Look beneath the surface, however, and fascinating details emerge. Shared confidences .... bizarre food items .... sundry aromas .... intriguing mysteries. The radio provides a background soundtrack to the workplace comings and goings. It is, indeed, a self-contained microcosm with its own unique cast of characters--"Enjoy," the hot food server with the mile-high chef's hat; Barbara, the mysterious salad bar queen; Maria, the Spanish spitfire; and others since consigned to the scrap heap of history. Presiding over all is the jolly, unassuming chief cashier Betty, who takes customer service to dizzying new heights.
A select group of eagle-eyed "agents" report periodically on the cafeteria scene. Keep checking back as new accounts of their misadventures are added to our archives, and pictures document the familiar denizens who dish up vegetable plates, whip together sandwiches and eagerly divest us of our hard-earned salaries--usually, although not always, with a smile.
Enter the world of puckered donuts and small change. You'll never view your own company cafeteria in quite the same way again.