I miss a lot about in office life. The parent talking about the newcomers i think really nails it the most/worst, not just because work is now 100% work, but because most people are totally isolated, heads down on their tickets, and dont see so much of whats going on. There's no serendipitous learning: few random exchanges, little chance to see someome beaming & hear them brag/explain, rarely chance to see someone struggling & have somone step in.

Anyhow. On food in specific, for the last decades I've dreamed of trying to get people trying & exploring new things. But wow, it felt like folks were absurdly attached to their staples.

That said, in my 20's, I was crazy dollar-conscious. I still ate out for lunch a lot, but the thought of paying $2 or $4 more than any of the abundant quality high-value local shops for something more upscale or just more elaborate was super hard to swallow. $13 buffet at Majer House Kabob was like the pinnacle of richness. So I get some of it. But also, it was still disappointing feeling unable to rally for a good exploration.