Introduction: "What should I eat for lunch?" and "Where should I go for lunch?" are probably two questions that many office workers ask themselves every day. Lunch is indeed a headache-inducing problem. So much so that some people have even developed "lunch phobia."
"Lunch phobia" is one of the popular internet buzzwords. Its main "symptoms" manifest as some office workers, when there's no company canteen, have to eat out. However, some often choose to avoid eating at mealtime, not feeling hungry when they should, and only feeling hungry after the mealtime has passed. Every noon, many university students, state-owned enterprise employees, civil servants, and even office cleaners sigh: "I don't know what to eat, let alone who to eat with."
Lunch as a new form of social networking requires etiquette
Today, a workplace lunch is no longer just a simple meal, but a new form of social networking known as a "lunch group." "Lunch groups" discuss everything: current events, hot topics, gossip, the boss's every move, their opinions on certain decisions, and more. People who do well in the workplace are usually able to integrate into several "lunch groups," enjoying meals with one group as well as with another. These are the masters of workplace networking. Some office workers, unable to fit into a group, can only choose to run off and eat alone during lunch. Because they eat by themselves every day, over time, they no longer feel that eating is an enjoyment; it's more like completing a daily required task, which feels truly painful.
"To put it bluntly, a 'lunch group' is a small social circle, a circle of friends, and also a professional circle. The topic of conversation isn't important; what's important is making people feel there are no barriers with you. Some people are overly cautious, which makes others feel insincere; some are very introverted, which makes them seem hard to get along with; and some are two-faced, and others won't consider them friends." A psychological expert warns, "You can learn a lot about a person over a meal—whether you share common ground, whether you are on the same wavelength. This is very important in the workplace."