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[TheOfficeMut]

Does the smell of a coworker's food bother you in general or does it simply need to smell unpleasant? At my previous job I worked with a woman from Kenya and some of the food she brought in was so potent that it really upset a lot of my colleagues. For myself, however, I enjoyed smelling something I wasn't familiar with and it actually made me want to try it (although I never did).

Do you also think it's inconsiderate for people to be eating outside of a cafeteria? How about at their desk while you work?

 

[andythinkpad]

You are not supposed to bring smelly food. Unless your work place has a cafeteria.

 

[TheOfficeMut]

You are not supposed to bring smelly food. Unless your work place has a cafeteria.

I find it difficult to avoid having your food not smell once it's warmed up. What's smelly to you? An uncommon scent? Something that smells unpleasant? Who determines that?

 

[pokeystaples]

Louisiana hot sauce smell runs me out of our shared lunch space every single time. It's terrible. I'm my gonna ask people not to use it, but I'm gonna stuff your stocking with non smelly hot sauces every holiday season and grumble. Marge level grumbles.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

I share an office with a guy, and he brings food here and then. It doesn't bother me. It you have ever eaten with friends while a watching movie and everybody is eating stinky food, you get used to it

 

[Rocketz]

Only seafood.

Don't bring in seafood and reheat it in the microwave people.

 

[Slayven]

Motherfuckers who burn microwave popcorn

 

[ahoyhoy]

I work with Indians who like to hang out at the desk next to mine at lunch time.

Some days the curry smell is POTENT and lingers for hours.

Can't really blame them though as there isn't a cafeteria in our building.

 

[gogojira]

Someone microwaves boiled eggs at work. It's the worst but she's a nice lady and tries to stay healthy so I don't get too bothered. Still, the smell is awful.

 

[Mupod]

eating noises/smells bug me enough while I'm working that I try to never eat at my desk out of consideration for others, but I don't think most people here give a shit. I saw someone eat an entire one of those grocery store rotisserie chickens at her keyboard once.

At my previous workplace I worked in a fairly small office with one other guy. Now I absolutely love Indian food and his wife was a great cook, but the smell was just overpowering in that tiny space. I had to ask him to eat in the cafeteria because it'd just hang in the office all day, but it wasn't a big deal as it was right outside anyways. It had just never crossed his mind that it'd be a problem for someone.

 

[Kr0ni]

I'm far more bothered by the sound of loud eaters in the workspace.
You'd swear I was putting my ear against their cheek.. but no, we are talking 20+ feet away and I can hear every chomp, slurp, moan, groin of food and liquid being consumed.

 

[Soldiussnaku]

No and no.

 

[Ryuukan]

Motherfuckers who burn microwave popcorn

Only seafood.

Don't bring in seafood and reheat it in the microwave people.

these 2 are criminal

also cheap microwave eggplant/chicken parm dishes also create a terrible funk

 

[emb]

Only in that it makes me kinda jealous. If anyone around me takes lunch at their desk, I'll usually smell it before I go to lunch, and get kinda hungry and anxious.

 

[DeviantBoi]

People who reheat seafood in the microwave....

 

[shawnbuddy]

Not really. Except for the burnt popcorn thing. People gotta eat.

I think I'm the guy in the office that brings the smelly food, though. My coworkers bring sandwiches from home and I go out and get fried chicken. Their comments are usually like "What smells good?" but it's still a little annoying.

 

[Velcro Fly]

Yeah sometimes this lady will bring in fish for lunch and it smells awful. I don't mind people eating whatever but the smell is just unpleasant.

 

[RedNalgene]

Everyone in my office eats at their desk. Gotta get used to occasional smelly foods, but generally people don't bring in seafood or other really stinky meals.

 

[highrider]

Ehh, you take the good with the bad man.

 

[7DollarHagane]

This dude next to me is incredibly sloppy and noisy with food in the morning. Hes kind of a slob and idk whwt he eats but it sounds like a bad porno with all the slurping and chomping.

When i get in the headphones get put in for a good hour or two.

Shit makes me literally shudder with disgust.

 

[Pagusas]

our marketing department use to be on the same floor as IT and the call center. the smell was so horrible, everyday, all hours. After enough complaining they finally moved our department and started enforcing policies about smells from foods and personal health. Fans were added to the kitchen area and refrigerator and microwave cleaning was increased.. To this day though any department stations on that floor complains.

I think it was mainly the strong smell of west asian spices, curry, and such. One of the primary reasons I started working remote more and more was due to hating the smell lol.

 

[sixteen-bit]

doesn't really bother me

 

[Jintor]

my boss won't stop microwaving curries and fish in the ground floor kitchen

once the man left a goddamn salmon on the counter over the weekend.

another time i came in and he had just left a solidified soup in the microwave that had also somehow exploded

 

[Inferno313]

Nah. Doesn't bother me, and I work in a cubicle adjacent to the microwave. I have a poor sense of smell though, hahaha.

 

[Ray Wonder]

Does it really bother people that much? I'm eatin fuckin salmon when I want to.

 

[Faiz]

Everything is smelly to someone.

 

[Piichan]

I don't like people who chew loudly. Makes my skin crawl while I'm trying to do my damn job.

 

[Chococat]

Use to hate that about the office. People complain about other reheating health foods (fish and curries) while they are filling their faces full of Hot Pockets and donuts.

Sorry, I not going to conform to your commercially acceptable America white people cuisine to please you. I'll eat sauerkraut when I want.

 

[Soapbox Killer]

Work Kitchen Rule no1.

"Do not reheat fish/seafood"

Most of my office goes out to eat for lunch and since I work near a bunch of yummy places it never gets too bad. Also we get Panera Bread to cater a lot so its not often we have a problem.


I will sometimes hit up the Halal food carts that seemed to spring up overnight here and they can have a strong smell but since the whole team eats from them I think I'm ok.

 

[Jill Sandwich]

We did have a break room but then management decided that was their secondary office. We munch at our desks or go out into town. There was a guy who had mackerel every day which made the office reek but he's gone now. I can't say food smells really bother me, but people over-spraying deodorant/air freshener does.

 

[Shadax the wizard]

Love me some surströmming.

 

[andythinkpad]

I find it difficult to avoid having your food not smell once it's warmed up. What's smelly to you? An uncommon scent? Something that smells unpleasant? Who determines that?

Fish type food for a start. My work place has a cafeteria. But I use the lunch time to run. So what I do is heat up the food, wait 20-30 minutes and eat it at my cubicle.

BTW if really doesn't matter how smelly it is, even if the food smell good is still not right for work environment.

 

[always crazy bacon]

Only microwaved fish.

 

[nitewulf]

not THAT much, but at a previous workplace, people would heat up fish all the time at the cafeteria microwave and it'd smell pretty bad. I mean I love fish but if you bring it to work, you should probably eat it cold.

 

[NealMcCauley]

I'm fine with it mostly, but something about microwave lasanga's smell makes me want to vomit.

 

[blinkz]

Seafood and some really potent cheeses bother me but we have a cafeteria that I try to avoid whenever someone has something like that.

No food at our desks is allowed which is good.. at my last job the guy next to me mowed down carrots like bugs bunny all day.

 

[Kthulhu]

Fortunately, most people at my workplace either eat out or buy sandwiches.

 

[bennywhatever]

Work in an office setting with about 60 other people in one open area. We get food smells all the time and it's no big deal.
When someone blows something up in the microwave and doesn't clean it up; that's a big deal.

 

[Bluenoser]

Generally, considerate people will not bring strong smelling food back to their work space if the aroma will affect others. The obvious one is any kind of fish, as the smell is overpowering.

So I guess there's no way to determine what smells are acceptable and which aren't. I would say anything that needs to be heated up should probably stay in a designated eating area rather than a work space. Cold/dry foods are probably ok like sandwiches/salad, etc.

 

[bggrthnjsus]

definitely read that title as 'does the smell of a coworker's blood bother you?' and was like dude you gotta find a new job

 

[bonesmccoy]

Nah, but I don't think people should bring in seafood, or reheat eggs, or anything with blue cheese.

Reheated eggs are the worst.

 

[Dosia]

Aside from seafood, I dont mind. The asians in my office always stink up the break room microwaving their fish and it is gag worthy.

 

[BigDes]

Only think that bothers me is the smell of this cheap as shit instant coffee the guy on the desk opposite me drinks.

Smell makes me nauseous and I don't know why

 

[Gai Murakumo]

Has never bothered me. Unless it actually smells bad like it is rotten or something I am fine with it.

 

[KorrZ]

I can't really imagine being bothered by it. Here people eat at their desk all the time, unless something actually smells BAD like you burnt something I can't see any reason to complain.

 

[Rktk]

If your office is cool with it then fine, I'm sure there are some where smelly food would be frowned upon - that hasn't been my experience.

Public transport though, I don't want to share the Earth's air with these people.

 

[ColdPizza]

Only seafood.

Don't bring in seafood and reheat it in the microwave people.

This, and popcorn (if they burn it).

 

[Bananajama]

Microwaved Smoked Fish...

WHY

Do it in your own home

 

[Coinspinner]

We have a really nice kitchen. Range, oven, microwave, dishwasher, fridge, etc. And a big table. Some of my coworkers still decide to eat at their desks though. And sometimes drop the leftovers into their wastebaskets. I just don't understand.

 

[TheOfficeMut]

Fish type food for a start. My work place has a cafeteria. But I use the lunch time to run. So what I do is heat up the food, wait 20-30 minutes and eat it at my cubicle.

BTW if really doesn't matter how smelly it is, even if the food smell good is still not right for work environment.

I really don't know how you can delegate it that extremely. No foods that smell whatsoever? I don't think that would go over well with people.