Do you like a job which requires you to travel a lot? I have always envied this kind of assignment. Although my work has made me move around the world, it is not precisely a jet-setting one. Moreover, as I am on a denial mode on risks associated with frequent travel, I continue to romanticize such work-related perks. I have watched acquaintances starting in the US one week and reaching Australia before the week has been over. The change in timezone is good enough reason for dismay. But I would like to bring another challenge for such a professional which is related to food. Before you predict where this post is leading to, what I am going to narrate has got nothing to do with exotic cuisine, but it is much more fundamental than that. It is about hunger.
An acquaintance narrated tales from his jet-setting days. He was part of an important project which was implemented in multiple countries. As a result, he was living out of a suitcase in those days. He vividly remembers the first phase of the project was implemented in Netherlands and then next in Spain. After arriving in Netherlands from the UK, my acquaintance rushed into a brainstorming meeting. Around noon, they called for a break for lunch. Very soon, the food arrived. The food table was sparse in variety, salads, and cold sandwiches. Unsure of what was happening, the visitors including my acquaintance took little of the food. They thought more was to follow. The more that they were expecting, never turned up. By the end of the day, they were starving. Thankfully, it was only the first day. They were prepared for the coming days.
After wrapping up the first phase, my acquaintance moved on to Spain. The initial hours after landing up in the office reminded him of the initial hours in Spain. He was meeting many new faces and walking into a brainstorming session. It was a productive session. At noon, they broke for lunch. As soon as the food came in, the visiting delegation devoured all of it. When all of them had conquered their hunger, they were in for a bigger surprise. They brought in more food. All the newcomers to Spain office looked at each other. While chit-chatting, they found out the main course has just arrived. What they hungrily ate was the appetizers.
I would love to visit these countries. But I do not want to be starving or stuffed during the visit, especially if it is for business. If it is for pleasure, I prefer the latter any day any time.
Photo Courtesy: Hans Vandenbogaerde
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