Lunch Break-through

Manager: “Where’s [Coworker]?”

Me: “He went out to lunch.”

Manager: “I was just in the break room, and I didn’t see him.”

Me: “No, not the break room. Out, as in outside.”

Manager: *Confused.* “Out…side? As in outside the building?”

Me: “Yeah. He said it was a lovely day, so he was going to walk in the park.”

Manager: “But… why would he leave the office in the middle of the day?”

Me: “He’s European.”

Manager: *Blank look.*

Me: “Hmm, how do I put this. He does not eat at his desk and sacrifice his legally required lunch break, which has been normalized by the slave-driving American capitalist mindset.”

Manager: *Still looking a bit blankly.* “Well… uh… tell him to see me when he gets back.”

Me: “Will do!”

I see the manager walk to the corner of the office and talk to a few other senior staff. I can’t hear their conversation, but I do pick out loud snippets of “Outside? But why?!” and “We’re allowed to do that?”