THE SACRI-OFFICE

The Turinese worker: punctual, precise, serious, and elegant. Suit and impeccable tie for him, tight skirt and jacket suit with designer glasses and bag for her. They come from all over Piedmont to this area of Turin full of prestigious offices: the boss in his big car, the employee riding his scooter, by bicycle for those not wanting to miss the chance to keep fit, by bus for those who don't care about their figure, don't have the money for the scooter and are thrilled with a Mercedes knowing they'll never own one!

They arrive at 9. Between 1 and 2 p.m. lunch break. At 6 p.m. they leave. So far, nothing differs from the workers in Milan or Bologna... So, what distinguishes Turinese workers from all the others in the world?

The SACRI-OFFICE: dedication, sense of duty and reliability, the Turinese immolate themselves on the altar of their jobs... and often drop dead... just like Pietro Micca!

EXAMPLES OF SACRI-OFFICE

1. Note pad at hand, try making a note of all the banks, insurance companies and offices around here; or fish out all the historical Rai, Telecom, Enel, Einaudi headquarters...You'll be surprised and... tired out! In this area, offices never end!

2. Walk nearby via Cernaia and keep your eyes open: you'll see blue, black, green uniforms pop up everywhere: policemen, carabinieri and soldiers. No, Turin has not been assaulted, nor are you in the middle of an armed forces operation: quite simply, you're in the order and sacrifice zone, and clearly the headquarters of all Corps stand here.

3. In the rush hour pass in front of Porta Susa:Turinese workers leave from here to attack the Milan market, but they often come home more exhausted than proud of their day!

LUNCH BREAK DECALOGUE

We've kept an eye on them during their lunch break, as we can't spy them in the workplace. Also here they maintain iron discipline: 10 rules have to be observed.

1. how to choose your company: they mostly eat in small groups of few "intimate" colleagues, the ones you can gossip with, it's more fun! And then, there are those who eat on their own: out of necessity (nobody's interested in them), or by choice (their colleagues don't want to meet them outside the office...).

2. how to choose the café: everybody has his/her own. They choose it like a dress: it must "match" their soul! So you get special places where lunch is a "brunch" for trendy employees, nice, little restaurants for those who must be "original at all costs", self-service restaurants and cafés for all the others!

3. how to choose the food: employees have light meals because the more you eat the less you work, so "sacrioffice" means neither pasta nor rich second courses, but salads, macrobiotic food and pizza (but only very small slices) with one exception: icecream, the real Turinese never gives it up!

4. conversation: work, fitness, family, work, fashion, work...

5. thoughts: ...work! The sacri-office is like that: no breaks, even during the lunch break!

6. clothing: after working hard at their desks for 5 hours, employees in the lunch break seem to have just left home: perfect shirts, perfectly ironed trousers, impeccable women's make up... What time do these girls get up to have such a sleek look?

7. reading matter: the ones who eat on their own read, especially the daily press, rarely books...

8. the shopping: the lunch break is short, but there are lots of things to be done: as well as eating, people go to the post office, shop at the supermarket thinking about the family dinner, rush off to Zara to cheer up with a new dress.

9. the gym: some don't eat,they run,they don't chat, they do step aerobics, they don't rest, they train...

10. going back to office: there's a competition among the groups to decide who's eaten best: the tastiest food, in the nicest place... the meal becomes something to compare and the prize is awarded on the basis of the best work performance!

SOME INTERVIEWS ON THE SACRI-OFFICE...

THOSE WORKING WHILE OTHERS EAT
Enrica, a young woman working in a corso Matteotti café, near to offices and businesses.
How do you manage the employees' invasion at lunchtime?
We begin preparing around 11.30, we just have the time to clear up breakfast... the first to arrive are bricklayers and electricians, in small groups: so far the situation is fairly calm. Around 1 p.m. the employees' mass invasion: we have to squeeze in as many tables as possible to provide room for everyone! Usually, they stay for about twenty minutes, but it isn't over yet: at 2 p.m. bank and post office employees arrive. So we start again and chaos reigns for a few hours! Our clientele is always the same and we know almost all them individually...
What do they eat and what do they do while eating?
They all have their preferences that change according to season. In the end, to please everyone, we have to prepare personalized dishes!
Some complain about the slow service, but then, they're quite happy to chat! Some, especially young people, stop at the counter and won't stop talking... in the meantime we take the orders, clear the tables, etc.
You need steely nerves to survive the employees' "invasion" while trying to make their lunch break pleasant at the same time!

THOSE EATING WHILE OTHERS WORK...
Mrs. Maty, who's been working for 30 years in a company near to corso Vittorio.
Where do you usually eat?
For my lunch break I've looked for a place where I can feel at home... and luckily I've found it!
It has home cooking and a friendly atmosphere: the owner cooks the dishes herself, invites the clients to eat by describing her recipes and is always prepared to change them according to the different tastes!
It certainly isn't trendy and I feel at ease there.
I go there with a female colleague and whilst eating we talk about everything: from trivial subjects to the meaning of life... but we try not to speak about our job, otherwise it wouldn't be a break.
Some of my colleagues go to the gym or the beautician during the break.
Others catch the tram and go to Pastarito, or to a Chinese restaurant. However we must all leave by 2.30 p.m. Some people can stay longer and are free to spend their time as they like!