The Eva Peron of pizza eaters

Jump to Comments

Our group in the office ordered in pizza. 8 boxes, translating to 2 slices for each individual. There were going to be 3 or 4 extra slices.

The pizzas arrived late. I was going to get Pizza Hut on the phone to tell them what I thought of their service and where to stuff their lame excuses but since I wasn’t paying, I didn’t really care. Although I was getting very hungry. But really, bad service is just wrong. If you’re operating a business, only offer services you can actually deliver. Too many establishments here short-change their customers without any sense of responsibility. Fuckers. And it only gets perpetuated simply because most Filipinos do not complain. The handful of people who do, are perceived and dismissed as arrogant, bitchy or rich snobs, maybe even all three. But I noticed that it does get you results and perhaps the beginnings of hypertension.

If you have been wronged by any company at all, COMPLAIN TO THEM ABOUT IT. Do not remain silent and then bitch about it for weeks on end. It’s not going to change, you have to speak up.

Anyway that’s not even my point. Well it is. Sort of. Well it’s about my beef with the standard Filipino trait to suffer in silence and then talk about it years later in a high-handed manner like they know a thing or two about life. Get over it, you’re a loser for not standing up when you should have and you’re a loser now for still talking about it.

So anyway. The pizzas arrived and we all got busy choosing our two slices. As with any large group, some were faster than others and some were greedier than others. Some people knew that there were a few extra slices floating around, so some of them took 3 slices for themselves.

One girl arrived late and was walking around with a slice of pizza, looking for her other one. Everyone else was busy chomping down on their food, while Slow Girl was vainly looking for her missing slice. Meanwhile the girl across me was valiantly trying to rescue a slice from an officemate who took two of the same kind, instead of just one. He said, “Oh but I touched it already…she doesn’t want it anymore? Then I’ll take it.” Now to be fair, I get along with this guy alright, he’s great. I think that maybe his boys had 3 slices and I’m guessing he got greedy and wanted a third slice for himself.

I actually didn’t know that was going on, I was too busy with my own food. But when he left, Failed Attempt muttered, “Slow Girl only has one slice for herself.”

I chewed on my pizza pensively, trying to mind my own business but when I looked around, I realised that no one was going to speak up. Not Failed Attempt and certainly not Slow Girl. Sure, they’ll probably talk about it later on, in small groups and cluck their tongues disapprovingly. What good would that have done? Inconsideration is something I cannot abide and when it’s as blatant as that, well that was just too much. I get so annoyed by how we normally behave when there’s a big feast. Despite having computed the number of slices needed ahead of time, people still acted as if they hadn’t been fed in weeks and that we didn’t have enough for everyone. So I spoke up. Hollered really, so I could be heard above the din of oblivious happy dining. I said calmly but forcefully, “Hey who’s got more than 2  slices of pizza? This girl here only has one.” I can get psycho-scary if I want to and the calmer I seem, the scarier. People went quiet for about half a second and things got a bit subdued. Finally, the culprit spoke up and said, “I do.” So I turned to him and said curtly, “Well, give it back to her.” And they sorted things out and she got what was rightfully hers. I continued eating my pizza, while Failed Attempt told me how scary I was. I told her, “Slow Girl got her pizza, didn’t she?” In fact, Slow Girl was so grateful that she poured me a glass of Pepsi and thanked me profusely several times.

The group of guys were still a bit rowdy after that, I think that maybe they were joking about what a witch I was or something juvenile like that. I knew I bruised some egos when I crossed the unspoken but very defined gender roles, but I also knew they were too chickenshit to say anything about it. Perhaps adhering to some outdated rule about guys letting girls have their way. Too bad, I would have totally welcomed a discussion about it. Bring it on, bitch. If you’re wrong, I’m not backing down until you admit it.

It’s times like these when I feel so out of place in my own country. Good thing I’m leaving this company and its stifling environment in a month. Otherwise, I may just find myself with a knife in my side on my way out of the office one of these days.

And dammit I’m never going to be demure if shit like this keep happening with no one else around to step up and say something. Oh well. I guess that in life, we all have our roles to fill.

3 Comments

Filed under At work, Life in Manila, To ponder