My current assignment at work involves a large scale project that will ultimately effect how we create software. A small team has been crafting a new methodology, and has been making presentation of various aspects of the new life-cycle to a larger team comprised of managers. Due to the tight schedule for delivery of the new methodology, and the tight schedules of the parties involved, we have resorted to meeting over lunch, as that is the only time the quorum of parties is available.
The lunches have been catered, but with no announcement or menu provided to the participants. As a lifetime picky eater, going into a situation where I don’t have control over my food choice is uncomfortable at best. At worst it is acutely embarrassing for me. All the childhood feelings of not being the same as everyone else come roaring back to the surface and it takes considerable effort on my part to not feel like a kid caught playing grownup.
When the lunches have been some form of sandwich, with some extras, like chips or a cookie, I’ve been relatively comfortable. Today’s lunch was a salad, with a few scraps of meat, some croutons, and a tub of salad dressing. Ick.
So I sat through the rest of the meeting, mutely embarrassed by the untouched salad in front of me. There were some cookies provided as dessert so not all was lost.