Lunchtime Tales

I thought the Commons was bad but now there is a worse place. Cafeteria at my company. At least we get greens and not everything is lathered with mayo. I now can conclude it is the British influence that made the populace of East and South East Asia consume mayo the way they do. Mayo on bread. Mayo on fruits. Mayo on meat. Mayo on eggs.

And when you say sandwich, they will assume it is two slices of sliced bread placed together. Got caught a couple of times, said sandwich when I meant baguette or ciabatta for my 'sandwich'. I guess the American terminology does not equate normal sliced bread as sandwich alone and that when you say sandwich, you choose between croissant, ciabatta, baguette, sliced bread et al. Now, that's cross cultural communication for you.

Another quirk at lunchtime is how the person behind the counter takes such joy in smothering butter or margarine onto my bread. I have to remember to stop them. And there is no mustard on the countertop. Back home, at least I can find chilli sauce. I miss my spicy sandwiches. The best I can do is ask for black pepper on my sandwich filling which really does not quite do the job.

And legend has it that they once served fried Mars bars. Yup, Mars bar in batter and fried just like they do for fish. I haven't eaten anything from the main meals. They don't look appetizing and even dodgy at times. Well, at least I will appreciate the Commons more when I return to school for my final trimester.