Our old job site lunches used to involve a lot more cooking

Back when I started, we often had a hot plate in the shack to heat up soups or fry eggs. Guys would bring in leftovers and share, making a real meal out of it. Now, it seems like everyone just grabs a wrapped sandwich from the gas station. That shared hot plate felt like our own little kitchen up on the steel.

3 comments

3 Comments

elizabeth_lee1mo ago

Remember reading a workplace safety newsletter that basically said "shared hot plates in work shacks are a code violation and a fire hazard waiting to happen." There was a whole chart about grease fires. Kind of kills the romance when you picture the whole job site going up over some overcooked bacon. The shared meal idea was nice, but so is not having the break room smell like a burnt diner for the rest of the afternoon. Sometimes the plastic-wrapped option is just the easier one.

jason4191mo ago

That hot plate in the shack was our crew's main social event every noon. Now, a gas station sandwich wrapped in plastic feels like a sad, cold business transaction. I bet that old hot plate is sitting in a dumpster somewhere, dreaming of frying one last egg.

susancampbell1mo ago

Come on, that hot plate was a mess waiting to happen. Someone always burned the eggs and made the place smell like sulfur. Now with a gas station sandwich, I eat in peace and don't waste half my break cleaning up. No more arguing about who brought the cheap bacon. Progress tastes just fine, even if it comes wrapped in plastic.