THAT SWEET THING

My apartment mate mentioned that the refrigerator at her work place is acting wanky. So several things had to be thrown out. Office refrigerators are probably one of the primary sources of food-poisoning in the modern world, other than tasty items from Chipotle. So it was time to review what people had been storing in there.

Please bear in mind that she works with Asian Americans. Mostly middle aged. Kind of conservative and stodgy. Mainly Chinese.


Who the heck buys a gallon jug of pancake syrup, and why the heck do they keep it in the office refrigerator?!?


Somebody hasn't heard of diabetes ...

Pancake syrup has no conceivable other use than food-related, generally breakfast items. At the average indulgence being, let us assume, two tablespoons per serving (2 TBS), that equals four months worth of the stuff. At double that, which is more likely, we're still talking two solid months of pancake-type breakfasts. Or sweetness-augmented muffins, drenched or dipped. Sausage and egg muffins, or egg, ham cheese breakfast muffins, even bacon sausage cheese breakfast burritos with a thick drizzle of syrup.

糖尿病

In Cantonese, the major exemplar of a Sinitic language and probably the most spoken version of Chinese in San Francisco, diabetes is 'tong niu beng' (糖尿病 "sugar urine disease"). It is not an unknown affliction. Four tablespoons of pancake syrup everyday is ill-advised. Even America's food industry does not advocate "fried cakes sugar gloop" (煎餅糖漿 'chin beng tong jeung') as a healthy supplement. Maybe someone adds it to their bowl of porridge? Many Americans have this weird habit of fixing themselves a bowl of hot oatmeal or similar crap after they arrive at the office, and it's entirely possible that they like it sweet. A gallon jug of pancake syrup. Convenient.

[Perhaps it's a group that meets before or after work hours for pancakes or French toast. Chinese Americans are known for peculiar dietary habits. A conclave of sugar fiends.]

One of my own coworkers heats up a bowl of chicken noodle soup.
I am fairly certain that adding syrup doesn't occur.
Salt, pepper, hot sauce, maybe.


There is no pancake syrup in my work refrigerator. There are three separate hot sauces instead. We have different food attitudes.


It might be a cultural thing.




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