cover letter
A sticker on the vending machine sounds a lot like the cover letters I write.
"I am your Eurest Dining Services Vending Attendant. I am proud to provide Microsoft Corporation with excellent customer service as your Eurest Dining Services Vending Attendant."
Then there's the guy's picture, who was obviously under duress to make the above statement.
Yesterday was big food day over here at MS. A meeting of big honchos were trapped in a conference room all day, with their lunch bubbling outside in the lobby. It was labelled "Vegetarian." It certainly smelled complicated. A small bowl of condiments for the meal - whatever it was - lay alongside. The condiments appeared to be a blueberry and onion salsa. (Eeewww). Eventually folks emerged and did a little damage to the lunch cart. The salsa looked like it had been stirred around a bit, but not eaten. Then folks were gone for awhile - conference room empty - then they were back. Is it possible that they decided to all go out to eat, after facing such a horrific meal? Once the honchos were back in the conference room, the lunch cart bubbled away at least until I left for home.
Over in the cafeteria there is a big meeting room, say maybe 400 person capacity. Around 2:00 there was a buffet outside this room (as if being steps from the cafeteria weren't enough). The line of dishes stretched across the whole wall, perhaps 6 banquet tables in length. No people. Open doors to the conference room, nobody there.
I bring this up as evidence that you really can survive at MS by eating stuff that's lying around. Also that there's a culture of opulence. At some point I'd like to take up a dare to live for a week, not spending any money, and only off of found food at MS. It would make a the reverse-opulence point, I suppose. Maybe the project could be one of those awful articles in the New Yorker that you wonder why you're reading?