The dinner - I arrived at 8:45pm. The group of 20 trickled in and we sat down at 9:30. I could feel my pulse throbbing against my watch band. The place was fancy schmancy, and a half-pint of beer was FIVE pounds. I'll do the math for you....~ $9 bucks. Needless to say this was a place of small portions and big prices. I ordered a little proscutto ham starter and your basic pasta. I've had bigger starters on United Airlines with plastic utensils. The pasta was served on plate the size of what Wimbledon awards it's women champions. The pile on the plate was the size of my fist (which I guess is the portion size we are suppose to eat). I guess I would have been fine with this, except I couldn't actually see the pasta, because it was covered head-to-toe in peas.
Now, I'm a fan the pea, don't get me wrong. (btw-If you weren't, you were sc'rewed) I actually like the fact that they seem to serve peas with everything here. I think it is sort of cute/charming, and it is fine with fish and chips. However, for £30. I don't want peas. Let's talk about a margin fellow auditors!
Bottom line, I woke up starving and went to the cafeteria at work this morning. I had two slices of bacon (canadian), a sausage, and some baked beans (clearly from a can - with that yummy tomato-ish sauce), and a diet coke. Total subsidized price. £1.99. As god intended.
Now, on to the children...ahhem, auditors. This is a group that has been told over and over that they are the chosen ones. Well, I guess they are when you think about it, but who cares. I didn't choose them. Anyway, the hierarchy played out as anticipated. The bosses watch ever so carefully as to how everyone was performing. Like two adults supervising a school play, they told they guy that set it up (grunt boy - Associate level I) that he should have people go sit down. Apparently last time he let people drink before dinner for too long, and was scolded for it. He was reminded of this scolding again, because clearly he didn't learn from the last time.
He was mocked by them for having made the reservation for too many when it looked like people wouldn't show. Then there was some mention of his "practical thinking skills" when all 20 did finally show up and the tables were too tight. Mind you these jokers were 28 and 26 years old. I would have seriously told them to F*** Off.
The whole thing felt a bit like I was watching "abusive parents ensuring that the kids can never do anything right"...as a training tool/fraternity initiation. Pretty wierd. I thought about me and my friends and thought there is no way we would have ever survived in a job like that! But then I realized that they were right out of college and pretty resilient. I worked for John Desjardin at Whitehall for years, and I can't think of anyone more abusive in the world.
Sccchhheeeccchhhh. Talk about a science fair project!!
I took my leave at 11:10 after they cleared my half eaten pile of peas/pasta. (I didn't stick around to see if people were going to order desert). I ended up sprinting for make the 11:27 train, so it is good I hadn't eaten much....I am seriously out of shape.