If You Want That Promotion, Order the Salmon

Published on Thursday, February 22, 2007, by Christy Harrison / Edit Post

Eating on the job is just as fraught as workday drinking these days, judging from recent stories in blogland and the papers. This week, Serious Eats pondered the power of food to brighten a day at the office—and to turn people who aren’t invited to share it into green-eyed monsters. Some of the commenters share horror stories of their own about people who don’t pull their weight at office potlucks and folks who criticize others’ dining habits. As LizNYC writes,

I get snide comments when I bring in lunch I’ve made at home. Comments that betray some sort of jealousy that they’re on their way to buy something from the deli downstairs when I’m eating something that took me an extra 10 minutes to make that morning.

The New York Times also recently discussed the pitfalls of eating in-office (registration required), where coworkers—and, worse, bosses—often make assumptions about a person’s character based on what s/he eats (and, by extension, how thin s/he is). One headhunter put it in particularly disturbing terms:

When I’m interviewing someone and I see their bones protruding, I know it’s a good hire. They’re extremely disciplined.

Yikes. I’ve definitely worked in offices where food is a source of community and fun, but it seems that it only takes one or two negatrons to spoil the experience—people who comment loudly on others’ lunchtime choices (“So that’s how you stay so skinny!”), the boss who barely acknowledges an employee’s homemade cupcakes, dieters’ constant commentary about the glut of free food in the office. And then again, a perpetual glut of free food in the office is probably not the best thing for anyone’s health or productivity. Perhaps it’s simply inevitable that when people from very different backgrounds converge to try to make decisions about food, there’s going to be tension.

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  • I read the article in the Times, and I echo your comment about the "negatrons." But, in the age of rising obesity and image-consciousness, there seem to be more negatrons than positrons.

    If I had nickel for everytime coworker ran commentary on other's food choices, I could retire comfortably. It's gotten to the point that I try to hide my lunch, as I do not want to have a gaggle of people over...+READ

    I read the article in the Times, and I echo your comment about the "negatrons." But, in the age of rising obesity and image-consciousness, there seem to be more negatrons than positrons.

    If I had nickel for everytime coworker ran commentary on other's food choices, I could retire comfortably. It's gotten to the point that I try to hide my lunch, as I do not want to have a gaggle of people over my desk asking, "OOOOOooooooooOOOOO....what do YOU have???? That smells SOOOO good.....is it fattening? How do you stay slim???"

    Or even better, "What's THAT? That looks so WEIRD...but I love brussel sprouts too."

    I've heard these comments about some of my more creative "salads" (i.e. when everything goes into a dish on the basis of it's nutrition content alone -- protein, veg, grain, fat, check.) Why or why does anyone feel the need to peer into my Tupperware?

    On business lunches, it can be agony to decide which item on the menu is LEAST likely to bring attention to itself. What is fatty enough not to elicit the "are you dieting" question, but is healthy and satisfying enough not evoke the "wow-THAT-looks-rich" eyebrow raise. I find it is true that going with the salmon is the safest bet.

    A friend had an idea for a novel set in a society where no one is allowed to eat together, but must dine alone in isolated compartments. Sometimes, I think that, or taking a food-pill, would be a less painful way to navigate the business/food battleground.

    Another food pet-peeve is the odd dance between a ten-year-old treat-frenzy and "dieter's" martyrdom that occurs when a co-worker brings in a treat for the office:

    "Oooohhhoooo, what's THAT???" (Insert sound of shuffling.)

    "Oh no, WHO brought in chocolates. {Sigh.} I really shouldn't eat these, I know it....but..." (Insert sound of gob being stuffed with stoppers.)

    "Ooooohhh, that was so BAD of me.....oh, why did So-&-So have to bring in those treats?"

    Or in a meeting where cookies and coffee are offered:

    "Mmm, these are so good! This is my third one! Isn't anyone ELSE having any?"

    Ugh, this all makes me tired. As much as I love dishing over dishes with my fellow office foodies, the kill-joys do just that -- kill enjoyment.-COLLAPSE