The New Snackocracy

Google NYC's office cuts down on kitchen freebies, latest to offer vending-machine vote

We can't think of this without picturing the scene from The Office where Dwight, in an effort to win the Dunder Mifflin weight-loss challenge, jams carrots and celery into the kitchen vend-o-mat.

Earlier this week, The Daily Intel detailed how the contents of New York Magazine's office vending machine had been put to a company-wide vote, the results of which whiffed strongly of the Bradley Effect (refresher: phenomenon in which minority candidates track as more popular in polls than they really are because those polled don't want to seem racist):

In snack-based terms, this means that voters, aware that their requests would be read by our office managers, asked for products that are healthier than the junk food they actually wanted. Hence, Doritos were shut out, while "Mr. Nature Trail Mix" and "Geni Soy Crisps BBQ" were among our top three vote-getters (along with, thank God, Peanut M&Ms).

Okay, so NYMaggers want to seem like healthy soy-lovers while secretly craving high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils. Color us unsurprised. But now we find out - thanks to a memo over at Silicon Alley Insider - that the search behemoth will be circulating "a survey to Googlers in NYC soon asking for them to vote on their favorite snacks" (wouldn't it be more efficient to just run a Google search ranking on that?) to streamline the financial operations of the office microkitchens. That's right, they call them microkitchens. (Also, "afternoon tea on Tuesdays will be suspended," -- blimey!)

This just shows how seriously America takes its snacking. So let's hear it: What item should every office worker rightfully have access to? (White Cheddar Cheez-Its had better be on the list.)

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