Eric’s Etiquette Inquiry - Vol. 2
As I opened up the fridge in my office, I thought, “I wonder what is being served down in the cafeteria today?” But alas, I chose to stick it out and eat my Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chicken Fettuccini.
I made my way to the microwave, thinking of how I could spend the next 3 1/2 minutes while my meal was “cooking”. I opened the microwave and found another poor soul’s Smart Ones meal sitting there, steam gently wafting out the now opened microwave door.
Etiquette question - Would you remove the unknown coworker’s meal, put it on the counter next to the microwave, and let it get cold rather than keep it nicely encased in its microwave cocoon?
I waited about 23 seconds before hunger took over. I removed the meal and put it on the counter next to the microwave. It was a good thing I did. As I found out later, the coworker who had carelessly left their meal in the microwave had left for a meeting. They had a very cold lunch when they returned and hour later.
Thoughts?
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Comments
You need to evaluate the situation further.
Option 1:
Is the meal already in the microwave better than the frozen meal you’re waiting to cook?
If so…I say you just take their meal, put yours in the microwave, walk away and enjoy the already-cooked-for-you meal that you found (you might want to grab the box from their meal out of the trash if it’s available - and they’ll forgot which meal they brought and just take whatever is in the microwave and start eating it).
End result - you win
Option 2:
OF COURSE YOU REMOVE IT! Maybe give the inconsiderate person who left their cooking food unattended a 1-5 minute buffer from when the microwave stops cooking because some frozen meals have instructions to “let stand for X minutes” - maybe the person is letting it “stand” in the microwave and fully cookersizing itself in it’s own delicious juices. But after the allotted time (which in Eric’s case was under 30 seconds) you owe it to yourself and other microwave lunch cookers to remove that food. REMOVE-THAT-FOOD, REMOVE-THAT-FOOD, come on people…REMOVE-THAT-FOOD.
End Result - you win
A co-worker of mine has a wife who is crazy. She was washing clothes one day in an apartment laundry facility (which is essentially the same situation as work kitchen microwave) when she returned to move her clothes from washer to dryer she found another woman taking her clothes out of the washer and setting them atop the machine. She proceeded to beat the living piss out of said woman, and subsequently went to jail.
So…..
….take a dinner out of the microwave = getting your ass whipped.
This post makes me want to go out and buy a hungry man dinner. I am a huge fan of the brownie that never really gets cooked all the way through no matter how long you leave it in the oven.
Love Chris
I believe the person in question has already violated lunch etiquette numero uno. You do not leave your food unattended in a microwave, oven, etc.