Raiding the corporate larder

E. used to have the most amazing assortment of snacks in her office. Sour cream and onion flavoured bagel chips, chocolate chip cookies, dried squid (don't ask), dried mango, chocolate filled koalas (really), cheese and onion crisps, peanut and pistachio nougat, toffee, cheese crackers, chocolate covered macadamia nuts, wife cake (that's what she said they were!), Japanese castella....She had all of this in massive shopping bags on top of her filing cabinet and she freely gave them out to whomever looked bored, tired, hungry or just in need of something to chew on.

We could go and munch whenever we wanted to. When E. and I were working together on a restructuring last year, sometimes when we were in the office late, we would have a 'picnic', sitting down on the carpet and finishing off a box of cookies while discussing the progress of a file.

People moaned about how tempting it was, and how evil E. was to 'lead others into temptation' (E. herself is super slim, you see). But I think that was just a mean and nasty interpretation of E.'s cheerfully giving heart. All those naysayers still ended up in her office, munching away bagel chips. I think we even had an argument break out over who finished the bagel chips - we blamed Sad Associate just because he is the only male around and 'girls couldn't possibly' finish off the jumbo bag of bagel chips by themselves.

Then we moved to the new building, and E. no longer has an office - all trainees are relegated to cubicles. So ended the 'corporate larder'.

Today E. came back from an extended holiday in Australia. She distributed chocolate and pistachio nougat in small paper bags - as if we were children at a birthday party - to everyone. I love nougat. I love E.'s generous spirit. Long Live E.'s Tuckshop.