Ever notice how segregation occurs around us everyday? Whether it's by race, colour, creed, religion, gender or even height, it is still a form of prejudice. I cannot help but feel this way especially during lunchtime, when certain groups of people would only eat with people within their group. Sometimes it is not because they are being elitist or exclusive, but it is just circumstances that bond them together. Then there are the nomads, people with no specific lunchgroup, like me. =) I tend to lunch with whoever's around at feeding time, and the great thing is, i always learn something new, whether it be the latest car mechanical thingamagic to great places to eat, or just about family.
In a previous workplace, there was no such distinction, all across the teams and admin staff, we were all equals when it came to lunch time in the common tearoom, united by the common goal of filling our tummys. And due to my varying lunchtime habit, i would eat at various times, thus getting to know people i wouldn't have met, like someone from the corner office of the floor below, or the person running the desk at reception (something i've always been shielded from doing 'cos of my lack of people skills lol). One day i would be trading muffin recipes with a lady from another team, another day i would be playing chess with a guy from another floor, otherwise bonding with the guys (from various teams). Sigh, why is it that i feel more alienated in a multi-cultural society?
1 comment:
Someone once observed that, beneath its superficial layer of apparent friendliness, San Francisco is actually a very cold city, and the reason for this is because there are very few native San Franciscans--most of the people there are from other places. This insecurity manifests itself as a heightened sense of awareness and being constantly on one's guard. E.g. in Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, one doesn't need to be aware of one's ethnicity or defend it. FWIW, I'd suppose.
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