Tuesday, January 27, 2009

For the Good of the Company

I came across an insightful article written in November '08 and I would like to make mention of it just in case you missed the memo. In an effort to boost the declining birthrate in the country, Japanese companies are urging their committed employees to "go home, play with their children, and make more babies." I can see that albeit their efforts are not purely philanthropic, workers just don't grow on trees (especially the ones willing to work 7-day weeks). So next time an employee from the Nippon Oil Corp. calls in to say he'll be working from home that day - he ain't kidding! I can't help but wonder the last time a similar measure was encouraged in the annals of history? Any thoughts?

In other news, I cooked-up a fresh pot of homemade chicken soup last Saturday and then promptly seasoned it with salt & pepper and garden seasoning. Nothing. Then I added some garlic powder and cumin. Still no difference in taste. I have yet to deduce the root cause behind the mysteriously strong kick which now holds my soup captive though I have a general idea that it started with the thought, "hey, I have Cajun seasoning!" Luckily I discovered an easy fix to stomach said spicy stew: hearty servings of barbecue sauce.

Now that's a happy ending.

1 comment:

Jane said...

Oh dear heavens! On both topics.
I guess they have high morale in Japan? Or higher in recent months...
And you are your father's son. I don't think I would have eaten the soup after that. Strong man you are.