Treat? Or Trick?

December 17, 2005

This past week I began an intense project which will last until the end of the year.

On Friday one of the women in the office came to the door and invited my colleagues and I to help ourselves to some “treats” that were on the table in the next room. When I walked to the copier peanut butter Christmas cookies with Hershey’s chocolate kisses on top, oatmeal cookies, and slices of (my trigger food) chocolate chip banana bread leapt up and tried to jump into my mouth!

The thoughts ran through my head but I didn’t eat any of them. Each day I’ve brought plenty of healthy and sugar free foods to snack on so that I remain full. Had I been hungry when those “treats” were presented I might have caved.

The most interesting thing about the whole event was that I noticed something about sweets. The girls in the office were clamoring around the table. Despite the fact that there was a larger portion of cookies in the break area, we were only informed when everyone else had their fill.

The snacks were called “treats”—as if cookies are rare and hard to come by.

Friday is dress down day at the office and it is also common that there’s some kind of “treat” (including being able to wear jeans, oh!) for the staff. Little bowls of candy rest on people’s desks and one lady in particular has offered her candy bowl to everyone who passes.

Sharing sweets is a common social event signifying the end of the work week. Sugar is the reward for a hard earned paycheck. A plate full of cookies reduced everyone to yappy children for having “done good” and they ate it up—quite literally.

Imagine if the treats were cigarettes.

Imagine if the treats were cans of soda.

Imagine if the treats were nice sandwiches.

Imagine if the treat was a bonus.