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.

I agree heating up strong smelling food in the office is anti social but it wouldn't have occurred to me to worry about cold food in the same way.

DH takes and egg mayo sandwich most days. And if not that then often tuna mayo! I don't think you can really object to a simple cold sandwich.

Having said that I do remember running away and making the longest cuppa in the world when I was pregnant and my colleague had something for lunch that was perfectly normal but offensive to my pregnant nose!

The obvious answer would be to ask her not to eat at her desk but that's difficult if there's no break out area in your office.

Also I'm not unsympathetic. I'm autistic and very sensitive to smell but that's not my coworkers problem to work round.

All these preferences are subjective! And not at all self-evident or universal. Ham smells. Cucumber smells. You could say you have an aversion to egg mayo, but do you have other aversions she needs to cater for?

In the office where I worked many years ago they wouldn’t have had a problem saying out loud “phew that sandwich stinks”.

Rude. I can see you don't care about your colleagues' comfort.

It stinks! I hate the smell in my own house but I can go to another room there!

If you had an airborne severe allergy, it would be understandable.
Otherwise, no it’s just a bad smell, inconsiderate but it’s not harmful.

Is it necessary to be this rude?

I have a very good sense of smell and can't say I have ever found egg mayonnaise to be particularly pungent. It's one sandwich I really like too and am not generally fond of sandwiches.

Yes, absolutely
Wholly intentional and proportionate given the hyperbole on the thread

"Hyperbole" - catch a grip!

Couldn’t agree more. They just stink out the place unless very fresh. Good luck

Get a grip applies to

• Spray febreeze
• ask not to eat egg
• open the windows
• ask not to have an offensive sandwich

I’m not sure if this persons sandwiches are filled with rancid ingredients because my egg mayo sandwiches don’t have an overpowering odour. Maybe theirs are commercially manufactured ………..

don't forget there may be someone in the office with a nut allergy

Maybe go to the toilet and on return say “there’s an awful smell in here, like rotten eggs I wonder if there’s a problem with drains”

Then you are quite clearly ignorant of the fact that they are smelly.

And? That’s your subjective view. No egg sandwich for anyone because you don’t like it

I detest coffee with milk, the smell makes me want to puke - I can tolerate someone drinking it at another desk, but a meeting - nooo! I've moved seats to get away from a milky coffee smell.
Black coffee is fine, the stronger the better!

Sitting next to someone on a train in two space seats is an entirely different matter. Pubs are generally a bigger space though and therefore would not make the whole space smell. So, yes, I would 'allow' that! 😆

I hate the smell of coffee and hot chocolate and our whole office stinks of coffee as we have one of those fancy coffee makers.

I could tell my colleagues the smell makes me feel sick, or I could just recognise that working in a building with other people doesn't always mean you will get your own way all the time.

I now wfh so no coffee breath is anywhere near me anymore!!

Egg sandwiches are not smelly and are, in fact, utterly delicious!

I have mentioned it at my work as the smell of hard boiled egg makes me nearly retch. The lady waits for me to go for my lunch before she eats it and then opens windows. I have always struggled with the smell.

Nonsense. Most food smells. The fact that you think egg sandwiches smell bad is purely subjective. Other people find totally different foods unpleasant-smelling.

Phew! Beer's not the same without!

Dont be so dramatic...its egg not bloody shit !!!!