Blog or Not?



A statistically improbable polymath's views on politics and culture.

Sunday, May 04, 2003
 
Man, even the UN can't resist the prospect of free food:

Hunger pains can apparently turn even the most upstanding diplomat into a looter. At noon on Friday, food workers at the U.N. headquarters walked off their jobs, calling a wildcat strike. The result: none of the U.N.'s five restaurants and bars was staffed. The walkout left thousands of U.N. employees scrounging for lunch — eventually, the masses stripped the cafeterias of everything, including the silverware.

Note to the UN: You're really undermining your authority by doing this. I mean, one would have expected something like this from a world legislative body:

An unidentified UN official called for the formation of a food preparation committee immediately. Delegates from the United States, China, the Netherlands, and Brazil, among others, volunteered. Lunch at the UN consisted of broiled chicken, vegan couscous, green salad, and red bean ice cream for dessert. Afterwords, the delegates carried their own used table settings to the kitchen, where several high-ranking members of the Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods figured out how to turn on the dishwashing machine.

Or:
Committees fended for themselves in terms of lunch, most of them electing to order pizza, Chinese, Thai, or other takeout from one of the many delivery services near UN headquarters. A few ventured out into the kitchens, where they prepared sandwiches and fruit.

I mean, really.

In other news, the UN will now have ARAmark as its food service provider. I warn the delegates to be wary of wasabi mashed potatoes.


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