Food Odors at Work
We cook a lot. And we cook fragrant ethnic foods a lot. The Hub brings leftovers in to work to reheat in the lunchroom. Most ethnic spices *smell* considerably more than the Healthy Choice frozen dinners or deli-ham-and-cheese-prewrapped-sandwiches brought in by many (*ahem* most) of his coworkers. Some coworkers complain to Hub about the lingering odors of saffron or piri-piri or kaffir lime or the like. Hub does get a little paranoid because microwavable chicken noodle soup or a Big Mac could satisfy him, but he doesn't want to give up his homecooked meals.
So. What to do? Do any CHs have the problem of workplace lunchtime "odors" being an issue? I have worked in offices that have outlawed microwave popcorn, simply because of the smell that wafts over the cubicles. Are food odors a problem in the workplace? And what do you do about it if they are? So curious.
cayjohan
May 14, 2007 12:25AM
I used to work in a place where I would get this amazing vegetarian gyro and lentil soup from the local Greek place each day for lunch. I loved it. It was all garlicky, full of lettuce, pepperoncini, feta cheese, green peppers, onions and tomatoes. I hated the job and the only bright spot of the day was the lunch. The lentil soup was full of spinich and served in a great chicken broth. One day I was pulled aside by the Human Resources person and told someone was complaining about my "body odor." I was amazed because I've nver been accused of that. But one day she was at my desk around lunch time and smelled my thrown-out wrappers from lunch, which were quite pungent. I told her what it was and the issue of "body odor" was never raised again. I was, however, moved into a room by myself. So there you go.
P.S. I've never been able to find this version of a vegetarian gyros again, but then again I've never been accused of having "body odor" again.
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Microwaves seem to be really powerful smell diffusers, and I can understand people being put off by strong food smells in an office (just like on a plane, or any situation in which people don't have the option to move elsewhere). Just like I can't stand the strong perfume worn by my coworker, I don't want to overwhelm others with my food smells.
To cut down on the smell, what I do is avoid using the microwave (I actually don't mind eating my leftovers cold) and eat away from other people if they have a problem with it. They usually don't but I ask anyhow.
Oh- and one really good tip is not to throw wrappers and used food containers in the trash bin under your desk, where the smell will continue to linger and intensify. Especially if you share the workspace. Use the common bin in the lunchroom or kitchen or wherever if possible.
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Try using a room freshener like Meyers's lemon verbina natural spray to cut down on lingering odors. I recommend this one because it is pleasant as opposed to using another strong scent to camouflage a food odor. Wiping down the microwave immediately after its used seems to be a pet peeve in most work environments....don't hold onto any wrappers around a work space (can attract pests, not just odors).
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I work in a big government office and there are many different ethnic groups represented. We have started playing a game, guess what is being heated up. Everyone just decided to have a sense of humor about it than complain. Once you figure out what something is, the odor doesn't bother you as much. We do require that all wrappers be thrown away in the garbage, not in the trash cans in the office. But every day from about 11:30 to 1:30, you can smell different things being warmed up by the folks who work here. Sometimes Indian, sometimes Chinese, sometimes Thai, and sometimes Italian. You never know.
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big office maybe its fun...small one its a bit overwhelming ie: "someone open a window"...and guess what...you can't open a window!
Unless you plan to share your delicious eats with fellow colleagues...food games are a matter of personal space. LOL!
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I'm unfortunate enough to work with people that have absolutely no manners when it comes to food in the workplace. People burn fish in the microwaves, steal others' lunches from the fridge, slurp & slop at their desks, leave sticky trash lying around, etc. Nothing against those who like greasy fried things for lunch, but the smell permeating the cube farm makes me ill.
Luckily, I bring my coolie pack of homemade yummies and have my lunch out in my car or on the bench outside.
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Gosh, hypertomatoes, do we work at the same place?
Sad that grown people still act like children when it comes to food in the workplace. During my second week on the job, my lunch was stolen from the fridge. I have to wrap up anything I bring in several plastic grocery bags, knotted tightly, and hide it. The fish smell permeates our hallways. Co-workers chew with their mouths full and open in the cubicles next to me, smacking their lips as they go.
I can't stand the job (and I've only been here for six months) but I can't stand the manners of my co-workers even more.
Sorry -- just had to vent!
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I say he should just not worry about it. Putting up with a few smells you might not care for, is a small price to pay for your own freedom to eat what you want. Just like living in a free country ;-) I personnally think that many frozen dinners give off a freaky intense chicken-boullion smell that is gross...and you're right, microwave popcorn is foul, especially if someone burns it, but I happily put up with it so nobody better comment if I eat smoked salmon or reheat a pulled pork pianono.
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Peer pressure takes care of food odors at my work.
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I worked in an office that not only banned microwave popcorn, but also the tasty dumplings from the shop a couple doors down. We all loved those dumplings, but the smell permeated everything. And when a client would come in after lunch, it was embarrassing to see their noses crinkle in disgust.
The best idea would be for Hub to eat his homemade goodies outside the office, even if it means sitting on a bench outside. There are great insulated carriers that can keep food hot for a few hours. He can heat the food up before he leaves the house and open it once he is safely in a more open space.
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My $0.02: popcorn @ work = unprofessional. Popcorn is for movie & home theaters; not the office.
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Our office has a movie house style popcorn machine and we make popcorn for the whole office several times each week.
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I guess it just depends on the office.
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Agreed. Popcorn is NG in the office. At least half the time it gets burned anayway becuase the person making it is not paying attention to the time.
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Ah, but this is not microwave popcorn but movie house style popcorn machine popcorn. No burning smell just lovely popcorn smell and everyone gets to partake.
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Yep, banned at my old office too. Plus, people would rat out others who wore perfumes or body sprays they considered "too strong". Then, to add insult to injury, after a night of drinking, I was hauled into the HR office because "I smelled of alcohol". The odour police are out in full force.
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I could not agree more about the microwave popcorn. Once I had the misfortune of being located next to one of the two kitchen stations in a big office. One of the assistants nuked popcorn almost everyday. That stench hung in the air all the time. My coat hung behind my door and I had to hang it outside at night to get rid of the odour.
The funny thing was that her boss had complained about the smell, so she would come all the way down to the other end of the floor, nuke the stuff outside my office and take it outside on her smoke break. Yum.
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So she smoked and ate popcorn at the same time? I have smoked off and on for most of my (teenage and) adult life. Eating while smoking is so gross! I wouldn't wanna see that...
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I think it is pretty unprofessional to bring foods that have an overpowering,or offensive smell into an office environment. Especially if your office frequently has clients, or customers visiting alot. I also think it is unprofessional to eat meals at your desk, especially when there is a lunchroom provided.
I leave meals with strong odors at home to enjoy, or I enjoy them when I go out for lunch.
I just think it comes down to respecting your coworkers, and realizing your diet choices may not be theirs.
Just my 2 cents, and humble opinion, no offense.
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I'm an office landlord and all of our leases prohibit cooking in any of the offices. While we "overlook" microwaves, I can tell you that if there were unpleasant food smells coming from any office suite we would shut down their use of a microwave.
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I worked at a law firm that regularly had clients and potential clients visiting. One day, one of the senior partners blew a fuse when the odor of reheated fish permeated the entire office area and wafted into the reception area prompting a client to make a sly remark about the smell. From that day on, human resources circulated a memo stating that the microwave was no longer to be used to heat fish or foods with strong condiments. Nobody seemed to mind other than the offender, who was embarrassed.
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Soem people have a great sense of smell. My supervisor can tell when I have had an orange at lunch ... at 4:00 pm. Ditto for salmon, garlic and the like.
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I once worked across the aisle from a guy who brought the same kind of fishy smelling lunch from home every day (no clue what it was). The daily grind of this eventually drove me nuts and I had to start going out of the office rather than eat a sandwich at my desk. If you know your lunch is going to smell up the office, it doesn't matter that it's homemade, better than lean-cuisine, or whatever. Unless you work in a private office of your own and can close the door, it's still potentially annoying to co-workers, who in this case have already decided to say something.
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Wow! I had no idea this was going to be so provocative! But really interesting. At the risk of sounding defensive (but to say we are not completely insenstive), a few additional points to add to my OP:
Hub has an office. With a door. And a window that opens. Walks 30 feet from lunchroom to office. Closes door, eats, and then washes his dishes.
"Lunchroom" in this case is a full pro kitchen (Hub works for a publishing company that among other ventures, publishes cookbooks). Kitchen in a large, well-ventilated area. Gets a lot of use prepping and cooking for photo shoots. Lots of food smells around consequently.
Re: clients - his are pretty cool about food. He can almost never leave the office for lunch, but has many authors and art directors come in for lunch meetings. One in particular likes my saffron chicken hash and Hub passes on the request to me when author is coming in. I supply the smelly stuff..
I think the complaints come from the people in the cubicles on the walk from lunchroom to office. I think this odd since there are frequently food odors in the building (see above). Maybe raspberry pie baking=good, chicken hash reheating=bad. Not sure.
I never realized this was such a stressful thing for so many people out there. Believe me, I understand - I hate the diesel from trucks on my street and would love to eliminate that odor source. But I have never minded any food smell. But that's just me.
Because of the nature of the Hub's office, there's really no way to outlaw any food. But do a lot of offices really do this (food banning)? I think about people who cannot afford to go out everyday, or who cannot leave their desks for very long (I worked margins for a security firm - barely could go to the bathroom, but the company catered our meals in high margin call times), or who have no decent outdoor place to go to eat their home lunch.
I'm even more curious now: how is this resolved? Who in an office decides what an acceptable food aroma is? Do employees revolt? Or negotiate food treaties? Or shrug it off as payback for the person down the aisle with a bowl of pot-pouri? Are allergies involved (like in the case of, say, peanuts, where even the scent can cause reactions)?
I am fascinated by this.
BTW, I work out of my home now, so I am perhaps inured to food smells.
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The smell of home-cooked food never bothers me. It's all that greasy fast food that makes me ill to catch even a whiff of. Boy am I happy to work at home now!
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Ok, now you MUST post the chicken hash recipe!
And I wanna work where your Hus works! One small idea for him, since he is lucky to have a closed office with a window is a small inexpenisve microwave. So not even the walk can be offensive to anyone's sense of what smells good.
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We had one bozo who tried to cook a raw hamburger from scratch in the toaster oven. The grease made a mighty nice fire so they had to ban "cooking from scratch." We have catered dinner every week and after the caterer brought some kind of strong smelling fish once or twice, we are now unfortunately banned from ever having fish again for catered dinner. As far as heating up other stuff, cooking fish for a long time is frowned on but we have to put up with everything else. And as for it being unprofessional to eat at your desk, that would come as a big surprise to all of our bosses who prefer that we never leave our desks!
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In that case, I'd say he should do one of two things out of respect for the complainers:
A) Eat in the kitchen so the food smell is minimalized
B) Get a microwave for his personal office and keep the window open
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There you go. B is the perfect solution.
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third possible solution is to heat food in kitchen, then tightly recover food (say in sealed tupperware, then a plastic grocery bag with handles tied on the way back to his office. Open window while he eats. A fan with the blower pointing out of the window may be of further help as well as an open dish of baking soda.
There is also a air neutralizer for removing strong odors & smoke made by (Glade or REnuzit or one of those companies). It is not scented per se, tho it does smell slightly. It really works & while I used the spray, I believe it also comes in a solid. Haven't used that in a long time, I work from home now too!
Wish I could taste some of your food that you cook for your husband!
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Smells B Gone is sold at Bed Bath & Beyond, both scented and unscented varieties, and works very well.
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When you are stuck at a desk, maybe working through what should be your lunch time, and you are bombarded by strange (in your mind) smells, it can be really annoying. I used to sit right outside the lunchroom at one office, and even the smell of things i loved (popcorn, banana bread, dim sum, pizza) could get overwheming - and did no good for my diet either.
From what you describe of the lunchroom, it does sound like some of the people could be more open minded, but we aren't dealing with what ought to be. Perhaps he could bring some extra to share? Or one day volunteer to provide lunch for the whole section one friday. Once people know how good those strange smells taste, they might be more acommodating.
Microwaves are still (relatively) new in the workplace - lots of people do not have them - and the vast majority of people who bring food from home bring a cold lunch, and its rarely sardine sandwiches. And yes, most workplaces have rules about what can be prepared and the smells. Depending on what part of the country you are in, people can have varied reactions as well.
I think whoever suggested your Hub get his own microwave - if the office will allow that - is probably on the right track for now.
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Despite all you describe, I think that if more than one coworker is complaining it is clearly a problem, and your husband needs to take some sort of action. I think eating in the lunchroom, eating outside, and just not bringing in strongly smelling foods are all potential solutions. But I disagree with those who say that he shouldn't worry about it. It is important to have positive relationships with coworkers, and if it's problematic enough that multiple people have actually complained, it needs to be addressed. I am not a sensitive smeller myself, but I know that food odors drive a lot of people crazy. It doesn't matter if it wouldn't bother some people, because it clearly IS bothering some others.
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I think cayjohan, that people are jealous of the smells your husband's food creates. their food is so bland and boring in comparison. if you have clients asking for your food, it must be good. the only reason a good food's smell would be offensive (to me at least) is if I couldn't have any.
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I think if its on the planet and edible people should be able to eat it how can you tell some one what not to eat.After saying that if co-workers don't like it,take a rotten salmon and 4 bulbs of garlic,put the mic on 60 minutes and run back to work.
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What you wrote made me burst out laughing here at my desk, widehomehi! Reminds me of when I heated up leftovers of a monkfish, clams, and chorizo stew at the office--got a complaint from the office manager that she doesn't like fish. Felt bad. Now I have my own fridge and microwave.
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Food smells may also be cultural. What smells good to you may not smell good to me or vice versa. It doesn't sound really fair for your husband, especially since he works for a place that published cookbooks and they have a full pro kitchen. But people love to complain and can be selfish. Yes, if someone makes a mistake, many can be upset by the lingering scent. As someone suggested, make sure to have some kind of air deodorant. There are some that are just a neutrilizer, I think there is one calle o-zone.
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My wife and I are lucky. We work in a large research institute on a huge campus surrounded by experimental fields. Our offices are on opposite sides of a patio of grass and trees. A simple kitchen is at the end of the U-shaped double-winged "motel". It opens out to the open space. I keep a small kitchen's worth of equipment in one of my file cabinets. We cook, sometimes prepping before work; and then eat in my office--where we can close the door and open the window. Most people eat at the cafeteria or in the small restaraunt--so wouldn't be offended by immediate odors anyway. The replies have made me appreciate our setup even more.
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I'm feeling the same way right now (incredibly thankful) about my lovely, open, tolerant university office space. And I'm truly amazed at the visceral anti-smell reactions posted by so many. Wonder what they would think if they arrived at my office and saw us all having ice cream at the front desk at 3:00 every summer afternoon, or our annual springtime boiled crawfish lunch? Now THAT'S a powerful smell.
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Hungry C...when it becomes more of a group dynamic chances are much better that less people are offended. It's the one guy/gal who has no consideration for others, or the garbage bin left for others to deal with, or the messy common kitchen space denied a sponge down every once and again that ruins the idea of fragrant meals for all.
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You're right...perhaps the OP needs to share his lunches with others, who will be persuaded by the "goodness" to overlook the odor!
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I'm not sure how a messy garbage bin or unwashed dishes reflects on the odor of your food as you are sitting eating lunch at your desk.
Personally, I think people are way too easily offended these days. We all need to relax a little bit more and be a little bit more tolerant of those around us.
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It's no big deal to relax for an odd smelling lunch here and there. But, if you are ever in a situation like I was a few years ago where it comes to dawn on you that, yes, your office mate in the cube next door is going to bring the same fishy thing to work, each day, every day, without fail, and have it go on for a year, you'll come to dread the lunch hour. The choices were: learn to mouth breath for 45 minutes a day, or get up and leave when he was coming with the tupperware. I wouldn't wish it on anybody. Office life can be hell.
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wontonton (and this kind of pertains to HillJ too), I have been in that situation. My last job had a kitchen where we would all sit and eat. I had a coworker, from a foreign country, who would bring the most horrid smelling food, I have no idea what it was, for lunch every single day. She and I ate lunch at the same time for three years together. I sucked it up and dealt with the smell because she had just as much of a right to eat what she wanted as I did to not smell it. So, if I felt exceptionally "sensitive" that day, I'd get up and eat somewhere else. But 99% of the time, I sat there and ate my lunch with her and after a while, well I guess I just got used to it.
Along with this community kitchen/eating area came the dishes, dirt etc. Of course, we would all hang signs about please clean up after yourself, but I spent a few afternoons washing dishes or putting them away, or cleaning off the table. Maybe I'm too tolerant, but it really wasn't any skin off my back, unless I had a project that I needed to run back to.
Some employees are like children and will never change. No offense but I found men to be the worst. Us girls were usually doing the clean-ups.
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QB, in both cases the office had over 200 employees. Multiple that x's a more tolerant attitude and more x's than not you've got a problem that is completely avoidable from the start. I'm afraid that tolerant I'm not! Sure, have a great meal..enjoy whatever you like but be aware that your lunch wrapper, dish or garbage will reek soon after, leaving the rest of us more than a little offended. Thanks for sharing QB.
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QB, fair enough. I was thinking back to the days when my office had a community lunch space we were not permitted to eat at our desks. Now that I am the boss we have a dining room and anyone who has a problem with keeping the dining room clean (and we all appreciate great food) hears about it from every co-worker. Community space should be respected. So dishes, garbage, leftovers, microwaves, refrigerator, etc. is kept clean at all times.
I am offended when employees don't clean up after themselves.
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HillJ, cleaning up after 200 is a lot different from cleaning up after 20, for sure.
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I agree with the "group dynamic" thing.
Where I work, it's me, my mom, my uncle, with a few installers and other employees who are like family (or family) stopping in. None of the political formalities, standard procedure, levels of management, or other nonsense found in larger, (necessarily) more structured environments. There's no "offensive smell" issues, though I used to like to whine about some horrible tuna salad my uncle used to bring in. But we learn to tolerate one another, and few of the things I like are really offensive-smelling.
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tvd, summertime is my fav time of year at work...employees are eating alot more produce, light salads and outside. We install a backoffice grill 3 years ago and use it once a month when weather permits. Come fall and especially winter...it's typically soups, sauces and those lunches that affect the air vents :)
WE, live & learn!
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Had to laugh at that one HC! With everything we eat here (New Orleans), the smell permeating . . . . LoL!
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