Changing of the CEOs

I still have a post to write about Aachen, which I visited last weekend, but I figured I'd make a quick post about today. There was a reception today at IMEC, where the current CEO stepped down to join the board of directors and appointed a new CEO. There was a large reception in the cafeteria where all types of orderves were served, ranging from cheese, salami, sushi, lumpias, some sweet interesting yogurt with dried shrimp in it, small pieces of cake, and a small assortment of meats.

What surprised me about this reception was that there was an open bar of beer in addition to champange. It's 3:30 in the afternoon and people are helping themselves to an endless supply of beer during work. The perception of alcohol here in Belgium, in addition to much of Europe, is much more relaxed than the states. It's very common here to have a beer or two or three with your lunch and it's not frowned upon in the least bit. Whereas in the states the addition of alcohol to complement an early meal is generally taboo, it's widely accepted over here. I was just surprised by the relaxed atmosphere with respect to alcohol that I figured I'd mention something about it.