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The dos and don’ts of bringing home-made lunch

Property prices in Hong Kong are so unbearable that more and more employees are bringing home-made lunch and walking to the office to save every single dollar they can for the first installment of an apartment, according to a post on Hong Kong Discussion Group.

In another online post, a netizen shared the benefits of bringing home-made lunch. Most of the points made are directed at the poor lunch experience of Hong Kong workers, which is expensive and hectic.

According to the writer of the post, eating home-made lunch saves one from the trouble of having to decide what to eat, where to eat, and who to invite for lunch.

Precious minutes are being saved by not having to wait in line for a seat and waiting for the food to come. And more importantly, eating home-made lunch is healthy and costs little.

Home lunch is nice, but there are inconsiderate colleagues who ruin the experience for everyone. Here are the four things colleagues should take note of when enjoying their home-made lunch, as shared by heawork.

1. Eating food with a strong smellOne person's delicacy can be another person's stink bomb. This is particularly relevant in today's diverse workplace, where people from different cultures work together.

There was a case of an expat colleague complaining of a dead mouse in the pantry. But as it turned out a colleague had just finished re-heating her steamed salted fish with minced pork for lunch. The polite thing to do is to avoid bringing food with strong smells.

2. Noisy eatersSimilar to colleagues yelling on the phone in the office, noisy eaters are a major nuisance. Not everyone gets a decent lunch break - some may be rushing to finish some work during lunch, while others might be trying to re-charge with an after-lunch nap. Be considerate and maintain a quiet lunch time.

3. Messy eatersThere are colleagues who grew up under the care of domestic helpers and expect others to clean up for them when they spill sauce all over the microwave oven. There are also uncoordinated colleagues who drop rice, bones and other bits and pieces onto the floor. Not only is it disgusting to have food lying on the office floor, it also creates the perfect breeding ground for cockroaches and mice.

4. Please use the fridge responsiblyThe pantry fridge is a shared space but selfish colleges occupy it with huge amounts of groceries. Some even refuse to throw them away if they have gone bad and then complain when the cleaning lady does it for them. Take responsibility for your own food.

ALSO READ: The best time to get lunch

Photo/ 123RF

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