Office food

The community food counter at work had an embarrassment of riches this Friday, which got me thinking again about the phenomenon. Most people I mention the CFC to frown at me in confusion, which has lend me to a theory about the situations in which they form.

First, a definition: the community food counter at my workplace is an area in the kitchen that by common accord–never actually voiced–is for food that anyone can help themselves to. If it’s on that part of the counter, you can eat it, no need to ask for permission. If you leave your food there, it will disappear. What differentiates it from shared food at other companies that I’ve heard about is that our CFC is stocked by employees. I’ve heard of several large offices that will offer donuts left over from a big meeting to the rest of the employees, but that’s company-bought food. Our CFC is filled with snacks from someone’s barbeque a guest abandoned at the house and the host doesn’t want to eat, packages of baked goods that someone’s diet could only stand a couple pieces of, vegetables from people’s gardens, and cookies from those who love to bake but can’t eat as much as they want to make.

When I first came to the company, it confused me, because being just off being a starving student, I didn’t understand why anyone would ever give food up. If you have twelve muffins in a pack, and you only want one right now, you can eat for ELEVEN MORE DAYS, man! Then I had a job and, you know, money, and also healthy eating to stick to, and suddenly I understood the impulse to share something tasty with others, and get a small non-diet-ruining taste for myself first.

I think my office is in some kind of sweet spot, though. Too few people, and there’s no point. You might as well offer one cookie to the guy at the desk next to you and be done. Too many people, and there’s not the right sense of community that makes you feel like your food is being given to people you know, as opposed to abandoned in public.

If I was a research psychologist, I’d love to survey all kinds of different offices, to see if there are different factors besides numbers, and what the exact numbers are, but sadly I already have a day job…