# An extremely mild Pitting of my unimaginative cow-orkers **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 6, 2005, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695 "2005-05-06T14:51:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/21 "2005-05-06T20:25:20Z")
Today we had a birthday lunch for our boss and suprvisor (both born in the same month…). Instead of the more-common pizza or BBQ, we went with fancy-ish (PF Chang’s) chinese. A bit soggy, but quite tasty. Everyone seemed to enjoy it except one guy, the only only one in the department with even a fraction of asian heritage. Somewhat ironical. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/22 "2005-05-06T20:31:46Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Disparage not thy bacon o’ the sea. BLECH!! You can have those nasty rotten smelling things. But how COULD he dis olives? Black olives are very yummy. PS …I’ve been seeing the cow-orker thing in various threads forever now, when the devil did it start anyway? ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/23 "2005-05-06T20:46:34Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > I think the danger of boring a few people is a lot easier to live with than the risk of buying something that 2 or 3 people will actively dislike. Naaaah, pshaw! Oooh, I didn’t like the free lunch, think I’ll go postal & shoot up the office. Nobody ever died from disliking an entree. PC food sux. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/24 "2005-05-06T22:16:22Z")
You know my husband has complaind about a similar thing. As an administrator, he likes to hold retreats and get everyone lunch about once or twice a year. He gets little five dollar gift certificates from a couple retailers and has little prizes. Nothing major, but he drops a couple hundred each time (about 30 employees). Anyways, first time he did it, he put together chips, dips, cookies and brownies. Then he ordered 10 pizzas with a lot of variety. Result: 1 person says they are lactose intolerant and says he is insensitive for that, 1 person says they are vegan and do not eat any animal products and says he is insensitive and 2 more say they are diabetic and does he have any sugar free desserts? Ok, next time. This time, he stays away from pizza because various additional people said it was something they did not like. So, this time, he makes a meat tray AND brings in sugar-free desserts AND has a fresh salad made up for the vegans. He got ham, turkey and roast beef. Result: 5 people accidentally ate the sugar free and ranted about how additives give them headaches, vegan once again said it was not nice to only have salads- he should get more variety for vegetarians and 1 said she had some disease (can’t remember the name) so she could not digest the foods he had. This was the lactose intolerant one too. Third time (most recent). He says “fuck it” and gets three menus, one from a pizza place, one from a bar/grill and one from a local deli that says they have some vegetarian dishes. He highlights selections on the list that are under a certain price (so they do not destroy his pocket book- but it gave them tremendous selection) and asks them to order what they would like. He does not bake squat and offers the desserts the companies offer. Result: People ordered things not on the menu. Some slipped through, but those who did not get caught got what they wanted and ran up his bill. When he did catch it, usually accidentally because he was not watching it like the police or anything, those people thought he was cheap. Then, when they learned others got expensive items (because they slipped them through) they accused him of favoritism. The vegan complained about the selection of the three restaurants, since none of them offered much of anything good for her. My husband inquired as to a good local restaurant for vegans, she said there were none in town. The special disease ridden woman complained as well, AFTER SHE ORDERED SOMETHING AND IT MADE HER SICK. Final Result: My husband said “fuck you, fuck you, fucky you, your cool”; I aint buying you shit no more. You wanna see favoritism, I will buy lunch for only the ones who are not picky fuckheads. Actually… he simply continues to deal with these individuals in a respectful and decent way, tolerating their idiocy because he realizes that is the price of being a manager. Why punish the whole for the idiocy of a few? However, what brings this back to the topic, much to the disappointment of the OP, is that he is going back to pizzas. Reason: He likes pizza- Fuck em. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/25 "2005-05-06T22:28:37Z")
**Lissa** Unbelievable the gall and huge sense of entitlement some people have huh? I’ve only ever worked in small “satellite” type offices or remote site work for my “regular” job. And even in my other part time jobs I’ve never seen anyone do anything remotely like those people! It’s FREE people. Jeez, if you don’t like it, don’t eat it. Talk about ungrateful immature brats. ---
**Author:** ![MissGypsy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@MissGypsy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissGypsy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/26 "2005-05-07T02:12:47Z")
I once worked for a company that had an “Employee Appreciation Day,” once a year, for which the company bought a couple of those huge, 6-foot subs (or hoagies, grinders, whatever you call it) for the drivers and warehouse guys. We office chicks were also invited to enjoy, because there were only about two or three of us, depending on the week, so we didn’t eat much. But they also had an “Office Staff Appreciation Day,” and the office staff got to order whatever we wanted from a fairly pricey Chinese menu. And our day was about every three months. Plus, we got free sandwiches, subs or pizzas if we worked through lunch. The boss’s boss would go fetch our lunches, himself. We were spoiled. (Because we were paid substandard wages, and overworked, but still… those were some nice perks.) When I was still fairly new there, I happened to mention our “Office” days to a few of the drivers. Mutiny ensued! I’ve never seen so many pissed-off truck drivers and warehousemen. Can’t blame ‘em. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/27 "2005-05-07T02:25:06Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > “I’ve never had it, but it sounds gross!” OK, maybe once per year we’ll take a walk on the wild side and get Chinese. Around here that’s known as “living dangerously.” Ooh, weird exotic food! What’s that? A boneless spare rib, you say? Gee, I feel so international! I might just join the UN! Or take a trip to, say, Newark! Naw, why press my luck? Better just get pizza next time. It’s a “safe” food. I’ll take a shot in the dark and guess you work somewhere in New England? I have never met a less culinary adventurous population in my life than in New England. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/28 "2005-05-07T03:32:49Z")
I’ll take your New England and raise you the Midwest. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/29 "2005-05-07T04:18:33Z")
Nah, I am in the Midwest. We have 2 Mexican restaurants, 3 pizza places, and 4 chinese restaurants. People at work order Chinese at least once a week, sometimes twice. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/30 "2005-05-07T04:52:45Z")
> [@Lok](#): > > Nah, I am in the Midwest. We have 2 Mexican restaurants, 3 pizza places, and 4 chinese restaurants. People at work order Chinese at least once a week, sometimes twice. LOL, midwest town of about 22k here. There are 7 all you can eat “chinese” restaurants. It amazes me, but they open them like Walmarts. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/31 "2005-05-07T06:21:29Z")
Our population is just under 11k for the town and 30k for the county. At least 3 of our Chinese places are owned and ran by Chinese immigrants. And one of the Mexican places is owned by Mexican immigrants. I don’t know about the others because I haven’t eaten at those places. Lok ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/32 "2005-05-07T12:29:21Z")
Doesn’t the birthday boy/girl get to pick what’s for lunch? Maybe on your birthday, you can say, “I’m not in a pizza place today. How about Thai/Indian/Italian/Mexican?” ---
**Author:** ![Idlewild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8491ac/32.png) [@Idlewild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idlewild)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/33 "2005-05-07T12:36:19Z")
Regarding unadventurous eaters - I work in New England. In order to be a bit more outgoing and less of a cave troll at the office, I joined our social committee. We organise events for the department which usually involve free lunch. We’ve had a variety of differently themed menus catered and not a peep of complaint out of the ~100 employees being fed. Must be good people. There were murmurings last year that department meetings ended up being pizza too often. We are somewhat spoiled, when I joined the company I was warned that just like the freshman 15, most people put on weight from free lunches. We’ve toned down a LOT since that period of excessive food but we still seem to get quite a bit of food around the place. Thai is a perennial favourite with most of my coworkers. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/34 "2005-05-07T12:47:34Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > Cheaty samosa recipe: > -Fry up onions with lots of cayenne, ginger, cumin, garlic, and mustard seeds, and a hint of cinnamon. > -Peel and boil some potatoes. > -Mash the potatoes with the onions. Carefully mix in some frozen peas. > -Roll out squares of frozen thawed puff pastry and make turnovers. > -Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes. > -Num! (You can serve them with a sauce made from cider vinegar, brown sugar, and garlic for extra num points) I thought samosas were made with the ground flesh of Nicaraguan dictators. To the OP – could be worse – they could pineapple on all the pizzas :eek: ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/35 "2005-05-07T21:50:23Z")
> [@jacquilynne](#): > > Personally, I don’t eat pizza as the calorie content on it is way higher than my enjoyment of it, so I’m the annoying hold out when they do order pizza, but it is the only thing they can order and get better than 75% agreement that it’s okay. Bwahahaha - I pulled my diabetic card at my last job…everybody else got Pizza, _I_ got chef salad. I am pretty firm when I work about my dietary control and office food events. I always make sure that in a pot luck I make something _I_ like and can eat. I don’t care if nobody else eats it, but I am DAMNED sure that I _WILL_ eat. I can always complain to HR about my ‘disability’ not being met by being forced to eat something that is not on my very carefully worked out with the diabetic control group food plan. Plain and simple, why not complain to HR about the food being forced at you and demand that at least once and a while you can get something you like in addition to what they want. Many pizzarias make subs/wraps that can be very customized, or even have spiffy chefs salads, or other foods that are not pizza=) You can point out that you have been having the same pizza for however long, and it is time that perhaps you got something you actually like=) Or maybe you could go to your doctor and get ‘prescribed’ a diet to lose/gain weight, control your cholesterol or whatever and make sure that pizza isnt on it=) and get it in writing from your doctor that pizza is forbidden you…medical paperwork can be a wonderful thing=) ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/36 "2005-05-07T21:57:39Z")
> [@Idlewild](#): > > Regarding unadventurous eaters - We are somewhat spoiled, when I joined the company I was warned that just like the freshman 15, most people put on weight from free lunches. We’ve toned down a LOT since that period of excessive food but we still seem to get quite a bit of food around the place. Thai is a perennial favourite with most of my coworkers. _burp_ I used to work at US Foodservice … we would have vendors come in on breaks and bring in their whole lines and put them out for us to eat. Nothing like one of every dessert pie/cake known to mankind, though I admit the guy with the shrimp was a big hit. I never knew there were so man sizes/types/packaging options for shrimp…american shrimp, phillipine shrimp, oriental shrimp [thailand?] tiny ones, huge ones, dry pack, wet pack, raw, precooked… _belch_ pass the cocktail sauce. At least every second week was an eat until you cant hold any more day…desserts [sweet treats] deli salads [that was fun, never knew there were so many varieties of potato, pasta, veggie salads around=)] and I pretty much know every part of a cow that can be eaten by name. I didn’t even learn that working in a restaraunt! ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/37 "2005-05-07T22:23:02Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Plain and simple, why not complain to HR about the food being forced at you and demand that at least once and a while you can get something you like in addition to what they want. It isn’t being forced on you. I know this may come as a shocker to a lot of people but the world doesn’t revolve around any one individual. When you’re dealing with large groups of people you’re rarely ever going to satisfy all of them. I think I’d rather reserve a trip to HR aforsomething that isn’t as trivial as what they’re feeding us for lunch. Marc ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/38 "2005-05-08T00:56:19Z")
Tell you what, get yourself a tawdry statuette for your office, surround it with votives & christen her “Saint Fu” (STFU). And when these whiners start carrying on, tell 'em to light a candle & say a prayer to St. Fu. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/39 "2005-05-08T03:09:26Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > -Roll out squares of frozen thawed puff pastry and make turnovers. Please explain where I might find this. A brand name or two might be extremely helpful… otherwise I’m just sitting here puzzled. ---
**Author:** ![vix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a88e4f/32.png) [@vix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vix)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695/40 "2005-05-08T12:52:26Z")
> [@caveman](#): > > Today we had a birthday lunch for our boss and suprvisor (both born in the same month…). Instead of the more-common pizza or BBQ, we went with fancy-ish (PF Chang’s) chinese. A bit soggy, but quite tasty. Everyone seemed to enjoy it except one guy, the only only one in the department with even a fraction of asian heritage. Somewhat ironical. That guy is probably the only person in your office who knows what _real_ Chinese food tastes like. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-extremely-mild-pitting-of-my-unimaginative-cow-orkers/302695.md?page=3)