Stinking up the office
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you are the smelly kid and it would be an office no no to do that
it's considered rude.
popcorn is ok. fish is not. eggs are questionable
save the smelly food for home
Popcorn is okay as long as you monitor it and make sure it doesn't burn. Once it burns, it can be smellier than fish.
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WickedPineapple wrote: »I actually had to take office etiquette training for my job. I remember this was brought up specifically, don't eat pungent food at your desk. I don't really considered boiled eggs pungent though.
Just talk to your co-workers and ask if it bothers them.
Agreed. It's best to be gracious and respectful of others. And pay attention. They may not say it bothers them, but if you microwave your salmon and you see bad reactions on their faces, then it's a no-go.0 -
Katiebear_81 wrote: »Pfffft. I say go for it. I have eaten salmon, eggs, tuna, etc. at my desk and no one has complained about it. I don't appreciate having to smell my neighbour's french fries when I'm trying to avoid them, but I'm not about to ask him or her to change their diet because of my nose.
This is my thinking also. People bring in yummy things all the time without any warning (meaning I've already planned my day and I don't want to change everything up to fit in a small portion of a calorie-dense treat). I have to sit here and smell that for a few hours while trying to avoid it. They can deal with the occasional hard boiled egg or whatever.
That's not the same thing as bringing in something that smells awful and makes people gag. I love salmon, but would throw up if someone peeled hard boiled eggs next to me. I guess by your reasoning the whole office would have to suck it up and smell my puke because it's my body.
Uh, no. That was not my reasoning at all, actually.
As I said in a previous post, I don't work "next" to anyone. I don't peel hard boiled eggs "next" to anyone. I have a private office that is sectioned off from my coworkers down the hall. They smell my popcorn because I have to microwave it in the kitchen/break room. They don't smell the eggs with the exception of me taking them from the fridge and walking them to my office. I have the ability to be a little more "whatever" about it, because I'm not really bothering anyone.
That being said, I've smelled plenty of "normal" things that make me feel nauseated. Should I inform the coworker who is making widely-loved meatballs in the crockpot to share that she needs to stop because the smell of ketchup warming up makes me vomit? Probably not.
I'm speaking in general terms about office etiquette, since this is what OP asked. Not your specific environment. No, you don't need to inform your coworker anything. We're talking about what is the responsibility of the smelly eater, not the one who is offended.
You responded to me, specifically, about a specific scenario I proposed.
The reaction of the offended relates to this topic, so I don't see why it can't be brought up?
OP DID ask what we would do personally. I explained what I would do and why - which is that I wouldn't care because my office environment doesn't require me to. You responded to that specific statement as if I had made a generalized rule about office etiquette. Which I did not.0 -
Katiebear_81 wrote: »Pfffft. I say go for it. I have eaten salmon, eggs, tuna, etc. at my desk and no one has complained about it. I don't appreciate having to smell my neighbour's french fries when I'm trying to avoid them, but I'm not about to ask him or her to change their diet because of my nose.
This is my thinking also. People bring in yummy things all the time without any warning (meaning I've already planned my day and I don't want to change everything up to fit in a small portion of a calorie-dense treat). I have to sit here and smell that for a few hours while trying to avoid it. They can deal with the occasional hard boiled egg or whatever.
That's not the same thing as bringing in something that smells awful and makes people gag. I love salmon, but would throw up if someone peeled hard boiled eggs next to me. I guess by your reasoning the whole office would have to suck it up and smell my puke because it's my body.
Uh, no. That was not my reasoning at all, actually.
As I said in a previous post, I don't work "next" to anyone. I don't peel hard boiled eggs "next" to anyone. I have a private office that is sectioned off from my coworkers down the hall. They smell my popcorn because I have to microwave it in the kitchen/break room. They don't smell the eggs with the exception of me taking them from the fridge and walking them to my office. I have the ability to be a little more "whatever" about it, because I'm not really bothering anyone.
That being said, I've smelled plenty of "normal" things that make me feel nauseated. Should I inform the coworker who is making widely-loved meatballs in the crockpot to share that she needs to stop because the smell of ketchup warming up makes me vomit? Probably not.
I'm speaking in general terms about office etiquette, since this is what OP asked. Not your specific environment. No, you don't need to inform your coworker anything. We're talking about what is the responsibility of the smelly eater, not the one who is offended.
You responded to me, specifically, about a specific scenario I proposed.
The reaction of the offended relates to this topic, so I don't see why it can't be brought up?
OP DID ask what we would do personally. I explained what I would do and why - which is that I wouldn't care because my office environment doesn't require me to. You responded to that specific statement as if I had made a generalized rule about office etiquette. Which I did not.
Your post that I responded to didn't include the information about your office environment (it was evidently in another comment). I was only responding to your comment that you have to smell yummy food, which is just not the same as pungent food. All right, I suppose to be fair if ketchup makes you gag, by all means let your coworkers know, especially if they are eating it heated up on a regular basis. No harm in (kindly) letting them know.0 -
Couldn't agree more. Fish is about the worst thing, but popcorn is not okay. That smell lingers for hours.andrikosDE wrote: »
The best course of action is that if you're in doubt, avoid it.
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Katiebear_81 wrote: »Pfffft. I say go for it. I have eaten salmon, eggs, tuna, etc. at my desk and no one has complained about it. I don't appreciate having to smell my neighbour's french fries when I'm trying to avoid them, but I'm not about to ask him or her to change their diet because of my nose.
This is my thinking also. People bring in yummy things all the time without any warning (meaning I've already planned my day and I don't want to change everything up to fit in a small portion of a calorie-dense treat). I have to sit here and smell that for a few hours while trying to avoid it. They can deal with the occasional hard boiled egg or whatever.
That's not the same thing as bringing in something that smells awful and makes people gag. I love salmon, but would throw up if someone peeled hard boiled eggs next to me. I guess by your reasoning the whole office would have to suck it up and smell my puke because it's my body.
Uh, no. That was not my reasoning at all, actually.
As I said in a previous post, I don't work "next" to anyone. I don't peel hard boiled eggs "next" to anyone. I have a private office that is sectioned off from my coworkers down the hall. They smell my popcorn because I have to microwave it in the kitchen/break room. They don't smell the eggs with the exception of me taking them from the fridge and walking them to my office. I have the ability to be a little more "whatever" about it, because I'm not really bothering anyone.
That being said, I've smelled plenty of "normal" things that make me feel nauseated. Should I inform the coworker who is making widely-loved meatballs in the crockpot to share that she needs to stop because the smell of ketchup warming up makes me vomit? Probably not.
I'm speaking in general terms about office etiquette, since this is what OP asked. Not your specific environment. No, you don't need to inform your coworker anything. We're talking about what is the responsibility of the smelly eater, not the one who is offended.
You responded to me, specifically, about a specific scenario I proposed.
The reaction of the offended relates to this topic, so I don't see why it can't be brought up?
OP DID ask what we would do personally. I explained what I would do and why - which is that I wouldn't care because my office environment doesn't require me to. You responded to that specific statement as if I had made a generalized rule about office etiquette. Which I did not.
Your post that I responded to didn't include the information about your office environment (it was evidently in another comment). I was only responding to your comment that you have to smell yummy food, which is just not the same as pungent food. All right, I suppose to be fair if ketchup makes you gag, by all means let your coworkers know, especially if they are eating it heated up on a regular basis. No harm in (kindly) letting them know.
To be honest, my original comment about "they can deal" because I have to smell their yummy food, was completely tongue-in-cheek and making light with another user's comment. Which is why I was confused as to why you picked my post to respond with essentially "I guess that means I can puke and people have to deal", since that wasn't even close to the context of the conversation I was having.
I have no interest in talking to any of my coworkers about trivial things like food smells. I'll shut my door for a while if I need to. I enjoy the relaxed, casual environment we have too much to start encouraging asinine things like policing food in the office.0 -
Even something typically not smelly can be awful when nuked. Popcorn burned for example. Hate the burned popcorn smell. And people have a hard time nuking it without burning it.0
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SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage wrote: »
Couldn't agree more. Fish is about the worst thing, but popcorn is not okay. That smell lingers for hours.andrikosDE wrote: »
The best course of action is that if you're in doubt, avoid it.
The rule in our office is if you make microwaved popcorn, make enough for everyone.
But I also worked in a place that would have someone thrown out the window for making it. I accidentally burned a bag once there...never again haha.0 -
I think it depends on the people you work with. It doesn't seem as if they have complained. Some office environments are more relaxed than others and some environments don't have people running to HR with every single complaint. I'd discreetly ask 1 or 2 people you're most comfortable talking to and see if they have an opinion on what (if anything) is being said in the office about your lunch.
Microwave popcorn makes me gag. It doesn't smell good, it smells disgusting. But the consensus is that it's an "ok" food to microwave. This is all subjective based on the people around you. Only the people you work with can answer if microwaving fish for lunch is a problem or not.0 -
There is someone at work that microwaves curry on a daily basis. It makes me starving!!!0
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Katiebear_81 wrote: »Pfffft. I say go for it. I have eaten salmon, eggs, tuna, etc. at my desk and no one has complained about it. I don't appreciate having to smell my neighbour's french fries when I'm trying to avoid them, but I'm not about to ask him or her to change their diet because of my nose.
This is my thinking also. People bring in yummy things all the time without any warning (meaning I've already planned my day and I don't want to change everything up to fit in a small portion of a calorie-dense treat). I have to sit here and smell that for a few hours while trying to avoid it. They can deal with the occasional hard boiled egg or whatever.
That's not the same thing as bringing in something that smells awful and makes people gag. I love salmon, but would throw up if someone peeled hard boiled eggs next to me. I guess by your reasoning the whole office would have to suck it up and smell my puke because it's my body.
Uh, no. That was not my reasoning at all, actually.
As I said in a previous post, I don't work "next" to anyone. I don't peel hard boiled eggs "next" to anyone. I have a private office that is sectioned off from my coworkers down the hall. They smell my popcorn because I have to microwave it in the kitchen/break room. They don't smell the eggs with the exception of me taking them from the fridge and walking them to my office. I have the ability to be a little more "whatever" about it, because I'm not really bothering anyone.
That being said, I've smelled plenty of "normal" things that make me feel nauseated. Should I inform the coworker who is making widely-loved meatballs in the crockpot to share that she needs to stop because the smell of ketchup warming up makes me vomit? Probably not.
I'm speaking in general terms about office etiquette, since this is what OP asked. Not your specific environment. No, you don't need to inform your coworker anything. We're talking about what is the responsibility of the smelly eater, not the one who is offended.
You responded to me, specifically, about a specific scenario I proposed.
The reaction of the offended relates to this topic, so I don't see why it can't be brought up?
OP DID ask what we would do personally. I explained what I would do and why - which is that I wouldn't care because my office environment doesn't require me to. You responded to that specific statement as if I had made a generalized rule about office etiquette. Which I did not.
Your post that I responded to didn't include the information about your office environment (it was evidently in another comment). I was only responding to your comment that you have to smell yummy food, which is just not the same as pungent food. All right, I suppose to be fair if ketchup makes you gag, by all means let your coworkers know, especially if they are eating it heated up on a regular basis. No harm in (kindly) letting them know.
To be honest, my original comment about "they can deal" because I have to smell their yummy food, was completely tongue-in-cheek and making light with another user's comment. Which is why I was confused as to why you picked my post to respond with essentially "I guess that means I can puke and people have to deal", since that wasn't even close to the context of the conversation I was having.
I have no interest in talking to any of my coworkers about trivial things like food smells. I'll shut my door for a while if I need to. I enjoy the relaxed, casual environment we have too much to start encouraging asinine things like policing food in the office.
Ah, gotcha about the yummy food comment. I thought you really meant it! You are lucky you have a door to your office. not everyone has that, and not everyone has a casual environment. In many places, if you piss people off, you end up dealing with HR. No thank you!
Lucky for me, I am ending my corporate gig next week and the only person who can complain about my food is my kid
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I don't eat it at work if it creates an odor. I will take my lunch for a walk and eat it outside. It's up to you how considerate you want to be of other people.0
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I bring leftover fish sometimes, though I do often eat it cold atop a salad to prevent heating it and making the scent stonger. But we have a low carber that makes bacon every morning in the mirowave, people heat pizza in the toaster oven, make microwave popcorn, etc. So, when I want to warm my fish, I warm it and let them deal with it just like everyone else.0
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Katiebear_81 wrote: »Pfffft. I say go for it. I have eaten salmon, eggs, tuna, etc. at my desk and no one has complained about it. I don't appreciate having to smell my neighbour's french fries when I'm trying to avoid them, but I'm not about to ask him or her to change their diet because of my nose.
This is my thinking also. People bring in yummy things all the time without any warning (meaning I've already planned my day and I don't want to change everything up to fit in a small portion of a calorie-dense treat). I have to sit here and smell that for a few hours while trying to avoid it. They can deal with the occasional hard boiled egg or whatever.
That's not the same thing as bringing in something that smells awful and makes people gag. I love salmon, but would throw up if someone peeled hard boiled eggs next to me. I guess by your reasoning the whole office would have to suck it up and smell my puke because it's my body.
Uh, no. That was not my reasoning at all, actually.
As I said in a previous post, I don't work "next" to anyone. I don't peel hard boiled eggs "next" to anyone. I have a private office that is sectioned off from my coworkers down the hall. They smell my popcorn because I have to microwave it in the kitchen/break room. They don't smell the eggs with the exception of me taking them from the fridge and walking them to my office. I have the ability to be a little more "whatever" about it, because I'm not really bothering anyone.
That being said, I've smelled plenty of "normal" things that make me feel nauseated. Should I inform the coworker who is making widely-loved meatballs in the crockpot to share that she needs to stop because the smell of ketchup warming up makes me vomit? Probably not.
I'm speaking in general terms about office etiquette, since this is what OP asked. Not your specific environment. No, you don't need to inform your coworker anything. We're talking about what is the responsibility of the smelly eater, not the one who is offended.
You responded to me, specifically, about a specific scenario I proposed.
The reaction of the offended relates to this topic, so I don't see why it can't be brought up?
OP DID ask what we would do personally. I explained what I would do and why - which is that I wouldn't care because my office environment doesn't require me to. You responded to that specific statement as if I had made a generalized rule about office etiquette. Which I did not.
Your post that I responded to didn't include the information about your office environment (it was evidently in another comment). I was only responding to your comment that you have to smell yummy food, which is just not the same as pungent food. All right, I suppose to be fair if ketchup makes you gag, by all means let your coworkers know, especially if they are eating it heated up on a regular basis. No harm in (kindly) letting them know.
To be honest, my original comment about "they can deal" because I have to smell their yummy food, was completely tongue-in-cheek and making light with another user's comment. Which is why I was confused as to why you picked my post to respond with essentially "I guess that means I can puke and people have to deal", since that wasn't even close to the context of the conversation I was having.
I have no interest in talking to any of my coworkers about trivial things like food smells. I'll shut my door for a while if I need to. I enjoy the relaxed, casual environment we have too much to start encouraging asinine things like policing food in the office.
Ah, gotcha about the yummy food comment. I thought you really meant it! You are lucky you have a door to your office. not everyone has that, and not everyone has a casual environment. In many places, if you piss people off, you end up dealing with HR. No thank you!
Lucky for me, I am ending my corporate gig next week and the only person who can complain about my food is my kid
Yeah, this place I'm at is way more casual than my last work environment. My last job was one of those "end up dealing with HR" places. It was miserable.
And that is lucky! 0 -
Katiebear_81 wrote: »Pfffft. I say go for it. I have eaten salmon, eggs, tuna, etc. at my desk and no one has complained about it. I don't appreciate having to smell my neighbour's french fries when I'm trying to avoid them, but I'm not about to ask him or her to change their diet because of my nose.
This is my thinking also. People bring in yummy things all the time without any warning (meaning I've already planned my day and I don't want to change everything up to fit in a small portion of a calorie-dense treat). I have to sit here and smell that for a few hours while trying to avoid it. They can deal with the occasional hard boiled egg or whatever.
That's not the same thing as bringing in something that smells awful and makes people gag. I love salmon, but would throw up if someone peeled hard boiled eggs next to me. I guess by your reasoning the whole office would have to suck it up and smell my puke because it's my body.
Uh, no. That was not my reasoning at all, actually.
As I said in a previous post, I don't work "next" to anyone. I don't peel hard boiled eggs "next" to anyone. I have a private office that is sectioned off from my coworkers down the hall. They smell my popcorn because I have to microwave it in the kitchen/break room. They don't smell the eggs with the exception of me taking them from the fridge and walking them to my office. I have the ability to be a little more "whatever" about it, because I'm not really bothering anyone.
That being said, I've smelled plenty of "normal" things that make me feel nauseated. Should I inform the coworker who is making widely-loved meatballs in the crockpot to share that she needs to stop because the smell of ketchup warming up makes me vomit? Probably not.
I'm speaking in general terms about office etiquette, since this is what OP asked. Not your specific environment. No, you don't need to inform your coworker anything. We're talking about what is the responsibility of the smelly eater, not the one who is offended.
You responded to me, specifically, about a specific scenario I proposed.
The reaction of the offended relates to this topic, so I don't see why it can't be brought up?
OP DID ask what we would do personally. I explained what I would do and why - which is that I wouldn't care because my office environment doesn't require me to. You responded to that specific statement as if I had made a generalized rule about office etiquette. Which I did not.
Your post that I responded to didn't include the information about your office environment (it was evidently in another comment). I was only responding to your comment that you have to smell yummy food, which is just not the same as pungent food. All right, I suppose to be fair if ketchup makes you gag, by all means let your coworkers know, especially if they are eating it heated up on a regular basis. No harm in (kindly) letting them know.
To be honest, my original comment about "they can deal" because I have to smell their yummy food, was completely tongue-in-cheek and making light with another user's comment. Which is why I was confused as to why you picked my post to respond with essentially "I guess that means I can puke and people have to deal", since that wasn't even close to the context of the conversation I was having.
I have no interest in talking to any of my coworkers about trivial things like food smells. I'll shut my door for a while if I need to. I enjoy the relaxed, casual environment we have too much to start encouraging asinine things like policing food in the office.
Ah, gotcha about the yummy food comment. I thought you really meant it! You are lucky you have a door to your office. not everyone has that, and not everyone has a casual environment. In many places, if you piss people off, you end up dealing with HR. No thank you!
Lucky for me, I am ending my corporate gig next week and the only person who can complain about my food is my kid
Yeah, this place I'm at is way more casual than my last work environment. My last job was one of those "end up dealing with HR" places. It was miserable.
And that is lucky!
I'm in the recruiting/staffing business, so my whole world is dealing with people we employee at clients and all the crazy complaints, so I'm a big advocate of not pissing off too many people when possible!
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It's rare for me to bring fish or eat tuna for lunch but when I do I give zero fvcks! Lol. No one has ever said anything to me. And honestly I am offended that I can't even use our floor's balcony because it reeks of cigarette smoke and that smell also permeates into the break area where I microwave my food.0
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eh- totally on the fence- we have some people heating some some weird things- generally it's okay since it's pretty open air- it wafts then goes away. I would generally say err on the side of caution but depends totally on how far away people are and how air wafts in your building.
Burning popcorn or bacon is a far worse offense than heating something up and then eating it. It lingers but it's typically gone.
I've never had boiled eggs bothering anyone- that's odd- I eat them every day- and they never smell up anywhere.0 -
I heat my fish and don't care. No one ever makes a comment about it. If I heat my home made pizza I get comments all the time.0
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