Pizza is supreme

Some time ago our department at work began instituting weekly meetings. The purpose, initially, was to increase communication among all of us and keep our projects moving ahead smoothly. This was a noble purpose. But before long, we realized that the meetings provided the perfect vehicle for something even more vital to our well-being and therefore to the organization's well-being: consuming pizza. 

Reasoning that a meeting that spanned the lunch hour would be best accompanied by sustenance,* we now begin each meeting by delving into pepperoni or cheese pizza. This is generally accompanied by a discussion of our favorite books and TV shows, commentary on current events, critiques of various pizza establishments and local lunch trucks, etc. When we have exhausted the pizza, we turn to editorial matters. 

The matters we discuss can be weighty: If the book slated to come out in December falls through, what can we put it its place? How can we increase membership? Should we dump Papa John's, which is tasty but which is never delivered on time, and go with Domino's, which is just across the street?

This pizza tradition has even survived several changes in leadership. "Do you usually have regular editorial meetings?" we've been asked whenever a change occurs. 

"Yes," we say. "With pizza."  

"Every week?"

"Every week."

Recently we were discussing the original choice of Wednesdays as the meeting day. We could not remember why, but speculated that perhaps it was due to Wednesday being in the middle of the week. The truth, which I recalled only later, is that the meeting day was chosen so as to maximize our enjoyment of the pizza.

"We can't have it on Mondays," someone said. "Then there'd be nothing left to look forward to the rest of the week."

This was a sobering thought. We wouldn't want to use up all our enjoyment on the first day of the work week. What would we do the other days? We would have to have Ice Cream Thursdays or something, just to keep up our spirits.

Tuesday was likewise rejected, due to its proximity to Monday. And waiting until Friday seemed like too much waiting. Wednesday seemed the logical day.


A new manager wanted to know how we referred to the weekly meetings. Production meetings? Editorial meetings? 

Usually just pizza meetings, I said.

Everything else may change, but pizza is forever.


*Traditionally, sustenance includes the idea of nutrition, but for the purpose of these meetings the traditional definition has been suspended in the interest of taste and grease.