Wednesday, September 12, 2007

No Such Thing as a Free Lunch?

One of the reasons I'm going to get through this week only spending $20 on groceries (other than the fact that I'm working with what I already had in the house) is that I'm being treated to a number of meals. Today I'm eating lunch out on my company, tomorrow it's lunch with my dad and snacks with my uncle at his gallery opening, and the day after, I think my mother and I are going to dinner and a movie.

They say there's no such thing as a free lunch. Certainly, there are tradeoffs here--sacrifices I might not be willing to make or annoyances I might not be willing to endure otherwise, like being held accountable for a higher level of involvement in a project, or not telling my father to knock it off with the nonsequitur-heavy interrogation. But chiefly, I benefit enormously from these things--I learn more about my job and can do it better, or I get to chat with my dad, or see my uncle and his new art--all while getting free food!

Call me a cockeyed optimist, but that sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

3 comments:

Janet said...

My dad's usually in SF once a month on business or something and offers to take me to lunch or dinner. Last weekend we had sushi dinner ($80) and while I did have to listen to my dad ask me for the millionth time if getting this special license would lead to limited career opportunities, it's always good to have someone question your choices - you learn so much and gain a lot of valuable insight.

Anonymous said...

Bronx Chica- I would have done the same thing. It's time spent well and getting fed.

Unknown said...

"No Such Thing as a Free Lunch?"

Depends on where we are. LOls

Seriously,we can still dine to impress if we can show off a card for the waiter to swipe. Not credit card, though. I mean DEBIT card.

This is a surefire way to avoid getting ourselves into any credit card related mess like nerve wracking debt, sleepless nights and the toil of looking for credit card debt elimination program or companies out there to absolve us from trouble.