“Cafeteria food and the people who like it…”

How many times have we gone to a cafeteria, looked through the sneeze guard and thought “What in the world is THAT...??” I know I have! Yet we stand in line, buy our tickets and eat it anyways! And in the end actually enjoy it!!! This completely mundane act got me thinking are we conforming? Have we lowered our standards so much that we will eat the calamari chickened rice, not like it and never say a word? Should we settle???


After much pondering and many a sit-down spent observing general behavior in the mess hall the thought struck me! It is not settling. I mean sure we complain and grunt (we have that part down pat) It is the realization of something that goes far beyond food and is always too quick to pass to fully grasp in a 30 minute interval. In the moment we realize that what we are looking at through the Plexiglas are our choices, and very much like in life we must make it in a very limited time. They might not always be Crème Brule or caviar canapés but it is the hand that we have been dealt for the day and we, in turn, make the best choice possible to the best of our abilities. We sit down to what we have chosen, usually next to close friends or fellow co-workers and let good conversation, opinions and debates take over. All in all, one heck of a good time if the right people are sitting at your table.


Lunch, you see, offers us a simplistic analogy for life. We are presented with choices, some we like and others we can’t fathom ever going for (even thou we sometimes do and end up being pleasantly surprised) and then we sit down to eat: we reap what we sow. What is in front of us on our tray is there by our choice and no one else’s and as we let the food nourish our bodies we accept, embrace and enjoy OUR own doing. We learn for a split second to modify our attitudes and fully give in to what I consider to be my favorite saying “ We could have a broken car and be mad or have a broken car and be happy … either way you will still have a broken car” where the choice lies is obvious.

So next time you are at the cafeteria I say down that fish flavored chicken with pride and savor it! It has been our choice, it might not be exactly what we wanted but it was the best choice out of all the options. Applies to our jobs as well: we might not be exactly where we want to be, and our stress levels are sky high BUT it is there on our plate by our own choice…what we make of it is ours to decide.