Curry Lunch

There are many perks of working mostly from home. You get to talk to your cat. You don't have to talk to people if you don't want to. You've got your own things to eat and drink in the kitchen. You can go for a nap or put on a load of washing when you want, if you're not in a meeting. 

And after many years away from it, I was working in a depot this week, where the operations team do their thing. These people are incredible, making magic happen that you wouldn't believe. The Northern Territory provides an extra level of challenges to the work. Crocodiles, snakes, weirdos, weather events - you name it, they've seen it, and some of the week was spent listening to some of these stories. 

Operations teams also have a food culture of their own, whether it be chocolate, biscuits, or the case in point on this job, Thursday lunch. 

"You know about curry lunch?" the boss asked me yesterday. 

"Yes. All good."

"You're all set for curry lunch?" somebody else asked half an hour later. 

"I've got my $20 ready to give to Joe." Joe sits in the corner in front of a multitude of computer screens. 

"Are you all set of curry lunch?" the next person I met with asked. 

"Of course."

Everybody was all set for curry lunch - there was no way I was not going to participate. Even my old friend who I met up with yesterday knew about curry lunch. But her son-in-law is a member of the team. Still...

And give them their dues, the curry, which Joe gets in each week, being a friend of the owner at a local South Indian restaurant in a local suburb, gets all sorts of specials. Today there was a Beef Korma, a Butter Chicken, a Chilli Chicken, and something called 67 Chicken, along with papadums and rice. There's normally some yoghurt too, but this was missed today. 

It was awesome. 

We sit around with the team, eat our curry, have a chat and just enjoy this little ritual that they do every week, even when Joe is on holidays, but the curry isn't quite as diverse on these occasions. 

Even better for me, I got to have a good chat with two of the guys I've had trouble getting time with, finding out just what they do. 

Working with engineers, I've got the spiel down. Just showing an interest in the communication capabilities of electricity meters probably made their day. When was the last time you talked about an electricity meter?

I love how food brings everything together.

And now I'm preparing to go home. We're off to see a movie at the Deckchair cinema tonight. Then it's back to the hotel, finish packing, get to the airport and take the 1 a.m. flight back to Melbourne. 

It's been a good trip.

Today's song: