It's that time of year . . . the holiday work luncheon

PureandEasy

We had a pot luck luncheon at work today. We usually have them on Thursday and then on Friday the plan is to put out all the left overs and everyone kind of picks at them all day long.

We had tons of food today, ham, fried chicken, baked chicken, chili, pizzas, hoagie trays, tons of salads, and lots of desserts.

People work different shifts so some don’t get in till halfway through the luncheon.

But before everyone even has a chance to get what they want, sit down and enjoy the festivities, there is always that one person that uses the event to fill up plates and bowls to bring home.  Not just one, but today she filled up 8 bowls of food, wrapped it up and carried it out, along with a stack of desserts.

It’s always the same woman, at every event, whether it’s a baby shower, birthday party, doesn’t matter.  She just helps herself.  This woman has no kids, she is not food insecure. The woman went to Hawaii for vacation this year, she flies to NY multiple times a year for the holidays.

It’s just so rude.  And everyone was talking about it today.  I think her supervisor is going to bring her in to the office, but how do you approach that? She didn’t violate any company policy.   It’s supposed to be a friendly gathering of co-workers.

I just don’t get the audacity. But I wouldn't be surprised to hear other stories.  

bootlegger10

Does she have any coworkers that she goes to lunch with and jokes around?  Have one of them ask in a joking manner the day before a party how many Tupperware bowls she plans to bring.   Doesn’t sound like it.  

I feel like this is going to be one of those situations where you find out she is taking the food to an orphanage or something.  

deadendp

Honestly, telling her or joking isn't going to make a difference. It is sad. 

When my daughter was in elementary school, I was a PTA mama. We would have lunch or dinner for the teachers during conference nights or during Teacher Appreciation Week. Lunches were split across 3 periods. The SpEd aides would always be the first in. Piled high on their plates, sit, eat, pile and take it back to their room. When it came to the 3rd lunch, no one thought to leave anything behind for the late lunch teachers. We finally had to have the food prepared for three separate lunches and we placed a tent card up asking that people take one sandwich to start to make certain everyone was served, then they could go back after. (Clearly not your situation.)  The very, um, well-fed aide (the main culprit) said, "What do you mean that I can take only one sandwich?" :insert whine: "You mean I can't have more?" "I'm sorry, but by the time it gets to the 3rd lunch, we have found there was hardly anything left." Not certain it made a difference. 

cp3iverson

We have vendors that love to bring in these big plate lunches from a Well known bbq joint.  The vendor would always get a headcount but would bring in some extras just in case.   Well there’s a guy who would always take the extras home.  I called him out once and told him that the extra plate should go in the fridge for tomorrow and everyone could share it at noon.  Well he ate lunch the next day at 9:45am. Devoured all of it.  

He is no longer employed with us.  

PureandEasy

bootlegger10 said:

Does she have any coworkers that she goes to lunch with and jokes around?  Have one of them ask in a joking manner the day before a party how many Tupperware bowls she plans to bring.   Doesn’t sound like it.  

I feel like this is going to be one of those situations where you find out she is taking the food to an orphanage or something.  

I wish, I guarantee you this is not the case.  She's not a bad person but she is always looking for free food.  I often bring soft pretzels in (it's a Philly thing) and she is the first to go and grab after I send out an email.  No biggie.  There are locations in our workplace where people will bring in food from left over parties from home, and the first thing she does is check out these locations.  She always takes more than her share.  One day she told me there were donuts on the table, I went and got one. Later that day I said, oh that donut was really good.  She said, yeah it was, I'm going to go get another one.  There were 12 donuts all together.  There are at least 30 people in our department.  But she took 2.  

The bizarre thing is, she looks like Olive Oyl.  Seriously, she's the skinniest woman I know.  
I just think it's rude.  And I don't understand the mindset that she has no shame in doing it.  She got up, got a few bowls together, wrapped then in plastic wrap.  Sat back down while everyone was mingling and eating.  Little while later, she got up again, did another pass of the offerings, wrapped those up, sat back down.  WTF, WTFFFF?  

bootlegger10

THat is insane.  No social awareness.

lastexitlondon

I hope she gets the quick shits

Thoughts_Arrive

What a pig

dankind

And people wonder why I skip work functions. 

Poncier

I can see at the end of a function when there's leftovers taking some for home, but grabbing it at the beginning is just flat out wrong on so many levels.

deadendp

May I mention the people who don't wash their hands, grab food intended to be served with utensils (berries, pudding trifle...), and the chips? I mean, when you stand with the bag of chips, eat, lick the flavor off your fingers and put your hand back into the bag of chips? Gross! 

Thoughts_Arrive

dankind said:

And people wonder why I skip work functions. 

Where I worked it was compulsory to attend. I hated them. Fake conversations with people you don't want to talk to.

dankind

Thoughts_Arrive said:

dankind said:

And people wonder why I skip work functions. 

Where I worked it was compulsory to attend. I hated them. Fake conversations with people you don't want to talk to.

Fortunately, my office understands that I'm an introvert. My old job made it compulsory if you wanted to climb the corporate ladder. But in addition to being an introvert, I also have zero career ambition, so that worked out as well.

stuckinline

deadendp said:

May I mention the people who don't wash their hands, grab food intended to be served with utensils (berries, pudding trifle...), and the chips? I mean, when you stand with the bag of chips, eat, lick the flavor off your fingers and put your hand back into the bag of chips? Gross! 

  

PureandEasy

I’m surprised I haven’t seen more stories of this happening in the work place.  I spoke to a friend of mine who works for a large insurance company in the city and they had their work party yesterday as well.  He said one woman came in at the beginning, filled two plates of food, wrapped them up, took them to her work space, then came and joined the party like nothing happened.

In another department for the same organization I work for, we used to do the same thing, have pot luck, have sign up sheets for who is bringing what.  We always had a space for Main dishes, side dishes, desserts, etc.  That way you don’t end up with 47 bags of chips and pretzels.  There was one employee who never signed up to bring anything but he was ALWAYS the first one to show up.  ALWAYS.  It actually became a running joke for those of us who organized the event.

Oh and here’s the kicker, one woman was a Jehovah’s Witness and apparently they don’t celebrate any occasion so they don’t participate in any kind of party.

BUT, and this used to piss me the hell off, one of her co-worker friends would always put together a plate to take to her at the end of the party.  No, NO, NO.  If you don’t participate, why should you get a nice free lunch on everyone else??  You’ll take their food but won’t socialize with them.  F that.

I feel like I should end this post with Bah Humbug.  This kind of behavior during what is supposed to be a jolly time of year just puts a damper on the spirit.  But it will pass and I will forgive and forget. 

It feels good to just vent it out here.  I choose to see the good in people, even those who come off as self-absorbed.  Everyone has some redeeming quality, right? 

dankind

We have a monthly officewide update. 

I usually go up and grab the food but skip the meeting. 

There is such a thing as a free lunch. Huzzah!

deadendp

We had a potluck to celebrate one of the bosses birthday. A coworker bought a watermelon and decided to cut it in the bathroom on the bathroom counter. She is also not a hand washer. I went around and gave a warning. I didn't tell who did it. Just gave a warning. "Don't eat the watermelon. It was sliced on the bathroom counter. Pass it on." I'd like to think that I saved some people that day. 

hedonist

Not a fan of communal food and how some people handle themselves around it.

At my last job, we had a group who would descend upon just getting a whiff of something.  And they would always hog the good leftovers.

Holiday shindigs at restaurants were preferable.  Most everyone'd get wasted, and there was always somebody who somehow compromised themselves (one year, an elderly accountant gave an earnest lapdance to one of the big bosses).  Plus, you get a great (yes, free!) meal and take off when you want.

PureandEasy

deadendp said:

We had a potluck to celebrate one of the bosses birthday. A coworker bought a watermelon and decided to cut it in the bathroom on the bathroom counter. She is also not a hand washer. I went around and gave a warning. I didn't tell who did it. Just gave a warning. "Don't eat the watermelon. It was sliced on the bathroom counter. Pass it on." I'd like to think that I saved some people that day. 

ok, that's gross.  And you probably did save people from getting sick that day.  
How do you know she's not a handwasher, does she actually leave a stall and just walk out of the bathroom?  
Who does that?  I'm learning some really nasty things about people here, for the most part though it's that some people have absolutely no social awareness.  No idea about acceptable behavior in a social situation?  God knows what they do at home but around other people?

I'm now thinking about other situations where people are just downright rude, they don't practice simple human courtesy.  
Saying things like, thank you, excuse me or I'm sorry when the situation calls for it.

To me those responses come naturally.  Instinctively.  

This thread has become disturbing to me.  I've been called a bleeding heart regarding the human species many times, but I always thought better to be optimistic about things than always being negative.  I'll remain that way but maybe with my eyes open a little wider.

deadendp

PureandEasy said:

deadendp said:

We had a potluck to celebrate one of the bosses birthday. A coworker bought a watermelon and decided to cut it in the bathroom on the bathroom counter. She is also not a hand washer. I went around and gave a warning. I didn't tell who did it. Just gave a warning. "Don't eat the watermelon. It was sliced on the bathroom counter. Pass it on." I'd like to think that I saved some people that day. 

ok, that's gross.  And you probably did save people from getting sick that day.  
How do you know she's not a handwasher, does she actually leave a stall and just walk out of the bathroom?  
Who does that?  I'm learning some really nasty things about people here, for the most part though it's that some people have absolutely no social awareness.  No idea about acceptable behavior in a social situation?  God knows what they do at home but around other people?

I'm now thinking about other situations where people are just downright rude, they don't practice simple human courtesy.  
Saying things like, thank you, excuse me or I'm sorry when the situation calls for it.

To me those responses come naturally.  Instinctively.  

This thread has become disturbing to me.  I've been called a bleeding heart regarding the human species many times, but I always thought better to be optimistic about things than always being negative.  I'll remain that way but maybe with my eyes open a little wider.

She is one of my good friends at work. She doesn't have the best hygiene sometimes and definitely isn't the germophobe I am.

I work at an art gallery. Bunches of converted houses. No stalls. Just one seater bathrooms. The building I am in houses the public bathroom. I will spare you the details of what people do in there.

PureandEasy

hedonist said:

Not a fan of communal food and how some people handle themselves around it.

At my last job, we had a group who would descend upon just getting a whiff of something.  And they would always hog the good leftovers.

Holiday shindigs at restaurants were preferable.  Most everyone'd get wasted, and there was always somebody who somehow compromised themselves (one year, an elderly accountant gave an earnest lapdance to one of the big bosses).  Plus, you get a great (yes, free!) meal and take off when you want.

I work for a non-profit, there are never any "free" celebrations.  If we go out to celebrate, we pay our way.  I have heard some crazy stories about these out of office parties where someone totally gets smashed and out of control.  I thank God my inner self (although I like to imbibe) knows when to say when and get my ass out of there. 

PureandEasy

deadendp said:

PureandEasy said:

deadendp said:

We had a potluck to celebrate one of the bosses birthday. A coworker bought a watermelon and decided to cut it in the bathroom on the bathroom counter. She is also not a hand washer. I went around and gave a warning. I didn't tell who did it. Just gave a warning. "Don't eat the watermelon. It was sliced on the bathroom counter. Pass it on." I'd like to think that I saved some people that day. 

ok, that's gross.  And you probably did save people from getting sick that day.  
How do you know she's not a handwasher, does she actually leave a stall and just walk out of the bathroom?  
Who does that?  I'm learning some really nasty things about people here, for the most part though it's that some people have absolutely no social awareness.  No idea about acceptable behavior in a social situation?  God knows what they do at home but around other people?

I'm now thinking about other situations where people are just downright rude, they don't practice simple human courtesy.  
Saying things like, thank you, excuse me or I'm sorry when the situation calls for it.

To me those responses come naturally.  Instinctively.  

This thread has become disturbing to me.  I've been called a bleeding heart regarding the human species many times, but I always thought better to be optimistic about things than always being negative.  I'll remain that way but maybe with my eyes open a little wider.

She is one of my good friends at work. She doesn't have the best hygiene sometimes and definitely isn't the germophobe I am.

I work at an art gallery. Bunches of converted houses. No stalls. Just one seater bathrooms. The building I am in houses the public bathroom. I will spare you the details of what people do in there.

Oh you just brought to mind another issue. We have numerous bathrooms in our facility and I can not get over the amount of people that do not flush the toilet after use knowing the next person is going to open the stall door and come upon that.  
I think I was destined to start this thread to knock some sense into myself to stop being such a bleeding heart.  Some people are just selfish, rude and nasty.

deadendp

I didn't mean to ruin your day. Forgive, just don't shit on the seat and make sure to flush. 

PureandEasy

deadendp said:

I didn't mean to ruin your day. Forgive, just don't shit on the seat and make sure to flush. 

no, no, not you, just eye opening.  Like I said, I brought this on myself, maybe subconsciously intentionally.  I have to stop thinking with rose colored glasses.  Doesn't mean I have to give up on people all together just have to accept that I need to pay closer attention.  

deadendp

My tip? Be the one to put the chips out.

bootlegger10

If you have eaten food at a restaurant you have had your share of germs.  You just don’t see the food being made.

Thoughts_Arrive

dankind said:

Thoughts_Arrive said:

dankind said:

And people wonder why I skip work functions. 

Where I worked it was compulsory to attend. I hated them. Fake conversations with people you don't want to talk to.

Fortunately, my office understands that I'm an introvert. My old job made it compulsory if you wanted to climb the corporate ladder. But in addition to being an introvert, I also have zero career ambition, so that worked out as well.

This company I worked for wanted everyone to attend, no matter how high up. Even admin staff.
Good thing I broke my bone in my foot and avoided having to kiss the CEO's ass when he visited from the UK.
Those were the worst, having to make small talk with some rich, posh, aristocratic motherfucker. Especially when you're from the working class that lives in a low socio-economic suburb that people make fun of. It was like talking to some member of the British royal family.
And yeah, being a socially awkward introvert made me so uncomfortable, having to mingle with people from work and having to tolerate being picked on by my manager who hated me. The thought of having to deal with that again once I re-enter the workforce bothers me and makes me anxious. 

Thoughts_Arrive

deadendp said:

PureandEasy said:

deadendp said:

We had a potluck to celebrate one of the bosses birthday. A coworker bought a watermelon and decided to cut it in the bathroom on the bathroom counter. She is also not a hand washer. I went around and gave a warning. I didn't tell who did it. Just gave a warning. "Don't eat the watermelon. It was sliced on the bathroom counter. Pass it on." I'd like to think that I saved some people that day. 

ok, that's gross.  And you probably did save people from getting sick that day.  
How do you know she's not a handwasher, does she actually leave a stall and just walk out of the bathroom?  
Who does that?  I'm learning some really nasty things about people here, for the most part though it's that some people have absolutely no social awareness.  No idea about acceptable behavior in a social situation?  God knows what they do at home but around other people?

I'm now thinking about other situations where people are just downright rude, they don't practice simple human courtesy.  
Saying things like, thank you, excuse me or I'm sorry when the situation calls for it.

To me those responses come naturally.  Instinctively.  

This thread has become disturbing to me.  I've been called a bleeding heart regarding the human species many times, but I always thought better to be optimistic about things than always being negative.  I'll remain that way but maybe with my eyes open a little wider.

She is one of my good friends at work. She doesn't have the best hygiene sometimes and definitely isn't the germophobe I am.

I work at an art gallery. Bunches of converted houses. No stalls. Just one seater bathrooms. The building I am in houses the public bathroom. I will spare you the details of what people do in there.

I wish I worked at an art gallery. 

Thoughts_Arrive

deadendp said:

We had a potluck to celebrate one of the bosses birthday. A coworker bought a watermelon and decided to cut it in the bathroom on the bathroom counter. She is also not a hand washer. I went around and gave a warning. I didn't tell who did it. Just gave a warning. "Don't eat the watermelon. It was sliced on the bathroom counter. Pass it on." I'd like to think that I saved some people that day. 

WTF, that is very messed up.

The Juggler

You should punch her.

deadendp

The Juggler said:

You should punch her.

I hit like a toddler.