Free Lunch!

So I've been working as a temp for the past two weeks at a community based non-profit organization that serves at-risk children and their families. I've just been working down in the basement, cataloging and throwing all kinds of files, papers and journals into about 100 boxes to be put into storage. Its not a bad job for the time being, not a great one either, but thats not the point I'm trying to get across to you clowns.

As far back as I can remember whenever I have been in a situation in school or otherwise where I find myself eating in a cafeteria, there is always grumbling about how shitty or unsavory the food is. In high school, the food was indeed terrible so I won't even try to defend it. In college, everyone always loved to rag on the d.c. Despite the tasty spicy chick wraps, the mouthwatering breakfast sandwiches and dazzling array of beverages, this wonderful institution is always at the butt end of some lame joke. Perhaps because it was usually free, I didn't have many complaints and hate hearing anyone disparage the dc.

The same holds true for the lunch that is served in the dining room of where I am working. For lack of anything else to say, all of my co-workers nitpick about the food that is served at precisely high noon everyday of the week.

"Oh, the soup is too salty!"

"Ugh, those french fries look disgusting!"

"(some tasteless joke about the kielbasa that I have chosen to omit)"

To be fair, the food is not particularly good but it hardly deserves to be lambasted every lunch hour. I am usually starving by the time I emerge from a long morning of packing boxes and sneaking games of sudoku, so I'm always looking forward to the chow more than the next man or woman. Maybe I am blinded by the fact that i've only been there for 2 weeks as opposed to some of the lifers, my bright-eyed optimism or my underdeveloped taste buds.

I guess it has become natural to feel more comfortable criticizing something rather than praising it. It seems much easier to pick out the flaws in anything, from the local weather to a politician to the lunch spread, than it is to appreciate the inherent goodness in things.

In any case, let's enjoy that milk box or turkey sandwich people. At least its free.

(note: when I did a google image search for "cafeteria" to look for a good picture to put alongside this post, everything on the page turned to Spanish, confusing the English "Cafeteria" with the Spanish "Cafeteria". An understandable mistake by the good people at Google.)