Table 3.

Selected quotations from the interviews

Quote no.	Quotes
1	‘When I talk to freelancer salespeople, quite often, they get angry or act out when things don’t go their way. They think that I am controlling them on behalf of the company… I am just trying to follow the corporate protocol. But I cannot act out like them. So, in the process of bearing all the complaints and acting out, the stress level goes up, and it builds up’. (E)
2	‘My team members tend to have a high level of stress…because we have the pressure all the time to meet sales quotas and close deals’. (K)
3	‘My workload is getting heavy and includes small contracts with various institutions for food and beverage businesses…such as food courts at shopping malls or snack bars at museums. When my team is preparing for an open bid, that means many, many working nights. … I feel like my life expectancy is getting shorter when we are in the middle of the projects’. (S)
4	‘Like at college, we get an annual performance review with letter grades: A, B, C, and D. I would be less stressed if I could be satisfied with a B+. … I wouldn’t try harder to get an A+. But here at the company, an A+ means more money, and a D means a pay cut. So, it’s hard not to be stressed about the evaluation.’ (G)
5	‘When I first joined this firm…like 6 years ago, the head of my department gave me such a hard time. It was super stressful… even my appetite was completely gone’. (F)
6	‘Working in the organization is stressful. People stress…? The work itself is interesting, and I enjoy it. But the amount of work is a lot, and the relationships with people are difficult’. (M)
7	‘My only pleasure is eating when I am stressed. That gives joy to my body. … I think the desire to eat food is the most important basic desire that human beings have’. (G)
8	‘When I am stressed, I eat a lot… like a lot. Not just a lot of rice; I eat rice, bread, and rice cake…anything that is available’. (H)
9	‘When I was under extreme stress, I lost my appetite…entirely. I couldn’t eat at all. I felt hungry but lost my desire to eat. (Because of my boss) I couldn’t eat at work, then ate a little when I got home. … From my past experience, I learned that with moderate level of stress, I tend to binge eat, but under extreme stress, I can’t eat’. (I)
10	‘When I first joined this firm, I had so much work. So, it was very common to eat dinner at work and go home very late. By the time I got home, I was starving. Because of the work demand and stress that was associated with it and hunger, of course, I ate all sorts of things that I saw at home. Fruit, chocolate candies, bread…everything’. (G)
11	‘When stress builds up, I look for something to eat unconsciously. I gotta have something to chew on. Mostly, something sweet. You know, when you have something sweet, your serotonin level goes up… it’s serotonin, right?… and you become happy. (Laughs)’ (E)
12	‘I think I go out for drinks more often when I am stressed out. More drinking outings with friends and colleagues’. (R)
13	‘Since I became the head of the team, I feel like I have to drink at least one can of beer before falling asleep (because of stress). I also enjoy sharing some fried chicken with my children while I have beer’. (U)
14	‘…I think satisfying my appetite is very important to manage stress and to feel happy. I don’t know about others, but to me, eating is the biggest joy. … To achieve self-satisfaction and manage stress, some people might pursue other activities, such as playing sports. I, too, enjoy swimming and skiing but don’t have time to do sports on workdays. Given the limited free time, I found eating is the only option’. (G)
15	‘When I am in the middle of an intense project, I notice that my health collapses. … During the project period, my body fat percentage goes up, especially visceral fat. I try to slim down during peaceful periods because I know it will go bad again once I start a project again’. (S)
16	‘Since I started this job, I have gained weight gradually, mainly due to work stress and late-night snacking because of working late. And I have no time to work out. It really is a vicious cycle’. (G)