No Random Acts of Lunch

I had the best intentions to upload a video blog today, but I have been far too busy the past couple of days to take on the arduous task of learning imovie. Me? Busy? Listen, just because I'm unemployed, it doesn't mean that I don't have a hectic social calendar.

Yesterday morning, my friends Madeline and Rachel arrived in Atlanta from Nicaragua to attend a mutual friend's wedding. Since Madeline and Rachel are missionaries (ie, semi-unemployed) our first order of business was to EAT. Believe me, there is nothing more enjoyable than your first meal after eating a lifetime's worth of rice and beans in Nicaragua for several months...

Much to my chagrin, the girls chose Chipotle (a national burrito chain) as the locale for their first meal. I don't have anything against Chipotle, I was just hoping for something without that "lunchtime chain" vibe. Upon our arrival, I couldn't help but notice all the business-type employed people lurking around the counter. I don't know if you've ever eaten at Chipotle, but it doesn't scream suit and tie. But what do I know about wearing a freshly laundered suit every day? I'll leave that one to the imagination.

As we sat down to eat our giant, USA-sized burritos, I surveyed the room full of business lunchers. Now, I would think that after putting in a half day of hard work, the lunch time crowd would be in complete bliss while scarfing their burritos and taking a break from whatever is they do behind those mysterious cubicles. Oh, contraire! As I scanned the room, everyone in a suit looked utterly miserable. They didn't seem to be enjoying any sort of conversation with their co-workers--but they definitely love those over-priced burritos.

I couldn't believe I was witnessing such a pathetic sight, but it got me thinking. My uncle, Mark Maraia, author of Rainmaking Made Simple, might have actually come up with a piece of sound advice: Never participate in "random acts of lunch". (Maybe I should start giving that guy more credit).

A "random act of lunch" goes a little like this:

Employed person A: I'd really like to talk to you about those important documents.
Employed person B: Let's do lunch.

No employed person's ritual is more intriguing than the constant exchange of "let's do lunch." Are you really going to get any work done over a burrito at Chipotle? Doubtful. But while Rachel, Madeline and I (all virtually/actually unemployed women) enjoyed some laughs during our meal, random acts of lunch were happening all around us.

Come on, suit-wearers across America! Loosen up those ties. Roll up those sleeves. Eat your Chipotle burritos with some enthusiasm! Save business meetings for the office, and enjoy the few minutes a day you get to relax by getting to know the other over-worked, under-paid business-types in surrounding cubicles. If you're looking for something to talk about, swine flu is a good place to start these days. Just sayin'.