It’s a fine line between complimentary and condescending.
Sadly, one of the cool perks at my job went away this week. We used to get hot lunches from the next-door convenience store run by my boss’ in-laws for ¥250 a day. Certainly an unbeatable deal. Well, a good thing can’t last forever and with the start of the new school year, the awesome lunches have gone away.No biggie though. I can cook and putting together a lunch isn’t that great a challenge for a man in his thirties.
But based on the reactions I got today, you’d think that wasn’t the case.
The mom-in-law came into the lunchroom to see how everybody was doing and what everyone was having for lunch. (She likes the kids, and I think maybe she’s scouting for cooking ideas some days.) She saw the bento box I’d picked up and was very complimentary at the meal I’d assembled for myself.
A sandwich and salad.
Now really, is that anything to gush over? Anybody can do that. But I know she wasn’t being sarcastic or anything, it just struck me as weird. I mean, how can you not make a sandwich? It’s hardly the most challenging of luncheon items to put together. Bread, meat, onions, condiments – what’s the degree of difficulty on something like that?No matter. But that whole thing got me thinking – how would she react if I put something I’d actually cooked in my bento?
I’ll have to try it and find out. ^.^