Out To Lunch

Going out to eat, in public, with the staff always proves interesting. As we do every fourth Tuesday, we loaded up in the church bus like a bunch of kids heading out on a field trip. This Tuesday proved to be more of an adventure as we headed to BD’s Mongolian BBQ, a place new to many of us.

BD’s is one of those places where you pick out the ingredients for your dish and then it is cooked on a large circular grill. On the bus, the newbies quizzed those more experienced on which combination of veggies, meats, pastas, and sauces work the best. You could tell from the conversations that some would never choose to through the doors of this restaurant , but were going only because they were with staff.

I understand their reservations. I hate, literally despise, Thai food. And, I find it difficult to understand people who are as passionate about Thai food as I am adverse to it.

The months when we have headed to a Thai restaurant, a feeling of deep resentment wells up within me. Why should I have to sit through a meal when I can’t even find one thing on the menu that suits my taste?

The thing is, we are mandated to participate in staff lunches. We don’t have to partake of the food, but we are expected to join in the fellowship.

“The reason we take an hour and a half once a month to go out to lunch,” says Pastor Steve LoVellette, “is to develop a relational family feel among staff members.”

In truth, I have learned more about what it means to be part of a family by watching those staff members who communicate deep love for their co-workers by consistently displaying a positive, respectful, non-complaining attitude, even when faced with sipping a soda over a meal while everyone else devours food that makes their nose wrinkle.

Which leads me to this question: Is food the only area where I need to put aside my personal preferences to communicate love and respect to those around me?