Sunday, October 18, 2009

Stomach-Building Exercise

The Living Hope LSE (Life Skill Educator) staff was given this past Friday off to use as a team-building day. The group was given R100 per person (about $13) and the freedom to choose the activity to spend it on.

They chose a buffet lunch. At first this puzzled me a bit, but once I was there, I understood. It seems all-you-can-eat buffets are not common in South Africa. (Even free refills on coffee and soda are rare.) So when we visited the restaurant (located in some far-flung suburb of Cape Town), my South African co-workers took full advantage.

The buffet opened at noon and closed at 3:00, and we stayed the entire time. Steak, chicken, calamari, pastas, salads, local African cuisine, desserts – it was all there and it was all consumed. Some people failed to pace themselves and ate so much they were miserable afterwards. The Americans in the group noted that back home, you might go to such a place, have a few plates and then leave – mission accomplished. But our friends here made an event of it, and it was fun to witness and experience. And we’ll never look at a buffet the same way again.

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