To want to eat what i want without commentz?

[malificent7]

Why do people think that its ok to comment on what your eating in the staffroom.
I was eating a tuna salad and someone asked me if i was eating dog food. How rude! Will eat in the car from now on. Fed up with everyone commenting at each others lunch. Back off!

@Starcaller
You must work with very polite people lol

I don't eat smelly food in public work areas for that reason

I love tuna but it is stinky mate.

I used to work with a body builder who would eat a can of tuna for his breakfast at his desk.

That was really grim!

Antisocial to eat tuna in a staff room

Fish in the office is a big no no.

You would hate our office, we talk about food all the time, it’s literally a countdown to lunch and comparing what we are all having and whose sounds better. After that it’s tea.

I don't think you should go sit on your car, your just as entitled as everyone else to use the staff room to eat your lunch. Tell people they are being rude when they make comments like that.

And definitely don't sit in your car because of the smell of your lunch!
Tuna and eggs are very standard lunch smells and acceptable in a staff room or canteen.

I mean… if it was one of those John west salad things then they do look like some pet food tins. That’s just factual.

If someone hadn’t seen these salads before I think it’s pretty fair to mistake them for pet food.

People seem to take on this pathetic, childish stance when it comes to others eating food! They don't like something or like the smell of something then they think no one should be allowed to eat it in their presence. Its a very strange way to behave! I don't like some of the aftershave/ perfume my colleagues wear, should i tell them that they mustn't wear it as it bothers me?

I do think people shouldn't bring particularly smelly foods into shared canteens eg tuna and egg.
I feel it's only a bit of common courtesy. Anything else is fine though .

Not fish
Not stinky meat
Not hard boiled eggs
anything particularly crunchy or slurpy

What am I allowed to eat with plain boiled rice, then? I can't have gluten. I can't have oats. I can't have dairy. I can't have high carb/sugar. Am I just supposed to continue existing on the shitty protein shakes that already make up over 66% of my diet because of my medical issues?

@TuftyMarmoset

If someone hadn’t seen these salads before I think it’s pretty fair to mistake them for pet food.

Oh God yes, that definitely stinks like cat food.

Actually I doubt my cat would eat it.

I'm very relieved I don't work in a lot of the places mentioned. People where I work bring in tuna/mackeral/eggs/curries/left over roast dinners .... One has an egg cooker at work , another brings in several eggs and makes a big tub of egg mayo.
The only comments are offers to share food or saying how nice someone's food looks/smells! We stand all day and lunch time in the staffroom is the only opportunity to sit down.
I would feel so self conscious about what I could bring if I thought I would have to sit outside for some food choices!

When I worked in an office we’d chat about food a lot. From about 10am it would be lunch chat, then after lunch, around 2pm, planning dinner.

It reminded me of when they keep animals in cages and they get bored and obsessed with food.

We sat near a team who were bloody diet obsessed and their conversations were even more tedious. Weight watchers vs slimming world, how many carbs in a lemsip, making rice out of broccoli etc etc. Not a single one of them seemed to change weight in the two years I listened to this crap and most of them were a normal weight anyway.

@TuftyMarmoset

If someone hadn’t seen these salads before I think it’s pretty fair to mistake them for pet food.

But even if you did, you’d surely just think ‘Hang on - of course no one’s going to be eating cat food; in the office or anywhere else’? Who would actually ask?

@SilverHairedCat

Fish should be banned in a workplace IMO. A colleague used to cook fish in the microwave at lunch. Selfish bastard. It stank the building out and the microwave made everything taste fishy.

And eggs. Especially boiled eggs 🤢 fart in a bag

Wow, people think tuna is stinky? No it's not, especially not if it's just a cold salad. Some very oversensitive people here. It's not as if OP is doing something antisocial and unhealthy, like smoking in a shared space.

Delicious, healthy, tasty food has spices and aromatics in it. Eggs and tuna are perfectly acceptable.

What are the alternative places to eat? If there are no other places to eat in your workspace than the office then your colleagues are being completely unreasonable.

Food smells

The wisest thing ever said in this thread.

This is why people should eat in eating spaces. This very British thing of eating at your desk (or similar) is unhealthy, and it appears many find it disgusting. Don't do it then.

But if you accept that people eating at their desk is expected then yes, you must accept that some of it will smell stronger than other.

And no, canned tuna is not smelly. Now cheese and onion crisps - puke-inducing! As you can see, a very subjective area.

@Noseylittlemoo

I'm very relieved I don't work in a lot of the places mentioned. People where I work bring in tuna/mackeral/eggs/curries/left over roast dinners .... One has an egg cooker at work , another brings in several eggs and makes a big tub of egg mayo. The only comments are offers to share food or saying how nice someone's food looks/smells! We stand all day and lunch time in the staffroom is the only opportunity to sit down. I would feel so self conscious about what I could bring if I thought I would have to sit outside for some food choices!

Same here. People heat and/or eat all sorts of things in our staff room- curry is common, so is tuna pasta. I just can't imagine anyone commenting other than to ask what someone had and if it was nice. I often take tuna or egg sandwiches and it wouldn't even occur to me that it could be an issue to be honest.

So if they got banned in the workplace, would they also be banned in cafes and restaurants?

Or are people able to cope with food smells outside of the works staff room/canteen?

I hate it when people comment all the time on what other people are eating. However, I voted YABU in this case. It is very rude and inconsiderate to eat smelly foods at work. Tuna and egg are the main culprits. Most people don’t like the smell of these foods but some would find it particularly unpleasant eg pregnant, vegetarian/ vegan, those with sensitive noses. I am autistic and vegan with an extremely sensitive nose. That tuna you had for work would make me feel very sick and possibly give me a migraine. I also wouldn’t be able to eat my own lunch because of the nausea

It drives me up the wall too. Even my DH is banned from commenting on my food.

I'm a vegetarian and hate fish smells but I've never had an issue with tuna being too smelly/ fishy in the office if it's chilled. On the other hand, the colleague who used to enjoy sardines on toast... he has a special place at the top my list of worst coworkers I've ever had

@SilverHairedCat

Fish should be banned in a workplace IMO. A colleague used to cook fish in the microwave at lunch. Selfish bastard. It stank the building out and the microwave made everything taste fishy.

Reminds me of my work mate that was into body building.

He went through a phase of having mackerel for breakfast, microwaved. People rioted!

@EssexLioness

I hate it when people comment all the time on what other people are eating. However, I voted YABU in this case. It is very rude and inconsiderate to eat smelly foods at work. Tuna and egg are the main culprits. Most people don’t like the smell of these foods but some would find it particularly unpleasant eg pregnant, vegetarian/ vegan, those with sensitive noses. I am autistic and vegan with an extremely sensitive nose. That tuna you had for work would make me feel very sick and possibly give me a migraine. I also wouldn’t be able to eat my own lunch because of the nausea

Then YOU need to leave the room! Wtf should everyone eat plain food because you have an issue? The world doesn’t revolve around you!

This is why people should eat in eating spaces. This very British thing of eating at your desk (or similar) is unhealthy, and it appears many find it disgusting. Don't do it then.

I work in a rural area. We don't have an eating space in our building so the alternative to eating at our desk is spend money at one of the on-site cafes (£££!) or eat on the grass outside.