9/12/2006
Burnt Popcorn
That's right. I'm surprised that I never brought this tale up. This isn't about any bat-$#@%-crazy manager that I've ever worked for. This is about office ettiquette.
At two different times in my career I had the unfortunate luck of sitting next to the office pantry. Let me say this: The office pantry is a communal area. People forget this. The first time I sat next to the pantry it put me off popcorn for almost 4 years. 4 YEARS!!! People go in, set the microwave timer, then proceed to WALK AWAY! Yeah, you wouldn't leave anything unattended on the stove at home would you? So why do you feel the need to leave the popcorn popping on its own, assuming that it won't BURN? This happened almost everyday.
Then, as I mentioned, I had the great luck of sitting next to the pantry in my last job. Why couldn't I be that woman who won the lottery twice? No, I got to inhale burnt popcorn fumes everyday.
What made it worse was that people used to COOK their lunches in the microwave too. Very often they cooked fish. FISH!!! My desk was the first desk from the pantry. However, by the time the stench of fish got to my desk and I ran to see who the culprit was, they were gone. I never caught the guilty party.
So folks, the moral to today's story is: Learn how to cook a real meal - AT HOME - and NEVER leave popcorn popping unattended.
Really!
At two different times in my career I had the unfortunate luck of sitting next to the office pantry. Let me say this: The office pantry is a communal area. People forget this. The first time I sat next to the pantry it put me off popcorn for almost 4 years. 4 YEARS!!! People go in, set the microwave timer, then proceed to WALK AWAY! Yeah, you wouldn't leave anything unattended on the stove at home would you? So why do you feel the need to leave the popcorn popping on its own, assuming that it won't BURN? This happened almost everyday.
Then, as I mentioned, I had the great luck of sitting next to the pantry in my last job. Why couldn't I be that woman who won the lottery twice? No, I got to inhale burnt popcorn fumes everyday.
What made it worse was that people used to COOK their lunches in the microwave too. Very often they cooked fish. FISH!!! My desk was the first desk from the pantry. However, by the time the stench of fish got to my desk and I ran to see who the culprit was, they were gone. I never caught the guilty party.
So folks, the moral to today's story is: Learn how to cook a real meal - AT HOME - and NEVER leave popcorn popping unattended.
Really!
