical activity is involved or where work is conducted in a hostile environment involving exposure to dust, fumes, noise or excessive heat or cold. The underlying principle is that employees should not spend all their time at work in damaging environments.
    Where the workstations or workrooms are dirty, contaminated, noisy or subject to disturbances, for example in chemical plants, foundries or abattoirs, rest rooms should be provided away from work areas. This requirement does not apply to employees in offices or similar workstations where relaxation during breaks is provided for.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,197 ✭✭✭✭Strumms


    I think the above is flawed a bit ^^^

    If I’m in a place and there is no other option then to sit at a desk in an office with three colleagues.... phones will be ringing, non stop work conversations around you, your emails beeping away, the odd.. “sorry to interrupt your break but Dennis is on here asking...” that’s not a break, not good for you.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 81,220 ✭✭✭✭biko


    3e5f2de5067f4b43559e4d4783b9474c.jpg


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  • Posts: 7,712 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    I don't eat in work cos there's one lad who passes comment on everything. He's still going on about something I ate on a night out two years ago. And now he's on to commenting about me not eating in work :rolleyes:


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