generational difference...
I wrote a post about old people (the last post actually) and a frequent commenter, Moville, wrote that one of the things (amongst a list of other good things) about knowing and working with so many older folk is, "sharing potluck lunch after class with expertly prepared delicacies like homemade rum cake." This made me think of my friend's blog, in which she recounted pot-luck luncheons at her work, which is split between young and upcoming twenty-somethings and older folks. She wrote
Speaking of food, I've gotten my next "additional duty". You see, in the Army, there are loads of random tasks that must be accomplished, but only so many people to accomplish them. Each company must have someone who is the environmental officer, the equal opportunity officer, the storage officer, ammo officer, security officer...the list goes on and on. I am lucky enough to be in a company with seven (yes...SEVEN) Lieutenants, so we divide out the tasks. Today, however, we got what is, in reality, not an "additional duty" but a full secondary job which needs to be filled. This is a job that someone, somewhere, is now training to do, but until said person gets here...we needed someone else to do it. That job, it seems, falls to me. So, I am now the proud owner of the "Always Ready Mess HaDining Facility".
Yes, scheduling, stocking, planning menues and wearing paper hats will all be "my lane" now. Sweet. Just what I joined for, right?
Actually, it's not. What I joined for was to lead military intel soldiers. However, due to some divine joke, I am now not leading anything larger than a squad sized element and have a platoon leader (which is the actual job I had hoped to do) in charge of me. Yes...in essence, I one step above where I was some five years ago before I started, but instead of getting to do actual intel work, I am now worrying about how many beans to order and if there will be enough coffee made for the morning rush.
Oh well...at least now maybe I can take down the pink and light blue framed pictures of fruit and dog chases on the wall. For some reason whomever decorated the place thought that going for a circa 1980's cheap hotel was the way to go. I will post photos if they ever put up my name under the slot for "Always Ready Dining Facility Officer in Charge".
Fortunately, my office is full of moms and grandmas whose second favorite thing, after slaving away in a windowless cube pouring over computer print-outs, is cooking. Not so fortunate though, is that fact that for as many moms and grandmas in our midst, there are an equal number of clueless men and young people, who don’t have a strong grasp of any meal that doesn’t require microwaving. So along with all the nice, homemade goodies on display at our potluck, were the random, store-bought, plastic trays of grocery store foods. We had a 20 pound turkey, a slow-cooked ham, and a tray of store-bought sushi. (Did the Pilgrims bring sushi?) We had home made pasta salad, mashed potatoes from scratch, and a platter of frozen shrimp cocktail from Vons. Then, there were homemade brownies next to Chinese noodles from the take out place down the street.
Speaking of food, I've gotten my next "additional duty". You see, in the Army, there are loads of random tasks that must be accomplished, but only so many people to accomplish them. Each company must have someone who is the environmental officer, the equal opportunity officer, the storage officer, ammo officer, security officer...the list goes on and on. I am lucky enough to be in a company with seven (yes...SEVEN) Lieutenants, so we divide out the tasks. Today, however, we got what is, in reality, not an "additional duty" but a full secondary job which needs to be filled. This is a job that someone, somewhere, is now training to do, but until said person gets here...we needed someone else to do it. That job, it seems, falls to me. So, I am now the proud owner of the "Always Ready Mess HaDining Facility".
Yes, scheduling, stocking, planning menues and wearing paper hats will all be "my lane" now. Sweet. Just what I joined for, right?
Actually, it's not. What I joined for was to lead military intel soldiers. However, due to some divine joke, I am now not leading anything larger than a squad sized element and have a platoon leader (which is the actual job I had hoped to do) in charge of me. Yes...in essence, I one step above where I was some five years ago before I started, but instead of getting to do actual intel work, I am now worrying about how many beans to order and if there will be enough coffee made for the morning rush.
Oh well...at least now maybe I can take down the pink and light blue framed pictures of fruit and dog chases on the wall. For some reason whomever decorated the place thought that going for a circa 1980's cheap hotel was the way to go. I will post photos if they ever put up my name under the slot for "Always Ready Dining Facility Officer in Charge".
posted by Adam at 7:18 PM
2 Comments:
Now I can ask you questions like does the army buy food from Sysco, or is there some sort of specialized military food distibutor? I know the Park Service has to buy American-made cars, does the military have to buy American-grown food? Boring for you, fascinating for me.
It's all grist for the mill. If you're an Intel officer, chances are excellent you will end up being an attache in an embassy. In that job, you will be Adam-on-the-spot for all kinds of duties like the ones you've just landed. I know because I knew some of the intel officers in the Moscow embassy back in the day. You'll be in charge of various Intel-related things, of course, but it will also be incumbent on you to help with receptions, cocktail parties, conferences...and besides, you've got aptitude in the culinary and decorative arts. You're just on the way to making yourself indispensible.
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