AIBU to think people are being childish and foolish to think smelling produce is gross?

[UrslaB]

Okay, this has really caught me off guard. In another thread the act of sniffing produce (tomatoes) to check for freshness and quality was mentioned, and some people then responded that this was in some way weird. Puking emojis and hysterical exclamations that people should keep their noses away from food in the supermarket and that this is why they buy pre-packed produce soon followed.

Are people sniffing/smelling in some strange manner that makes it weird that I am unfamiliar with? A good sniff isn't sneezing on it and you should be washing your fruit and veg when you get it home anyway considering it is naive to think someone sniffing it (or squeezing it) is the worst thing to happen to the produce before you get it home. (Pickers/suppliers/packers, shop staff and a half dozen other hands handling it before you potentially, less than spotless machinery harvesting or transporting, being dropped, potential pests in Distribution and storage centers, pesticides, fertilizers, etc etc.)

To me this seems like hyperbolic hysteria. How else do you discover if fruit is good quality if you don't examine it visually, handle it and with some things like tomatoes and melons, give it a good sniff! Otherwise, you could be buying subpar food.

Always sniff tomatoes, peaches, pineapples, melons etc by the stem looking for a sweetish scent to know it is going to taste good. No scent, no taste. Also, giving veg and bread a squeeze, and meat a poke I thought was standard procedure. At least that is what I was taught growing up.

Is it a lost skill? Snobbery? What is causing such a reaction to something I consider good practice?

AIBU to think it is childish and foolish to react so negatively to the idea of someone sniffing their produce?

Don't wipe your nose on fruit it's rude

Why on earth would you do that?

I take it you didn't read the post then or are one of those people who doesn't know the difference between smelling something and wiping your nose on it? Who said anything about 'wiping your nose' on anything? I think you fail to understand how you smell things, your nose does not come in contact with anything. That would in fact be counterproductive since it would prevent adequate air flow to get a good sniff of a scent.

What a strange response.

This is Mumsnet, where one wipes the cutlery with Zoflora between bites of food. Batshittery abounds. Ignore it, OP.

Sniffing produce is completely normal. No idea how you choose a ripe pineapple without using your nose.
People who think it’s weird are probably the same people who throw away perfectly good food because it’s past its arbitrary best before date.

Can honestly say I’ve never sniffed an item of food in the supermarket and would probably look a little oddly at someone doing it. Picking it up and visually inspecting I understand but I’m not sure how much you can tell freshness of fruit from sniffing it or poking meat for that matter. I think the pandemic has made people more aware of germs so they probably don’t appreciate someone manhandling food near their face then putting it back.

I will add I do sniff dairy/meat etc to check at home and I’m not a slave to dates. I choose pineapples where their leaves don’t fall out easily to the poster above.

Why on earth would you sniff a tomato? You'd go by the feel/texture of that so that's weird.

Grim.

And no sniffing produce is gross just to then if it doesn't past your 'test' to put it back. Grim.

I have no sense of smell and manage to buy things without sniffing them. I wouldn't know what a ripe tomato should smell like tbh.

I want to know how people who think it's disgusting sniff things. 😂 Are they aware you breath in not out and nose doesn't touch produce?😂

I don't think I've ever in my life seen anybody sniffing the fruit and veg in a supermarket.

Um, no. It's poor manners to handle food unless you're going to buy it.

How else do you discover if fruit is good quality if you don't examine it visually, handle it and with some things like tomatoes and melons, give it a good sniff!

You're not a gourmet chef love, you're doing a weekly shop in Tesco.

How is it gross though? Is it also grim to pick it up and put it back if it’s squishy/wrong texture?

I don't sniff stuff but do gently feel it for ripeness esp avocados. Pineapples I pull a leaf to see if it comes out easily.

I have never ever seen anyone sniffing produce in a supermarket. If I did, I would think it weird. You can tell if fruit is ripe by the look of it, you don't need to sniff or squeeze, poke or prod.

I cook daily from scratch and have managed all this time without sniffing ingredients. Never had a problem.

I sniff strawberries and tomatoes, it's never occurred to me NOT to.

So you just buy the first one you pick up even if it’s rotten or poor quality?

@Bubblebubblebah - are you aware that air carrying all sorts of things leaves your nose, it doesn’t need to touch anything for germs etc to be deposited hence the pandemic. I don’t bend down and breathe all over the fruit and veg either

Sniffing is done by breathing IN.
You pick up tomato, put it close to your face, breathe in through your nose then remove the tomato from close proximity and resume normal breathing.

What? I've never sniffed anything in the supermarket and have never seen anyone do this. It's a bit odd to me.

Um, no. It's poor manners to handle food unless you're going to buy it.

Well i'm certainly not paying for something I've picked up if upon feeling it it feels wrong.

I think it’s just that people don’t know what proper food is supposed to taste like OP. The people on here that are berating you are not heathens, they just don’t know what a ripe pineapple tastes like so don’t care if they buy one or not.

😂