#173 - Shit lunches

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 173 – Shit lunches In this episode, Andy and Roger start with the most romantic of corporate obligations: Valentine’s Day. Is it a heartfelt celebration of love… or a Hallmark-engineered public signalling exercise designed to shame mediocre boyfriends? The boys unpack the unspoken benchmarks (flowers are apparently non-negotiable), the performative nature of romance, and whether “effort” is just code for expensive. They also wade into dangerous territory: are genuinely romantic men real, or just highly strategic operators? From there, things take a sharp but entirely logical turn into the slow decline of the workplace lunch. Remember when the food court felt adventurous? When sushi was exotic and $10 was the psychological ceiling? Andy and Roger reflect on how age, inflation, post-COVID malaise and corporate drone culture have drained the joy out of the midday meal. They debate the social acceptability of bringing KFC back to the office, the quiet dignity of a $6 sandwich, and why a glass cabinet full of tired paninis now inspires only dread. Along the way, they compare Australian lunch culture to Japan’s convenience store model, India’s home-delivered tiffins, and the strangely elite status of square white bread sandwiches. There’s praise for IKEA meatballs, suspicion of Costco chickens, and a reluctant admission that maybe—just maybe—they are the problem. It’s romance, masculinity, Vegemite, industrialised bread, and the existential crisis of a $15 toasted sandwich. Hashtags: #ValentinesDay #ModernRomance #WorkplaceCulture #OfficeLife #LunchBreak #FoodCourt #CafeCulture #CorporateLife #CostOfLiving #FastFoodDebate #IkeaMeatballs #CostcoHotdog #AustralianCulture #Masculinity #RelationshipExpectations #AndyAndRoger #PodcastDiscussion Engage with us on social media: Website: http://themiddle.site/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_middle_podcast/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themiddlepodcastandyroger Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Middle-Podcast/100089236832534/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheMiddlePC Email: [email protected] Sign up to our subscriber email list: Visit our website: http://themiddle.site/ Or click: https://forms.gle/4qATmU2yiHgjZrej8