It's lunch time here on the U.S. east coast. Who does HN eat lunch with? I'm interested in finding out whether people use it as an opportunity to relax, or network, or what-have-you. So, what is your <i>most common</i> lunch situation?
Brendan: Still picking your teeth with freshmen?<p>Kara: Well, you were a freshman once.<p>Brendan: Way once, sister. You and Em were tight for a bit. Who's she eating with now?<p>Kara: Eating with?<p>Brendan: Eating with. Lunch. Who.
I started a new job recently; at my previous location, I ate with the other developers (some of whom I worked closely with, or had done so in the past). I've been at the new place for less than two weeks; it's a much smaller company, and I find myself inspired to go eat with everyone <i>but</i> the other developers, just to see what happens. However I have been surprised by my own hesitation to broach the perceived social barrier--the other devs invited me to lunch of their own accord, so it seemed natural; on the other hand, approaching someone else feels like a different situation altogether!
It's about an even toss-up between either a) eating with other developers and throwing work ideas around; and b) eating, usually alone, while playing a game on my comp for 20 minutes or so
It varies tremendously from day to day. Eating at my desk at the $DAYJOB is probably most common by a small margin, but I often lunch with other people for various reasons. Sometimes $DAYJOB colleagues, sometimes startup related meetings, sometimes random lunches with friends or acquaintances just to catch up, etc.
I would eat with co-workers from time to time, if that were an option. But I eat so early that nobody else wants to eat yet. So I end up alone with my thoughts, which are rarely about work. (I actually do a good job of separating work from not-work without thinking about it.)
A combination of (1) Carbonmade folks; (2) folks from the other companies in our office (Skillshare, Crush+Lovely, and Family Records); (3) other entrepreneurs in the area not necessarily in our office; and (4) visiting friends.
I figure option 2 there is referring to day-job work. I most often (not always) eat alone (sometimes at my desk, sometimes at home with the cats) and work. But I work on side projects, open source stuff, etc.
The whole company still fits in one conference room, so we all eat together. Unless something is broken, in which case people tend to scurry back to their desks after the food shows up.
I really really love having time alone with my thoughts ... and I'll usually go somewhere far enough to get a good walk in ... every now and then I'll go with a coworker or my team