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I've always found the habit of eating at one's desk almost insulting. It is not about the annoyances that at-the-desk-eaters create for their immediate surroun

I've always found the habit of eating at one's desk almost insulting. It is not about the annoyances that at-the-desk-eaters create for their immediate surroundings. Eating creates noise and smell pollution. I don't want to smell your tacos, and I don't want to hear the scratching of a spoon in an empty joghurt cup. It is also not the thought about hygienic implications. Lots of the food consumed at desks is finger food. I've grown up getting taught to wash hands before eating and to use knife and spoon. The thought that someone changes between food and operating the keyboard, a piece that has been proven to be dirtier than toilet seats, is unsettling. No, it is the fact that the person sees eating as a mindless task that can be done _while working_ that bothers me most. As if it was filling up gas at the pump. No, eating to me has two dimensions that these cultureless creatures spurn: that food is, next to breathing and sleeping, one of the most important things that keep you alive. You liteeally are what you eat. Your body tells you very directly what it needs and how much. But you got to listen to it while you're eating. It is already a series of sensations that require being mindful. Just think of the texture, smell, and taste of a leaf of basil. Of olive oil. Of fresh fish. Wonderful. The other side is that eating is a social endeavour. It is an opportunity to bond and build empathy. It's an opportunity to relax and get good ideas as a team. Also to exchange information. I would say those of our team that go out for lunch regularly are more successful than the ones who don't. So, I think eating at the desk while working is wrong in many dimensions. Taking a walk is definitely a good idea, too.

nicky0 9y ago
I agree on all points except the part where you say eating is a social endeavour. It can be a social activity or not. There is no particular reason eating should be done in the company of others.
- m_fayer 9y ago
  Anecdata: I'm all for social breakfast and dinner. But I prefer to eat lunch by myself, maybe with a good book. In this way lunch is a pause where I can slow down and recenter for the afternoon. And I don't think anything is wrong with that.
dualogy 9y ago
> I don't want to hear the scratching of a spoon in an empty joghurt cup Well sheesh where did you grow up, Silenceville? Peaceful Springs? ;) > Your body tells you very directly what it needs and how much. True in the case of severe deficiencies. Otherwise it'll at best signal "give me all the essential aminos and" (depending on mitochondrial preference / adaptation) "fatty acids / glucose you have, in whatever hopefully digestable format".. =) > But you got to listen to it while you're eating. It is already a series of sensations that require being mindful. Just think of the texture, smell, and taste of a leaf of basil. Of olive oil. All these "sensations" are pure acculturation. The only signal I get from "a leaf of basil" (any leaf, really) or any vegetable oil is rejection. We're not born with any taste, just with a sucking reflex, the rest is shaped by our moms and the others around us. You can of course enjoy this situation mindfully and perceptably, more power to you! =)
- Broken_Hippo 9y ago
  > I don't want to hear the scratching of a spoon in an empty joghurt cup This sort of thing is rage inducing in some folks - there is a neurological thing that makes folks become angry at certain sounds, to the point of wearing earplugs at dinner. Eating is a common trigger sound, as is yawning and other such sounds.
  - NickNameNick 9y ago
    I can't stand the sounds of other people eating when I'm not. I suspect it's something my mother induced in me. She had the same problem if anyone else at the table, was eating with their mouth open, or otherwise noisily. It doesn't bother me at the dinner table or when I'm eating. But in any other context, any crunching/chewing/sucking noise just grabs my full attention and disgusts me.
tofflos 9y ago
Neither of these things bug me. If people want socialize that's great. If people want to to be alone. That's also great. But I wish everyone would go to a dedicated eating area, such as a lunch room, so we don't create a culture of peer preasaure where everyone has to eat lunch at their desk in 5 minutes.
aluhut 9y ago
I do go with my people to the supermarket and then eat later at my desk...which is in an proper office room. With doors and stuff. I mean, sure there are people who did not grew up with proper hygiene education and such but, please, this is not everyone. I want my keyboard clean because I work on it. I know when to wash my hands. I'm not 5. And yes, it's a social thing too. I worked for several companies in Germany in almost all of them the dining room at 12 was a horrible gossip melting point. To me it's social pressure. I'm not even hungry at 12. I also don't want to have my break being filled with the latest office gossip. It's terrible... So as you see. Sometimes it's just a different perspective and probably it's not the same everywhere.
ionised 9y ago
> The other side is that eating is a social endeavour. For some perhaps. I've always preferred eating alone and undisturbed. Also, the last thing I want to be doing during my lunch is bouncing ideas off my team. That's work, and I do not get paid to work during my lunch, so I will do anything remotely related to work during my lunch. It's my time, so I spend it eating alone, catching up on news or reading a book.

nicky0 9y ago

I agree on all points except the part where you say eating is a social endeavour. It can be a social activity or not. There is no particular reason eating should be done in the company of others.

m_fayer 9y ago
Anecdata: I'm all for social breakfast and dinner. But I prefer to eat lunch by myself, maybe with a good book. In this way lunch is a pause where I can slow down and recenter for the afternoon. And I don't think anything is wrong with that.

dualogy 9y ago

> I don't want to hear the scratching of a spoon in an empty joghurt cup Well sheesh where did you grow up, Silenceville? Peaceful Springs? ;) > Your body tells you very directly what it needs and how much. True in the case of severe deficiencies. Otherwise it'll at best signal "give me all the essential aminos and" (depending on mitochondrial preference / adaptation) "fatty acids / glucose you have, in whatever hopefully digestable format".. =) > But you got to listen to it while you're eating. It is already a series of sensations that require being mindful. Just think of the texture, smell, and taste of a leaf of basil. Of olive oil. All these "sensations" are pure acculturation. The only signal I get from "a leaf of basil" (any leaf, really) or any vegetable oil is rejection. We're not born with any taste, just with a sucking reflex, the rest is shaped by our moms and the others around us. You can of course enjoy this situation mindfully and perceptably, more power to you! =)

Broken_Hippo 9y ago
> I don't want to hear the scratching of a spoon in an empty joghurt cup This sort of thing is rage inducing in some folks - there is a neurological thing that makes folks become angry at certain sounds, to the point of wearing earplugs at dinner. Eating is a common trigger sound, as is yawning and other such sounds.
- NickNameNick 9y ago
  I can't stand the sounds of other people eating when I'm not. I suspect it's something my mother induced in me. She had the same problem if anyone else at the table, was eating with their mouth open, or otherwise noisily. It doesn't bother me at the dinner table or when I'm eating. But in any other context, any crunching/chewing/sucking noise just grabs my full attention and disgusts me.

tofflos 9y ago

Neither of these things bug me. If people want socialize that's great. If people want to to be alone. That's also great. But I wish everyone would go to a dedicated eating area, such as a lunch room, so we don't create a culture of peer preasaure where everyone has to eat lunch at their desk in 5 minutes.

aluhut 9y ago

I do go with my people to the supermarket and then eat later at my desk...which is in an proper office room. With doors and stuff. I mean, sure there are people who did not grew up with proper hygiene education and such but, please, this is not everyone. I want my keyboard clean because I work on it. I know when to wash my hands. I'm not 5. And yes, it's a social thing too. I worked for several companies in Germany in almost all of them the dining room at 12 was a horrible gossip melting point. To me it's social pressure. I'm not even hungry at 12. I also don't want to have my break being filled with the latest office gossip. It's terrible... So as you see. Sometimes it's just a different perspective and probably it's not the same everywhere.

ionised 9y ago

> The other side is that eating is a social endeavour. For some perhaps. I've always preferred eating alone and undisturbed. Also, the last thing I want to be doing during my lunch is bouncing ideas off my team. That's work, and I do not get paid to work during my lunch, so I will do anything remotely related to work during my lunch. It's my time, so I spend it eating alone, catching up on news or reading a book.