Food is a source of joy for people all over the world, and eating it can provide us with some of our favorite moments and memories. Everyone can agree that having a good meal with a friend is always enjoyable. 

Working at a restaurant that provides a sit-in dining experience has many downsides: interacting with high-maintenance customers, low pay on slow days, and the need to constantly smile and put on a professional front. It's not the type of job you would want if you have low patience, or are not a people person. However, the greatest benefit of working in a restaurant is the free food. 

In a small team of employees at a pretty busy restaurant, you get to know your coworkers pretty well. A few employees have a go-to snack that the people in the kitchen make for them every once in a while. Evaristo, the head chef at the restaurant I work at, is someone I enjoy talking to at work, even though his English knowledge is pretty minimal. I have found in my time working there that he loves to see the smile on someone's face when surprises them with a to-go box with some free dinner inside. 

Near the end of the night, Eva starts cooking up a new meal, even though no receipts have come in. He has to be making food for the staff, I suspected. Upon returning to the kitchen a few minutes later, Eva eagerly gets my attention and points to a to-go box, “Para ti” he says. I flip the tab and open the box to reveal the fettuccine carbonara he had cooked up for me. I smile, one of my first real smiles of the night, as I express my gratitude to him. Eva illuminates the room with his smile.

A coworker walks in, noticing the box in my hand, “What’s that?”

“Fettacine— we’re sharing it.”

Eating in the back hallway with one of my coworkers is my favorite part of the job. It only happens about once a month nowadays, but it's always a treasure of an experience. Of course, the food is phenomenal, but the best meal I ever had was not only because of the taste of the food, but because as we shared food, we shared many moments of joy and laughter.