Colleague eating egg mayo sandwiches - to say something?

[DontGiveUp90]

As above really…my colleague is lovely but insists on eating the most foul smelling egg sandwiches for her lunch. It lingers all afternoon and makes me feel sick.

Would I be unreasonable to say something? We don’t have a break out area where she could eat them as only a small office.

Healthy! 🤣

I like egg sandwiches and will eat them at home, but it's just not done to bring strong smelling food into the office. it's kinda anti-social.

I would ask her if she could change her lunch. She can still say no, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

I have been in workplaces where no egg or fish sandwiches are allowed in the staff room, solely because of the smell.

Is this actually a thing? I'm not trying to goad you, but when I work onsite there is a canteen and so people have the luxury of eating somewhere other than their desk.

Is there really an etiquette when eating food in an office?

why don't you have a break out area? https://www.rocketlawyer.com/gb/en/employment/employment-insights/legal-guide/what-workplace-facilities-are-employees-entitled-to#:~:text=Break%20facilities,toilets%20(which%20are%20mandatory).

then the smell would be contained to the break out area

Me too!

@Ciaomeow 😆😆 no.

He was old enough to be my dad! 😆

@WhenICalledYouLastNightFromTesco It's quite a few years since I worked in an office, but when I did it was slightly frowned upon to eat at your desk. And there was always a canteen or other room to go to for lunch. It's a shame that lunch breaks have been so eroded in this country.

This is worthy of a whole new thread 🤣

Yes, I agree. Whilst we do have a canteen, we also have autonomy in the way we take our breaks. So if someone decided to eat at their desk and had an hours worth of mini breaks it isn't frowned upon, as long as they are taking their breaks.

When I'm onsite I generally eat my dinner in the canteen and then take my other half hour as I please.

Do not under any circumstances spray room spray in a shared space. It is causes allergic reactions, asthma attacks, and migraines for many people.

An egg sandwich might be an unpleasant smell, but unless you have a rare airborne egg allergy it is not causing real harm.

Simply talk to the person and admit you have a delicate stomach and this happens to be one of your triggers. Blame yourself for the problem, but since leaving while they eat doesn’t make the scent dissipate, ask if they could eat the sandwich elsewhere.

Hold your nose and hope she gets the message.

Depends on the size of the office and the quality of the ventilation

It's a bit gross really isn't it, crumbs on the keyboard, grease on the mouse, bogies under the desk.

The last office I worked in the window didn’t open more than a crack- it had been stuck like that for years (NHS).

Not all workplaces have a canteen, so it’s lunch Al Desco

i don’t remember having a job for the vast majority of the years when I was employed in an office where I actually had time to take a proper lunch break more than very occasionally, so I nearly always ate at my desk. I usually bought sandwiches and soup, or pasties, and had a little oven on the windowsill in one of my offices where we used to take turns cooking lasagne and other ready meals. 😆

Oh I had forgotten about egg mayo sandwiches
love them , off to make one now

We all eat silently in my office, things like bits of biscuit or half bananas snaffled furtively. Then we all have to hold our farts in all day because we've all got digestive problems.

I think generally restaurants are better ventilated so you don’t smell every dish being consumed and to me freshly cooked food normally smells good (if I like the food) compared to microwaved leftovers which I find often have a distinct smell. I also wouldn’t eat in a restaurant if I disliked the type of food. The only ‘restaurant’ I’ve ever had a problem with is McDonalds - I refused to set foot in it as a child due to not liking the smell and I still don’t like McDonalds now. I have dined in 1000s of restaurants over the years but still hate people eating in the office.

Egg mayo and tuna are very common, widely sold sandwiches, I wouldn’t give a second thought to eating either.

I have an egg mayo sandwich one day every week. If I was asked not to bring it I would explain that I would still be bringing them.
The smell of mint or chewing gum makes me heave but I wouldn’t ask people not to have either.

People in this country have become so intolerant and fragile. I see this kind of behaviour in my young adult kids and their friends. Clearly affecting older people too on this thread. As a nation we need to get a grip.

Grip of the egg sandwich, not too hard or it’ll squidge out sides

Well I didn’t expect my post to spark such a debate!

I’ve enjoyed reading the comments, I won’t say anything to my colleague as realise I’m over-reacting a bit.

I do feel sorry for her poor husband having to deal with the after effects of that lunch every evening though 😂