ESSO DINING HALL 

The handle of the fork re-located from the Esso Dining Hall comes to us from Al Leak, thanks Al
This photograph of the Esso Dinning Hall was taken from the 1952 Pan-O-Ram.
 
The photo below of inside the Esso Dinning Hall was taken from "Caribbean Careers".
A photograph of the Esso Dinning Hall from the outside taken from "Your Job With Lago"
This is a menu from the Christmas Dinner served in the Dining Hall in 1929, at that time it was the Pan-American Petroleum Dining Hall.  Looks like they ate pretty well.  Menu supplied by Bill Moyer.
The following is from "Your Aruba Home" published by Lago Oil & Transport Company, Ltd. in November of 1946.
The Dining hall, with a seating capacity of 900, caters to foreign staff single employees.  It also serves married men whose families are at any time away from Aruba, and has a so called "private dining room" at which families may take meals by making advance reservations.  The service is boarding house style.
The foreign staff employee wishing to use the Dining Hall facilities must contact the Headwaiter and inform him of his intentions.  He is then assigned a seat.
The day worker's breakfast is served between the hours of 6:00 and 8:00 a.m..  This consists of fruit juices, eggs and bacon or ham, hot and cold cereals, toast and coffee or tea.  Luncheon, between the hours of 12 and 1, consists of salads, soups, stews, hamburger steaks, roasts, puddings, compote of fruit with cakes, and coffee or tea.  Dinner is served from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.. This is the main meal and consists of various kinds of vegetables, chops cutlets, beef roasts, steaks, fowl, and desserts of various kinds, coffee, chocolate, and tea.
Shift workers, however, will necessarily have a slightly different menu, due to their varying schedules.  On the 8-4 shift, breakfast is served between 6:00 and 9:00 a.m. at which time the boarder receives a packed lunch consisting of three sandwiches, (either cold cuts, cheese, jam or peanut butter) one pack of cookies, a salad (chicken, tomato, etc.) two pieces of fruit and pickles, tomatoes or onion on request.  His dinner time is from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.
On the 4-12 shift breakfast comes between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m. and luncheon is served from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.. Between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. the worker receives a packed lunch (same as on the day shift) at which time he may also have a hot meal which is the same as the day's luncheon or he may order eggs and toast.  Upon completion of his shift he may have (between midnight and 12:30 a.m.) a meal which consists of the day's dinner.
On the 12-8 shift (graveyard), breakfast is served from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. and the regular luncheon from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. is available.  His dinner time comes between the hours of 6:00 and 6:30 p.m..  Before going on duty, between 11:00 p.m. and midnight a lunch is provided and a hot meal is available which is the same as the day's luncheon.
There is an a la carte service on the menu which the boarder may use if he wishes.  His includes a selection of steaks, sandwiches, cold cuts, cheese or omelets.  These items are subject to change on the boarder's account.
A boarder may entertain guests in the private dinning room, which only his guest's meal being charged to his account.
A boarder wishing to check out of the Dining Hall signs a check out slip furnished by the Headwaiter.  If he does not do this he will be kept active on the records and continue to be charged for his meals

This is from the April 7, 1956 issue of the Aruba Esso News,  it tells the story of the demolition of the old Esso Dinning Hall.  It is at the bottom of the page.

The photo below was in Les Seekins' scrapbook,  the scrapbook was dated 1938 to 1940 and this photo must have been taken in that time period.  The vegetation around the building indicates that it has been there for some time.

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