21 February 2008

Don't We Deserve Fiesta ware?



One of the problematic parts of my job is that although there is no office manager, many office manager-type tasks fall to me. Fast forward to my choosing some new bowls for our kitchen, because all the bowls have "gone missing."

Our kitchen at work is gross. It's beyond dirty. Everything is just kind of old and shabby and that's okay, but it's the dirty part that freaks me out. Like parts of the wall where it meets the sink where the grout is missing and mildew is growing, and linoleum that is peeling at the edges, only the edges are like four inches broad. Departments take turns cleaning it, each department getting one week, and then your turn comes around about once every six or eight weeks.

Our silverware and dishes came from the Goodwill, or they come from employees like me who donate to the kitchen. Everything is a weird mismash, which would be fine, but there's got to be some standard, and the really weird things, in my opinion, have to go, like a plastic plate that has some unicorns on it that someone literally got from Burger KIng ten years ago... or things that are chipped to the point where the material could harbor bacteria. Our old finance manager would just take herself to the local Goodwill every six months and come back with an assortment of truly depressing dishes.

She's gone now. All the bowls disappeared to the dark recesses of messy desks and the scary locker room. I ordered Fiesta ware, which is not made in sweatshops (make in the USA), has a long and interesting history, is colorful, sturdy and reasonably priced.
You would think people would be happy, but everyone had something to say. Some people told me their dire predictions: "everything will disappear". Some people reacted as though I busted out my company credit card and ordered a full set of friggin' Wedgwood fine china. The sad part is there are fewer than 100 people in the company, and about 25 of them are truck drivers who are never in the office and kitchen anyway. So there are only about 60 of the rest of us, and yet we don't think our coworkers deserve anything even somewhat decent. I've never worked with such a large proportion of people who disliked themselves so much and felt they deserved so little.

Anyway, I kind of like Fiesta ware. The colors I chose for work are a little bit too reminiscent of original Skittles for my taste (good for work but not for home.)
The colors I would collect are: Sea Mist, Persimmon, Chartreuse, Turquoise and Peacock.

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