CONTEST! Eat Lunch AWAY From Your Desk and WIN
In elementary school we were all forced into the lunchroom to eat. I can still smell the mix of odors: sauerkraut, apple sauce and sawdust (used to help clean up barf). Ew.
These days, workers should be so lucky. Many people are sitting in the cafeteria right now - their desk. Among the psychological implications, you might remember from my post "Your Cubicle, The Petri Dish" why this is such a bad idea.
There are plenty of ways to do lunch WRONG.
You can spend too much, drink too much, be a total loner or fudge up the freakin' office fridge.
A survey from the American Dietetic Association once found that 75 percent of office workers eat lunch at their desks as often as two or three times a week. C'mon people, you're not that important!
I went through a lunch-at-my-desk stage. And I will be the first to admit, it's usually built into your employer's culture. It's hard to break the mold. But there's hope. I used to be a 20 minutes at my desk and I was done kinda guy. Now I take my full lunch hour and enjoy every minute of it. Whether I'm eating in my car, going for a walk or running errands - it's my time - and I love it.
Since this blog is all about real people who work real jobs - I'd love to know where you eat lunch. It can be a one-word answer or the reasons why. So put down that fork and tell us where you eat lunch! A random winner will be selected for a $30 gift card redeemable at Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Smokey Bones or Bahama Breeze. I know, it's not fine dining but it WILL force you to take your lunch hour! All I ask is that you don't use it on the weekend! ;-)
I'll pick a winner on the other side of the weekend. So add a comment now and good luck! Please subscribe to the blog for future contests, tips and to find out who wins!
Andrew G.R.
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Reader Comments (32)
Normally I eat lunch at my desk, for a very particular reason - I like to catch up on my news feeds and other geeky stuff that requires the laptop, and going outside to do so makes it very hard to read the screen. Even if I took the laptop with me, then I have to find a wifi spot, yadda yadda.
But, just for you and because I like being entered into contests, I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to go get myself a buffalo chicken sandwich, Diet Coke and bag of Doritos, and then go sit on the lawn over in Boston Common and watch stuff. The swan boats are going. There are classrooms full of children on field trips. Sometimes, if you're very lucky, you can see an unwatched 3yr old fall into the water. It's only a foot deep, they don't get hurt they just get wet.
Couples relaxing in the grass reading books (seemingly always with one of them sitting up, the other laying down with head in their partner's lap). Lots of tourist groups, and lots of cameras.
Oh, and women have started busting out the bikini tops. Screw the email, I may spend the rest of my day out there.
Although during the world cup for the past 2 occasions, we tend to hook up the projector at work to the computer and we eat lunch in the conference room (and depending on the mood, we also grab pizza from the local costco)
Bugger that, it's raining. Another desk lunch for me.