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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Is this really unreasonable?

61 replies

Mia4 · 24/10/2013 16:39

Or just...normal?

In work, largish kitchen but only one microwave and a few of us have things to heat. Everyone lines their food up as they go in as a kind of queue, there's something in the microwave going and everyone sitting at tables waiting to use or already eating.

The food in the microwave finishes, beeps and after about two minutes of waiting and everyone looking at each other and asking 'is it yours' we all realise canollini owner isn't around.

After another minute of waiting the next in line removes the food, puts it on the side (where it madly bubble away because superheated) and puts her soup in to heat.

After ten minutes, canollini owner finally returns and starts off on a massive rant about how it's disrespectful to touch someone else's food, even if it's sealed, and everyone should have waited their turn. Canollini owner then gets the hump and storms off, still ranting, saying they are going to complain when soup owner apologises and then her and myself point out that it's a waste of time to sit around and wait and she should have stayed to keep an eye on her food.

Everyone else just ignored us all. I'm sure (or at least both soup owner and I were but now we're a bit confused) it's not unreasonable to remove the sealed food and put it on a plate to one side, but soup owner and I are in one department and everyone else- canollini owner and all those who ignored the whole thing- are in another but did we make some big faux paux?

OP posts:

quoteunquote · 25/10/2013 19:51

Please keep us updated,

She sounds as if she always needs someone to rage against.

take in homemade canollini everyday.

Bettercallsaul1 · 25/10/2013 19:59

No. you were definitely not unreasonable, OP. You and Soup were quite clearly in the right! What muddied the issue slightly - and possibly made you doubt yourself - was the fact that you received zero support from all the other people in the kitchen, who were busy sitting on the fence and looking the other way! In the absence of any supporting comments , or sympathetic looks from the majority, it is quite instinctive to start thinking you might be in the wrong, even if logic and common sense are screaming otherwise. However, it sounds as there is a bit of an "us and them" situation between you and Cannelloni's department which was probably responsible for the others' diplomatic silence. I bet, inwardly, every single one of them agreed with you!

ScarletLady02 · 25/10/2013 20:06

YANBU....however, is it possible the reason cannelloni owner had been called to sort something stressful at work and that was why she was late...or she'd just got a bollocking for something....and so was just pissed off anyway and took it out on soup owner?

Not condoning the drama llamaness....but it's possible she feels stupid about it now and might not be a total cow

ScarletLady02 · 25/10/2013 20:07

Ah OK, your last post changes things somewhat...she sounds a bit erm...challenging to deal with?

amicissimma · 25/10/2013 20:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mrstigs · 25/10/2013 20:11

You seriously need to coordinate a works lunch date for tomorrow, as a bonding exercise for both teams. Make sure she is not included or aware of it. Then just before you leave shove a frozen meal in the microwave of both staffrooms. She'll be left stood alone in an empty kitchen unable to use the microwave, because it's just RUDE to take out someone else's food!! Cold cannollini for her.

whysoglum · 25/10/2013 20:38

I worked somewhere where there was two microwaves. How lucky? Yeah until moron from a different department had the genius idea he could cook an elaborate meal using both at the same time. One day it was quiche in one microwave with potatoes in another for ten minutes each.
Boils my blood remembering it.

SoleSorceress · 25/10/2013 22:24

Very unreasonable of your colleague. Also expecting otgers to wait then food gets moved. Common sense ever heard of it I would say to her. Is she implying you are unhygenic? Tough shit you.unreasonable big.heafed big mouthed nutcase

Excited85 · 26/10/2013 05:43

You behaved exactly as any normal person would - don't give it a second thought! Clearly the woman has 'issues' if she's going to get a huff on about something so silly.

Work microwaves do seem to be quite contentious in many places though. I remember at my previous work place one woman used to put her frozen meals in the (one) microwave 20-30 minutes before her actual lunch break started so she didn't miss any of her lunch. Those of us who were on sn earlier lunch would have to wait around for hers to cook then quickly heat ours and wolf down before getting back to desk! Completely unreasonable however she was the bosses 'pet' and so got away with murder.... Hmmmm!!!! There were even times that my lunch break had finished and yet the microwave still had not become free so I had to go hungry...

Thumbfuckerwitch · 26/10/2013 06:19

Cannelloni-cow is obviously a problem.
Perhaps she should get her very own microwave and store it in her desk - you can get quite small ones now.

You absolutely did the right thing, you and soup-girl, and I'm glad that the rest of them have come out of the woodwork, albeit surreptitiously, to support you.

On another point though - if no one ever challenges her self-serving behaviour, then she's never going to change, is she. She ought to behave better in the workplace, it's not preschool FFS!

Mummyoftheyear · 26/10/2013 06:34

Silly cannolini!

differentnameforthis · 26/10/2013 07:05

What is unreasonable is putting your food in the only microwave & buggering off for 10 minutes.

HorraceTheOtter · 26/10/2013 07:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Xiaoxiong · 26/10/2013 09:02

Yanbu. So pleased I now work from home - the microwave at work was the source of so much strife.

Also loving this thread because the autocorrects have been so funny:
Cannelloni = stuffed tubes of pasta
Cannellini = a type of bean
Cannoli = Italian crunchy pastry filled with cream

Original poster

Mia4 · 27/10/2013 14:28

Thank you all :) I'm back at work tomorrow, so we'll see what happens. I do get the bus back with a couple of people from her department so I'll see what they say. I left late on friday so I missed them.

Bettercallsaul1, you're definitely right in there being interdepartment tension, I'm not even sure why it started in the first place to be honest. It seems like they've even forgotten i think.

OP posts:

Original poster

Mia4 · 27/10/2013 14:34

mrstigs part of me would love to do that; to be honest I get the impression that this woman makes other people back down a lot and isn't the nicest.

whysoglum Nice guy you've got there at work, looks like you can have as many microwaves as staff but still someone will cause a problem.

OP posts:

Original poster

Mia4 · 27/10/2013 14:45

SoleSorceress Possibly she thinks we're unhygienic but i think it's ore an entitlement thing to be honest.

Excited85, your bosses pet sounds like she should have had her own microwave like thumbfucker suggests for Cannelloni, or maybe she enjoys being the pet to much to give it up

I really want to hear about things set on fire or exploding Horace :) So far we only had one real incident when someone was supremely stupid and put an open can of soup in the microwave to cook!

I'm definitely not worrying that we caused any issues anymore, you've all reassured me that Soup and I should have stood our ground and should carry on doing if necessary.

OP posts:

Original poster

Mia4 · 27/10/2013 14:46

Xiaoxiong I definitely can't spell Cannelloni, my autocorrect just gave up and had no options, I was glad everyone else seemed to know it :)

OP posts:

Original poster

Mia4 · 30/10/2013 18:48

Just a quick update

Cannelloni spoke to Soup today, she caught her in the corridor and made the comment that she'd be using the managers microwaves to her bizarrely as though she was doing Soup a favour. Soup apparently just replied something about it being good because they didn't have microwave etiquette there to which Cannelloni looked a bit confused by- maybe she'll google it and find the many annoyances of people like Soup and I and many others on the thread but who knows, at least the drama is over :)

OP posts:

liquidstate · 30/10/2013 19:19

She sounds like a right loon. You were definitely not in the wrong! Am fortunate as we can lunch whenever we want so I can wait until after the main lunch rush.

livingzuid · 30/10/2013 19:37

Oh god hilarious thread thank you :) the complexities of office etiquette combined with the resident office crazy always makes interesting reading! Glad you resolved it. I work in an office with 15 different nationalities but we at least have enough microwaves to avoid any awkward situations. Now toasters on the other hand.....and that fish story....

SoleSorceress · 30/10/2013 20:51

Funny thread :)

Glad to.know she was put in her place, silly farking cah!

Thumbfuckerwitch · 30/10/2013 21:16

OMG, really? What a strange woman Cannelloni is! Love Soup's response as well

Quoteunquote · 30/10/2013 21:22

Name change incase she did find the thread.

Constantly amazed when i google something how far up the list is a contribution from MN appears.

Hopasholic · 30/10/2013 22:09

Put a sign up in the kitchen 'Please do not leave your cannelloni all aloney'

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