Hazards Of A Communal Kitchen

I've been spending time in an elementary school helping my friend produce two newsletters—one for the school, one for her class.

This morning, we went for coffee in the staff kitchen. I looked for a mug. There were several washed ones in the dish rack on the counter. I examined each and rejected them all. They either had rings inside, or dried coffee at the bottom, or lipstick stains on the rim. So in this kitchen, by washed, they mean rinsed. I washed, really washed one clean to use for my coffee.

My friend has her own mug. She poured the coffee into the mugs while I looked for cream in the staff fridge. The fridge was just like any communal fridge you might see in an office. Staff put their lunches and other food needs in there to keep cool. My friend takes her coffee black so she doesn't keep milk or cream in the fridge. There were several unmarked glass containers of milk in the fridge. I rooted in there for a store-bought cream carton.

"Oh, just use whatever you like and don't worry whose it is," said my friend.

It wasn't that I was concerned about stealing someone's food. I know that's a sore issue in communal kitchens. It was more that I knew one of the teachers recently had a baby and I don't know if she's still lactating. I really didn't want to put her expressed breast milk in my coffee.

At the far end of the kitchen sat a new looking couch. It looked so inviting I took my coffee over and sat down. Either I really am very heavy or the couch seat had zero support. I expected to sit thigh high, but I sank knee deep, spilling my coffee all over me and the new looking couch.

Now I remember why I never went into staff kitchens when I worked. I don't trust them.