Do you eat canned seafood at work?

LKArgh

I have one coworker who does this, as there is no formal policy against it. People hate her. They avoid her. They complain to her, starting from very polite to now people loudly complaining about the smell and asking her to leave the room (it has been going on for more than a year, she insists it is her right). She has become very unpopular, and now it is also affecting the job, as no one really wants to work with her any more. It is not just that the room stinks. It is also that her breath stinks after lunch, so the office she has to share with others also stinks.

AmazonMayan

Pretty much only tuna packets and yes please either gum or mints after lol. Lots eat tuna and it hasn't been a problem.

Anyone that heats up smelly foods gets called out immediately and that pretty much takes care of the problem lol. Save the smelly food for dinner at home and bring milder food to work if you have to have it hot.

I love sardines packed in mustard or hot sauce and canned oysters or mussels but I never, absolutely never eat them in public or right before I have to be in public. That's a smell that sticks around awhile


Burned popcorn gets you banished from microwave use lol.

No strong perfumes allowed - I wear perfume but nothing strong that chokes people or makes eyes water. I really don't think some people were properly taught that it's an accent - just the slightest hint only smelled if someone is very close - and not to bathe in it. The worst is a smoker thinking they've covered smoke smell and instead they smell like a lady of the night (to put it nicely).

RachelElser

I don't think a can of it smells as bad as if you heated it up. Do other people heat things up that make the office smell of that food? Frozen meals, popcorn, etc? Some of the TV dinners stink way worse than fish in my opinion. And you are in a dedicated food area, so a food smell come along with the room........I would go a head and do it but bring a zip top baggie to put the can in after you eat to reduce any lingering smells. If there is a garbage can outside, maybe toss the can in that.

RachelElser

racheladkins2002 wrote: »

Our work actually has a posted policy that includes no strong smelling foods (and it is enforced). You may also want to see if your workplace has a policy.

how do they enforce it? Just curious.

Unknown

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Lounmoun

You could just ask the people who share the space with you if the smell of that kind of food inside would bother them.
You could try it one day and see what reaction you get.

I don't think it is rude to eat what you want but it is nice to consider that other people may not enjoy being around a strong smell that lingers and reduce that as much as possible in the shared space.

robininfl

stephanieluvspb wrote: »

Beaner63 wrote: »

mpat81 wrote: »

I eat sardines once in awhile. I bag the can and seal it before throwing it out. Nobody has ever said a thing about it. Neither would I complain about someone else's reasonable, healthy lunch. Some people are so uptight, thinking they have a right to never be offended, inconvenienced or annoyed.

Thanks to being a kid and not knowing about red tide, I got sick from eating some whiting I caught and cooked. Now, the smell of fish makes me nauseous and has on occasion made me actually vomit. Just the smell.

Puking as you walk by the lunch room is much more than just being "Offended, inconvenienced, or annoyed."

My daughter had serious food poisoning from baked beans. To this day makes her sick just to think about beans. So, I guess nobody can bring baked beans to work.

I agree with this. We live in the world. There are smells. I learned early to practice "defensive breathing" because i had brothers. And tolerance is a life skill, you want to be able to live in the way you want, it's best to give the same courtesy to other people.

Personally, I'd yield if someone had a violent reaction to a smell. But if it was me with the aversion to a common food, I would never choose to restrict anyone else from eating it.

Can you imagine the HR memo?

...It has been brought to our attention that employees are bringing food to work. Food has smells. Smells may cause violent reactions in other people. Many people have allergies to different foods, and others have intolerances, or psychological difficulties due to past trauma. In an effort to accomodate all out employees, we ask that you no longer bring food. If you must bring food, consider these items, which have been found to be the least likely to cause problems:

White Rice (pre-cooked)
Brown Rice (pre-cooked)
Apples (raw)
Celery (raw)

Thank you for your consideration.

AmazonMayan

robininfl wrote: »

stephanieluvspb wrote: »

Beaner63 wrote: »

mpat81 wrote: »

I eat sardines once in awhile. I bag the can and seal it before throwing it out. Nobody has ever said a thing about it. Neither would I complain about someone else's reasonable, healthy lunch. Some people are so uptight, thinking they have a right to never be offended, inconvenienced or annoyed.

Thanks to being a kid and not knowing about red tide, I got sick from eating some whiting I caught and cooked. Now, the smell of fish makes me nauseous and has on occasion made me actually vomit. Just the smell.

Puking as you walk by the lunch room is much more than just being "Offended, inconvenienced, or annoyed."

My daughter had serious food poisoning from baked beans. To this day makes her sick just to think about beans. So, I guess nobody can bring baked beans to work.

I agree with this. We live in the world. There are smells. I learned early to practice "defensive breathing" because i had brothers. And tolerance is a life skill, you want to be able to live in the way you want, it's best to give the same courtesy to other people.

Personally, I'd yield if someone had a violent reaction to a smell. But if it was me with the aversion to a common food, I would never choose to restrict anyone else from eating it.

Can you imagine the HR memo?

...It has been brought to our attention that employees are bringing food to work. Food has smells. Smells may cause violent reactions in other people. Many people have allergies to different foods, and others have intolerances, or psychological difficulties due to past trauma. In an effort to accomodate all out employees, we ask that you no longer bring food. If you must bring food, consider these items, which have been found to be the least likely to cause problems:

White Rice (pre-cooked)
Brown Rice (pre-cooked)
Apples (raw)
Celery (raw)

Thank you for your consideration.

But I'm allergic to raw celery

jemhh

robininfl wrote: »

I agree with this. We live in the world. There are smells. I learned early to practice "defensive breathing" because i had brothers.

Beaner63

stephanieluvspb wrote: »

Beaner63 wrote: »

mpat81 wrote: »

I eat sardines once in awhile. I bag the can and seal it before throwing it out. Nobody has ever said a thing about it. Neither would I complain about someone else's reasonable, healthy lunch. Some people are so uptight, thinking they have a right to never be offended, inconvenienced or annoyed.

Thanks to being a kid and not knowing about red tide, I got sick from eating some whiting I caught and cooked. Now, the smell of fish makes me nauseous and has on occasion made me actually vomit. Just the smell.

Puking as you walk by the lunch room is much more than just being "Offended, inconvenienced, or annoyed."

My daughter had serious food poisoning from baked beans. To this day makes her sick just to think about beans. So, I guess nobody can bring baked beans to work.

The point to my story was more on this, "Some people are so uptight, thinking they have a right to never be offended, inconvenienced or annoyed."

As I said, puking is more than an inconvenience.

Also, where I work we have scent-free policies that include both perfumes/cologne as well as food smells.

The quadrant I work in has someone with a severe seafood allergy that can go into shock from just the smell. You can't have seafood in my area anyways.

ClubSilencio

crazyravr wrote: »

ClubSilencio wrote: »

zdyb23456 wrote: »

I've seen those tins of sardines and oysters in the store, but I didn't believe anyone actually bought and ate them!!! Wow. You learn new stuff every day

Maybe I need to expand my repertoire of canned fish...

I've tried almost every brand of sardines. I like Wild Planet (packed in water) the most. Needs very little help.

@ClubSilencio try these. You will never go back. Not just the sardines, anything from these guys it top notch and I tried many MANY canned seafood brands. vitalchoice.com/shop/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=221

Thanks! I've heard good things about their salmon!

Sabine_Stroehm

jemhh wrote: »

BZAH10 wrote: »

markrgeary1 wrote: »

I would.

I used to use food in the office anyway I could. One project lead insisted on hour long lunch time status meetings. No lunch provided despite that being policy. After complaining several times I started bringing in Subway sandwiches with lots of herbs and oil(he was a frequent Subway eater). He quickly found a different time of day.

I don't know WHAT they put on some of those Subway sandwiches but the smell is SO strong! My husband gets them for dinner when he doesn't feel like cooking (we eat dinner separately due to schedules) and if I happen to be home when he brings one home I have to go in the other room and close the door. I think part of it is the red onions, but when I use red onions at home they aren't that strong. Anyway, just glad I'm not the only one to find those sandwiches smelly.

I developed an aversion to Subway's odor when I was pregnant and I still have it nearly 10 years later.

Eww, yes, that "bread" smell.

hrod215

Lately I've been into the Thai Chili tuna packets that just came out. I LOVE it... I'll eat it right at my desk. I'm the boss soooo yea.

Amerane

I think you should eat what you want, but be courteous. If you don't overcook seafood, reheating it results in very little smell. If you're eating canned seafood, just bring a plastic baggie for the can and/or rinse it out before throwing it away. The only situation I'd reconsider would be if a coworker had a serious allergy (even smells could start anaphylaxis, but this is EXTREMELY rare) to the food, but that's because it's someone's health not preference.

I reheat seafood at least twice a week in my workplace and I've had no problems with coworkers. I don't have much personal experience with canned seafood (because I don't like it), but I don't have a problem with other people having it.

mpat81

Beaner63 wrote: »

mpat81 wrote: »

I eat sardines once in awhile. I bag the can and seal it before throwing it out. Nobody has ever said a thing about it. Neither would I complain about someone else's reasonable, healthy lunch. Some people are so uptight, thinking they have a right to never be offended, inconvenienced or annoyed.

Thanks to being a kid and not knowing about red tide, I got sick from eating some whiting I caught and cooked. Now, the smell of fish makes me nauseous and has on occasion made me actually vomit. Just the smell.

Puking as you walk by the lunch room is much more than just being "Offended, inconvenienced, or annoyed."

Of course if someone becomes violently ill, keep the fish out of the office. Whining and complaining, (" eeewwww, that stinks" ) should generally be ignored in my opinion. Fortunately, everyone in my office makes a practice of minding their own business and not causing strife over things like the smell of someone's lunch.