Double Flee A

The facts:

This hospital is very, um, multicultural. I would imagine there are more countries with emigres working here than without. Every time the company offers a seminar for its employees, or training, or wellness lessons, or don't beat the spouse and shake the baby, or whatever, huge signs go up all over the place, saying things like "Welcome!" and then "welcome" in about nine other languages over and around it. It can't be said that they don't try very hard to stay at the cutting edge of touchy-feely political correctness, diversity, and sensitivity.

There's a woman of vaguely latin descent who works in the cafeteria here at the hospital. She is short and brownish.

Ours is a facility that is connected to the University of Minnesota, so we train and educate all kinds of people pretty constantly.

Every once in a while, the nutrition department (which controls the cafeteria) puts on a theme day. We did chinese not too long ago, for which the cafeteria was outfitted with placemats that tell you if your birth year corresponds was the year of the rat, dog, snake, what have you. The food was healthy but still "fun". That's what the nutrition department does. One day they did mexican food.

The funniest thing I've seen in a while:

The students who put these nutrition events on, who plan the menus and then put the events on their CVs later, decided to do a mexican day. The cafeteria management said, go ahead, do whatever you want.

To decorate, they made the short brown lady wear a sombrero. She said she couldn't wait till her shift was over because she hated that stupid hat.

That was funny enough to make me hemmorrhage, a little mexican forced to wear a sombrero and hating it. But then I saw who else had to wear them.

A woman in a burqa, was wearng a sombrero. A burqa. I mouthed the words, no f***ing way. The nurse in line behind me was just as stumped.

The only things like that happen in the cafeteria. During black history month they put on a "soul food" dinner. Guess what they served? Fried chicken, watermelon, and black eyed peas. Either somebody's got a sense of humor, or this cultural sensitivity thing is purely imaginary. Thanks, cafeteria, your food may suck, but you're good for a laugh.

posted by dale @ 3:56 PM