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What are your unpopular opinions about health / fitness?
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lemurcat12 wrote: »What if the people eating cake are thin? Do you still pity them? I mean, I do, since if they had sense they'd be eating pie, but we covered that.
For the record, it shows that the one time I watched the Matrix I fell asleep, since my reaction to the "blue pill" thing was "wait, Viagra makes you eat cake and donuts?"
Oh it's a Matrix thing? I've never seen it so I was confused too.1 -
Let's pretend that we believe cake culture exists for a moment. Even if it does exist, whose fault is it? The people who bring in the cake, the people who eat it, or the supposed pressure that there is to eat said cake?
I will admit that I am one to eat something if it is there. When they tell us there is cake, bagels, whatever in the break room, I go for it, practically a beeline for it. If it tastes icky I might throw it out, but generally I'll eat it. I can't blame anyone other than myself. (This is the same for family gatherings, etc). Since I have started having hypoglycemia issues, I've started exercising my "no thank you" muscles. And guess what, nobody even questions if I chose not to partake of any or all of what is available.
So, even if there is a "culture" than can lead to a perceived pressure to eat cake or anything else that is available, I firmly believe it still comes down to personal responsibility. If you eat it because it's available, you can chose to not make it available to you in some way, or compensate by eating less later, or exercising more (not as punishment, just as part of that balance we need to develop in our lives). Or, you know, work on being mindful about what you eat. And if you're worried about what "our culture" is doing to others, maybe you need to remember to worry about you and not others unless they ask.
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lemurcat12 wrote: »What if the people eating cake are thin? Do you still pity them? I mean, I do, since if they had sense they'd be eating pie, but we covered that.
For the record, it shows that the one time I watched the Matrix I fell asleep, since my reaction to the "blue pill" thing was "wait, Viagra makes you eat cake and donuts?"
Yes. For the record, I agree that pie is superior to cake....unless it's jello pudding poured into a pie shell...that is a travesty against piedom3 -
I believe human beings have been misclassified as omnivores and that we are actually carnivores (this would take paragraphs to explain, especially since it *appears* that it is possible to be a 'healthy vegan'), and essentially for alot of people it is impossible to be healthy without eating red meat alot more than what is recommended in mainstream views of human nutrition.
LOL, no. I'm an archaeologist, I suspect I know a little bit more about this topic than you. Not a single human ancestor, nor any of the dead end branch cousins, were carnivores. Not even close. None of the other Great Apes, our closest living relatives, are carnivores. We are omnivores. We evolved to be able to eat a wide variety of foods, both plant and animal. One look at our dentition and our digestive tract tells you that.
Let me guess, you do keto.20 -
oh how I would love to write my psych dissertation on cake culture in the workplace....haha!7
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Carlos_421 wrote: »
Do you seriously think that people eat cake in the office on a daily basis?
Is that how it is where you work?
I'm not going to dig into whether or not there is a "cake culture". But I just have to say that at my work, EVERY SINGLE DAY, at least one person (sometimes multiple people) bring in treats to share. The snack table used to sit right behind my desk. I made them move that table.5 -
A zillionty people toil away at meaningless monotony in drab, badly lit offices, where HR and management demand only the most bland and hollow of language and personal interaction, while we all fakespeak about metrics and verbed nouns, and surprise, surprise, the office cake and thursday morning donuts become a bright spot.
We should definitely move to crush that little bit optional joy as soon as possible, and replace it with something that produces only the most optimal of results.22 -
Also, terribly sorry for distracting from the cake discussion (but those who know me know I couldn't let ^^that stand...).
To get back to cake...Cake is awesome. Carrot cake with lemon cream cheese icing for me please. Food sharing isn't just a human thing, it's a Great Ape thing. We have always done it. No one is making you eat the cake. You are a grown up, you can make your own decisions.7 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »Also, terribly sorry for distracting from the cake discussion (but those who know me know I couldn't let ^^that stand...).
To get back to cake...Cake is awesome. Carrot cake with lemon cream cheese icing for me please. Food sharing isn't just a human thing, it's a Great Ape thing. We have always done it. No one is making you eat the cake. You are a grown up, you can make your own decisions.
My orangutan friend at the zoo gets very (what appears to be) jealous when I bring treats to her habitat and don't offer to share them with her. At the least I have to sit and eat them by showing her each bite. I kinda feel a little guilty that there is a two inch window between us, but then she doesn't have any food I want, so...3 -
deannalfisher wrote: »oh how I would love to write my psych dissertation on cake culture in the workplace....haha!
Why not? Another theme would be how it intersects with the individualism of American culture...hence the primary defence being along the lines of "it's your choice to eat or not eat the cake" "just say no" etc. How does cake culture play out in societies that value conformity over individualism?6 -
deannalfisher wrote: »oh how I would love to write my psych dissertation on cake culture in the workplace....haha!
Why not? Another theme would be how it intersects with the individualism of American culture...hence the primary defence being along the lines of "it's your choice to eat or not eat the cake" "just say no" etc. How does cake culture play out in societies that value conformity over individualism?
I'm not American. It intersects with my culture of being a human who has always, throughout history, shared food as social bonding.17 -
whiskeystitching wrote: »A zillionty people toil away at meaningless monotony in drab, badly lit offices, where HR and management demand only the most bland and hollow of language and personal interaction, while we all fakespeak about metrics and verbed nouns, and surprise, surprise, the office cake and thursday morning donuts become a bright spot.
We should definitely move to crush that little bit optional joy as soon as possible, and replace it with something that produces only the most optimal of results.
We could definitely Optimize our Efficiencies and Effecientize our Optimums if everyone was just forced to eat Dickensian Gruel (carb-free version).11 -
VintageFeline wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »oh how I would love to write my psych dissertation on cake culture in the workplace....haha!
Why not? Another theme would be how it intersects with the individualism of American culture...hence the primary defence being along the lines of "it's your choice to eat or not eat the cake" "just say no" etc. How does cake culture play out in societies that value conformity over individualism?
I'm not American. It intersects with my culture of being a human who has always, throughout history, shared food as social bonding.
May I ask, what you are then? Although many cultures have commonalities, there is no one 'human' culture.4 -
VintageFeline wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »oh how I would love to write my psych dissertation on cake culture in the workplace....haha!
Why not? Another theme would be how it intersects with the individualism of American culture...hence the primary defence being along the lines of "it's your choice to eat or not eat the cake" "just say no" etc. How does cake culture play out in societies that value conformity over individualism?
I'm not American. It intersects with my culture of being a human who has always, throughout history, shared food as social bonding.
May I ask, what you are then? Although many cultures have commonalities, there is no one 'human' culture.
Can you tell me of a human culture where sharing of food in times of celebration isn't a thing?15 -
vegaslounge wrote: »I'm late to the thread (it's been a fun read!) but figured I'd throw in my two cents...
I hate the "my coworker is trying to sabotage my weight loss by bringing in treats!" whine. And I don't just say this as a coworker who brings in said treats, I say it as a human being who has free will and doesn't have a paranoid chip on her shoulder, chocolate or otherwise.
You are not so special, and the world not so petty, that Becky from accounting is trying to derail your – yes, YOUR! PERSONAL!– weight loss goals. Even if she is, you aren't tied to your office chair while she crams cookies fois gras-style down your gullet (if this is the case, I think OSHA would be a better organization to contact than MFP). Occam's razor would say that your coworker is trying to be nice and, also, you aren't the only person in the office, buttercup. Maybe Josh from marketing or that guy who delivers the mail whom you've never bothered to learn the name of would like an afternoon pick-me-up.
The "solutions" to this "problem" are usually just as bad. I especially hate the, "throw it away in front of them, they'll get the hint" one. Again, I AM that coworker who brings in homemade goods, and based on feedback, I am a damn good cook. I've also lost 35lb in the last year. I love to bake (it's very soothing) but I don't have much of a sweet tooth so I undoubtedly make more than I know I'd eat for weeks. So, why not share the bounty? Honestly, if a coworker accepted a brownie and then made sure that I saw them throw it in the trash, I wouldn't "take the hint" that I'm not supposed to bring in treats. I'd be a little hurt because I put time, money and effort into doing something nice for the office and you're frankly coming across like a world-class kittenhole and remarkable egotist for no good reason. Even if your coworker is bringing in dollar-store doughnuts, they spent their money to be nice. Hell, my supervisor's treat last month sent me into anaphylaxis and I don't shout "murderer!" every time I see her (sometimes. Not every time.)
Maybe I'm completely wrong. Maybe there really are Brazil-esque businesses where your coworkers surround you chanting "EAT! THE! CAKE!!! EAT! THE! CAKE!!!" and you get a zap to the cajones if you refuse. Is that what real office jobs are like? I've worked in non-profits my professional career, we're kind of the hippies of the corporate world.
I personally think this cake culture is a damaging maladaption. It's not a "nice" thing to bring in fat pills. It's definitely a bad thing to do. But because we have a cake culture in offices, it's almost expected that everyone take their turn bringing in sugary, fatty foods with which to tempt each other. Also to order and share a cake when a coworker has a birthday...yuck. It's just not a healthy practice for us humans to have adopted and yet we have and there's all kind of societal expectations around accepting the food, taking your turn to bring in food, etc. The sooner gone the better.
This is probably the saddest, most blinkered view of social behavior I have ever seen expressed on the forums here.
Lol. I guess it would surprise you then if I said my bachelors degree was in Anthropology. Don't feel sad for me though! I feel sad for all the poor blue pill lemmings chomping down on cake and donuts in offices every day. I don't think cake culture should be banned, I'm pretty libertarian, but it would be better for us as a species facing an obesity crisis if we didn't have this cultural norm.
I work in IT and my job entails sitting in front of a computer for most of the day. I had a small slice of carrot cake today that someone left in the break room. You know what else I did? I walked in the morning and the afternoon on both of my breaks. Tonight I will go to kickboxing, and when I get home I will chase my daughters around outside. Because I am active I can have my cake and eat it too. There is nothing wrong with having cake once in a while. I am not overweight. I am in healthy and I don't have to starve myself or deprive myself of foods I enjoy. I just make sure that I don't eat more than I should. It is not mean of people to bring in treats. People generally do it out of kindness not a desire to make others fat. I'm not sure why you are so negative about this topic, but I hope that isn't always the case. You can feel sad for me for eating cake though if you like. I feel sad for you for having to pretend to eat cake. Actually eating cake is far more satisfying.25 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »vegaslounge wrote: »I'm late to the thread (it's been a fun read!) but figured I'd throw in my two cents...
I hate the "my coworker is trying to sabotage my weight loss by bringing in treats!" whine. And I don't just say this as a coworker who brings in said treats, I say it as a human being who has free will and doesn't have a paranoid chip on her shoulder, chocolate or otherwise.
You are not so special, and the world not so petty, that Becky from accounting is trying to derail your – yes, YOUR! PERSONAL!– weight loss goals. Even if she is, you aren't tied to your office chair while she crams cookies fois gras-style down your gullet (if this is the case, I think OSHA would be a better organization to contact than MFP). Occam's razor would say that your coworker is trying to be nice and, also, you aren't the only person in the office, buttercup. Maybe Josh from marketing or that guy who delivers the mail whom you've never bothered to learn the name of would like an afternoon pick-me-up.
The "solutions" to this "problem" are usually just as bad. I especially hate the, "throw it away in front of them, they'll get the hint" one. Again, I AM that coworker who brings in homemade goods, and based on feedback, I am a damn good cook. I've also lost 35lb in the last year. I love to bake (it's very soothing) but I don't have much of a sweet tooth so I undoubtedly make more than I know I'd eat for weeks. So, why not share the bounty? Honestly, if a coworker accepted a brownie and then made sure that I saw them throw it in the trash, I wouldn't "take the hint" that I'm not supposed to bring in treats. I'd be a little hurt because I put time, money and effort into doing something nice for the office and you're frankly coming across like a world-class kittenhole and remarkable egotist for no good reason. Even if your coworker is bringing in dollar-store doughnuts, they spent their money to be nice. Hell, my supervisor's treat last month sent me into anaphylaxis and I don't shout "murderer!" every time I see her (sometimes. Not every time.)
Maybe I'm completely wrong. Maybe there really are Brazil-esque businesses where your coworkers surround you chanting "EAT! THE! CAKE!!! EAT! THE! CAKE!!!" and you get a zap to the cajones if you refuse. Is that what real office jobs are like? I've worked in non-profits my professional career, we're kind of the hippies of the corporate world.
I personally think this cake culture is a damaging maladaption. It's not a "nice" thing to bring in fat pills. It's definitely a bad thing to do. But because we have a cake culture in offices, it's almost expected that everyone take their turn bringing in sugary, fatty foods with which to tempt each other. Also to order and share a cake when a coworker has a birthday...yuck. It's just not a healthy practice for us humans to have adopted and yet we have and there's all kind of societal expectations around accepting the food, taking your turn to bring in food, etc. The sooner gone the better.
This is probably the saddest, most blinkered view of social behavior I have ever seen expressed on the forums here.
Lol. I guess it would surprise you then if I said my bachelors degree was in Anthropology. Don't feel sad for me though! I feel sad for all the poor blue pill lemmings chomping down on cake and donuts in offices every day. I don't think cake culture should be banned, I'm pretty libertarian, but it would be better for us as a species facing an obesity crisis if we didn't have this cultural norm.
Do you seriously think that people eat cake in the office on a daily basis?
Is that how it is where you work?
No, I meant it in the context of "every day somewhere, someone is chomping down on cake or donuts" not "everyday everyone is chomping down on cake or donuts"
Everyday somewhere someone is doing a lot of things. There's a lot of people.10 -
vegaslounge wrote: »I'm late to the thread (it's been a fun read!) but figured I'd throw in my two cents...
I hate the "my coworker is trying to sabotage my weight loss by bringing in treats!" whine. And I don't just say this as a coworker who brings in said treats, I say it as a human being who has free will and doesn't have a paranoid chip on her shoulder, chocolate or otherwise.
You are not so special, and the world not so petty, that Becky from accounting is trying to derail your – yes, YOUR! PERSONAL!– weight loss goals. Even if she is, you aren't tied to your office chair while she crams cookies fois gras-style down your gullet (if this is the case, I think OSHA would be a better organization to contact than MFP). Occam's razor would say that your coworker is trying to be nice and, also, you aren't the only person in the office, buttercup. Maybe Josh from marketing or that guy who delivers the mail whom you've never bothered to learn the name of would like an afternoon pick-me-up.
The "solutions" to this "problem" are usually just as bad. I especially hate the, "throw it away in front of them, they'll get the hint" one. Again, I AM that coworker who brings in homemade goods, and based on feedback, I am a damn good cook. I've also lost 35lb in the last year. I love to bake (it's very soothing) but I don't have much of a sweet tooth so I undoubtedly make more than I know I'd eat for weeks. So, why not share the bounty? Honestly, if a coworker accepted a brownie and then made sure that I saw them throw it in the trash, I wouldn't "take the hint" that I'm not supposed to bring in treats. I'd be a little hurt because I put time, money and effort into doing something nice for the office and you're frankly coming across like a world-class kittenhole and remarkable egotist for no good reason. Even if your coworker is bringing in dollar-store doughnuts, they spent their money to be nice. Hell, my supervisor's treat last month sent me into anaphylaxis and I don't shout "murderer!" every time I see her (sometimes. Not every time.)
Maybe I'm completely wrong. Maybe there really are Brazil-esque businesses where your coworkers surround you chanting "EAT! THE! CAKE!!! EAT! THE! CAKE!!!" and you get a zap to the cajones if you refuse. Is that what real office jobs are like? I've worked in non-profits my professional career, we're kind of the hippies of the corporate world.
I personally think this cake culture is a damaging maladaption. It's not a "nice" thing to bring in fat pills. It's definitely a bad thing to do. But because we have a cake culture in offices, it's almost expected that everyone take their turn bringing in sugary, fatty foods with which to tempt each other. Also to order and share a cake when a coworker has a birthday...yuck. It's just not a healthy practice for us humans to have adopted and yet we have and there's all kind of societal expectations around accepting the food, taking your turn to bring in food, etc. The sooner gone the better.
This is probably the saddest, most blinkered view of social behavior I have ever seen expressed on the forums here.
Lol. I guess it would surprise you then if I said my bachelors degree was in Anthropology. Don't feel sad for me though! I feel sad for all the poor blue pill lemmings chomping down on cake and donuts in offices every day. I don't think cake culture should be banned, I'm pretty libertarian, but it would be better for us as a species facing an obesity crisis if we didn't have this cultural norm.
"Blue pill lemmings"?
Ah yes, people are totally robbed of agency.
By cake.
Your gift for hyperbole is something to behold.14 -
BTW, I haven't worked much yet since I'm still studying but when I was, there were 2 times cake was available, one from me for introduction and one for another student acing his masters thesis.
What WAS available every single day was fresh fruit though...4 -
VintageFeline wrote: »VintageFeline wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »oh how I would love to write my psych dissertation on cake culture in the workplace....haha!
Why not? Another theme would be how it intersects with the individualism of American culture...hence the primary defence being along the lines of "it's your choice to eat or not eat the cake" "just say no" etc. How does cake culture play out in societies that value conformity over individualism?
I'm not American. It intersects with my culture of being a human who has always, throughout history, shared food as social bonding.
May I ask, what you are then? Although many cultures have commonalities, there is no one 'human' culture.
Can you tell me of a human culture where sharing of food in times of celebration isn't a thing?
In China, the traditional food to celebrate a birthday are peaches and noodles, not cake.3 -
VintageFeline wrote: »VintageFeline wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »oh how I would love to write my psych dissertation on cake culture in the workplace....haha!
Why not? Another theme would be how it intersects with the individualism of American culture...hence the primary defence being along the lines of "it's your choice to eat or not eat the cake" "just say no" etc. How does cake culture play out in societies that value conformity over individualism?
I'm not American. It intersects with my culture of being a human who has always, throughout history, shared food as social bonding.
May I ask, what you are then? Although many cultures have commonalities, there is no one 'human' culture.
Can you tell me of a human culture where sharing of food in times of celebration isn't a thing?
In China, the traditional food to celebrate a birthday are peaches and noodles, not cake.
But still food...........9
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