Eat Before You Dine

Friday, January 07, 2011

You go to networking events? Me too. They serve coffee, juice and snacks, right? There you are with a cup of coffee (or a bottle of juice) in your left hand, a pastry (or a sandwich) in your right hand and absolutely no hands free to exchange business cards or shake hands.

Worse you keep avoiding eye-contact while you make sure that the creamy salad dressing is dropping onto your shoes.

Silly isn’t it?

Nowadays, of course, you arrive early and grab a sandwich at a coffee shop 45 minutes before the event, or better yet, agree to meet up with a couple of colleagues and swap yarns over a fast light supper before walking to the event.

Today I head downtown for a lunch date with a Vice-President Corporate Communications. Chances are strong we’ll connect and do lunch.

My ploy is to eat a bowl of hot home-made soup before I don my business attire. At noon today I’ll be able to order a light lunch and not be inclined to dive into a cheese burger with spicy fries and onion rings, or its Italian or French equivalent.

And in the off-chance that the lunch date is not on (‘Sorry, I forgot”), I won’t be wandering around downtown cold, wet, miserable, angry and hungry. I’ll have enough in my belly to get me home again in one piece.

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