There May Be a Free Lunch, But Not Without Cost to Others
Stacy Schulist '01
Issue date: 11/5/00 Section: Johnson News
Over the past couple of months, I had heard various rumblings about food being stolen from the community refrigerator in Sage. Not just brown bags, but entire lunch coolers and even a bag of Wegmans groceries. Nothing, it appeared, was safe. That is, nothing except for a few beers that have been in the refrigerator all semester. Apparently our food thief does not drink.
The idea of a brown bag burglar sounds so ludicrous it’s almost comical. But it is not, particularly if your are the hungry owner of the lifted food. This is stealing.
Two weeks ago when I put my Wegmans sushi in Sage’s refrigerator, I was shocked at the caustic notes scribbled on the paper taped to the refrigerator door. “I hope the food you stole from me made you choke!” was one of the few comments that can be published. I wondered how something like this could generate such mean spirited comments. Two hours later, when I returned to find my own lunch had been lifted, I stopped wondering. I was too busy hoping the person who had stolen my meal was experiencing a severe case of food poisoning.
I am curious to know if the culprit, or culprits, realize that what they are doing is against the law. If they do, it’s difficult to believe that they would risk getting caught for such a small reward. It must take a tremendous amount of audacity to continue stealing lunches from such a busy area.
As more people become aware of this problem, it surely will become difficult to continue swiping food incognito. I for one would be particularly wary if I were the pilferer. Many Johnson School students spent their humble beginnings as food servers. Tricks of the trade included creative methods for tampering with the meals of annoying customers. Some would cause stomach irritation or necessitate frequent trips to the bathroom. (A little Visine is all it takes.) Others would produce no physical consequence, but would generate immense satisfaction among those knowing what had been done to the food that the customer had just ingested.
If the malfeasance continues, it is likely that the victims will not stop at terse notes. If we don’t catch the culprit in the act, he may be the one we see staggering toward the restrooms clutching his stomach.
The idea of a brown bag burglar sounds so ludicrous it’s almost comical. But it is not, particularly if your are the hungry owner of the lifted food. This is stealing.
Two weeks ago when I put my Wegmans sushi in Sage’s refrigerator, I was shocked at the caustic notes scribbled on the paper taped to the refrigerator door. “I hope the food you stole from me made you choke!” was one of the few comments that can be published. I wondered how something like this could generate such mean spirited comments. Two hours later, when I returned to find my own lunch had been lifted, I stopped wondering. I was too busy hoping the person who had stolen my meal was experiencing a severe case of food poisoning.
I am curious to know if the culprit, or culprits, realize that what they are doing is against the law. If they do, it’s difficult to believe that they would risk getting caught for such a small reward. It must take a tremendous amount of audacity to continue stealing lunches from such a busy area.
As more people become aware of this problem, it surely will become difficult to continue swiping food incognito. I for one would be particularly wary if I were the pilferer. Many Johnson School students spent their humble beginnings as food servers. Tricks of the trade included creative methods for tampering with the meals of annoying customers. Some would cause stomach irritation or necessitate frequent trips to the bathroom. (A little Visine is all it takes.) Others would produce no physical consequence, but would generate immense satisfaction among those knowing what had been done to the food that the customer had just ingested.
If the malfeasance continues, it is likely that the victims will not stop at terse notes. If we don’t catch the culprit in the act, he may be the one we see staggering toward the restrooms clutching his stomach.