Foo - Damn, that smell

So, am I an ass in this situation? We work in an enclosed area with about 20 people in cubicles. By enclosed, I mean a room with two closed doors. So just on the other side of my cubicle (cubicle walls are around 6ft tall) is the frig and a microwave. One of the girls that works in the next aisle (same aisle as the microwave) happens to be Korean American and reheats meals that contain fish on a regular basis. The smell lingers over the wall and into my cubicle and the surrounding cubicles. My fix is to fire up my portable desk fan on high and angle it up to try and redirect the smell. Now I’m sure she can hear the fan spinning away as it’s kinda loud and she’s just on the other side. Should I be bothered if she can hear the fan and thinks maybe I’m over reacting? It was so bad today a guy two aisles down from her came down every aisle looking for the culprit and says to her “oh, it’s you.” She’s kinda easy on the eyes BTW.

If you need the fan to survive the day, go for it. I'm sure your neighbors would agree.

I don't care what someone looks like; if they cropdust the entire office with a lunch that smells like a reheated tin of Friskies, then they need to be prepared to deal with the consequences.

Reheating fish in a confined space seems pretty antisocial IMO. I wouldn't worry if she can hear the fan... not everybody likes fish after all.

Some offices have a no popcorn / no fish microwaving policy. I'd look into that.

Earlier this year we had a cat trapped in the house we're working on. To bait the live trap, we heated up some canned cat food, and...oh my! The stench!

No one wanted to use the microwave after that, so we took some fudge someone had brought in and cooked it until it burned. The burnt fudge smell was a huge improvement over the cat food.

Next time she cooks some fish, bring fudge that day. ;)

If someone wants to start an office Food War, go for the nuclear option and bring in a durian.

Does she Wok the Dog:)in the kitchenette?

"She's kinda easy on the eyes BTW."
Well, invite her out to lunch. You both get to eat foods that may not smell as bad and you become a hero to the office. Win-win?

"She's kinda easy on the eyes BTW."
Well, invite her out to lunch. You both get to eat foods that may not smell as bad and you become a hero to the office. Win-win?

Once we start thinking with the wrong head the world becomes a better place:thumb:

If you need the fan to survive the day, go for it. I'm sure your neighbors would agree.

No one ever wants to say anything. It bothers the hell out of everyone but they keep their mouth shut because they don't want to make waves. I make waves all the time at work. But the way I figure it is that is someone is that selfish then I don't want anything to do with them anyway.

My big pet peeve is computer sounds and speaker phones. We now have a policy against having your sound turned on for your computer (most sound comes from instant messaging). And we were all given headsets. My guess is someone complained to the boss about both. It was not me because I always go straight to the source and never rat out to the boss. We still have one jerk using their IM sound but I have not been able to track him down.

Reheating fish in a confined space seems pretty antisocial IMO. I wouldn't worry if she can hear the fan... not everybody likes fish after all.

Once I was coming back from Antigua and was going through Phile for my connecting flight back home. I hadn't eaten all day and I was starving. I passed a McDonalds and a sushi place on the way to my plan. I had just minutes and opted for the sushi. I got on the plane and cracked it open and the smell has horrible. I quickly closed the lid. The lady next to me said "why don't you eat it". I said "because the smell might offend the other passengers". She said "other people would eat it". I said, "I'm not other people". I waited till I got off of the flight to eat.

leave an anonymous note?

I was in the same situation at a former workplace. When I smelled the offending odor, I yelled "Who the heck is cooking fish in the microwave?" from my cube. Other people chimed in "I don't know, but it smells terrible." That was the last time the guilty party cooked her fish in the microwave.

I would be the one eating the fish. People don't like it when you eat kimchee at work, either. I would not heat up smelly food in a communal breakroom. The woman is not thinking. If it offends you, you should tell her somehow.
Maybe put a note on the microwave?

this thread is why I do not feel at all guilty when I crop dust.

Some offices have a no popcorn / no fish microwaving policy. I'd look into that.
that's a nice idea.... we've had some fish incidents with our microwave.

The no fish thing is pretty universal. I have been in college break rooms, office break rooms, and other places that have a sign on the micro that says no fish.

Personally I agree with going to the source. Of course if you want to avoid a harassment suit or avoid a potential racial insensitivity issue I would consult your boss. These are the times in which we live. Sadly.

+1 on the anonymous note.

Some offices have a no popcorn / no fish microwaving policy. I'd look into that.

My last company had a lot of people working in manufacturing who liked to cook fish. There was a big lunch room with several microwaves where you could cook any type of stinky food. The microwaves in the small kitchenettes near the office cubes were off limits for stinky food. This arrangement made everyone happy.

Some offices have a no popcorn / no fish microwaving policy. I'd look into that.

http://www.funnymotivationalposters.net/sites/default/files/imagecache/fmp_572px/fmp/2010/04/Mistakes.jpg

Glad to know I'm not the only one who hates the smell of microwave popcorn. My wife and parents make me feel like I'm crazy.

I try to be tolerant, part of the annoyance levels come to intensity, duration and frequency. Plain smelliness I put up with.

At one place I did take it up with two of my co-workers. One was wearing perfume which gave me headaches. We compromised at half strength on the perfume, which didn't seem to trip off the headaches, or at least they were very mild. Another co-worker used copious amounts of air freshener, which also was giving me head aches. After consulting with HR, he had to put the air freshener away.

I'm also likely to get sudden intense headaches from the smell of coffee. Distance is the key here. Coffee is so universal a poison that it's hard to stay away from. I haven't called anyone on the carpet about it, but people often wonder why I'm squirming away from them in the morning.

My ex used to wear White Diamonds perfume, and that gave me bad headaches. Fortunately, she inherited a large bottle of Shalimar which ended the problem.

I'm also likely to get sudden intense headaches from the smell of coffee. Distance is the key here. Coffee is so universal a poison that it's hard to stay away from. I haven't called anyone on the carpet about it, but people often wonder why I'm squirming away from them in the morning.

My ex used to wear White Diamonds perfume, and that gave me bad headaches. Fortunately, she inherited a large bottle of Shalimar which ended the problem.

I don't think I could handle being allergic to coffee.

So, am I an ass in this situation? We work in an enclosed area with about 20 people in cubicles. By enclosed, I mean a room with two closed doors. So just on the other side of my cubicle (cubicle walls are around 6ft tall) is the frig and a microwave. One of the girls that works in the next aisle (same aisle as the microwave) happens to be Korean American and reheats meals that contain fish on a regular basis. [...]

My wife is Korean, and we have many Korean friends, so I can appreciate your situation. We have a rule at home: certain kinds of fish need to be cooked outdoors. Otherwise the smell lingers, and it may not dissipate for many hours.

Koreans know that some of the foods they like are not pleasing to the noses of non-Koreans: kimchee, grilled fish, fermented soybeans, and others.

Maybe she doesn't care. But she probably has a sense that were she to offer some grilled fish to you-all, everyone would decline.

I think anonymous notes can easily create hard feelings, just like email messages. You can't get tone of voice or body language from either. Best to say something tactfully. Or, learn to appreciate grilled, salted fish.

Would someone please send me some Bulgogi?!

+1 on the anonymous note.

Yes, and make sure it's postworthy. (http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/)

I try to be tolerant, part of the annoyance levels come to intensity, duration and frequency. Plain smelliness I put up with.

At one place I did take it up with two of my co-workers. One was wearing perfume which gave me headaches. We compromised at half strength on the perfume, which didn't seem to trip off the headaches, or at least they were very mild. Another co-worker used copious amounts of air freshener, which also was giving me head aches. After consulting with HR, he had to put the air freshener away.

I'm also likely to get sudden intense headaches from the smell of coffee. Distance is the key here. Coffee is so universal a poison that it's hard to stay away from. I haven't called anyone on the carpet about it, but people often wonder why I'm squirming away from them in the morning.

My ex used to wear White Diamonds perfume, and that gave me bad headaches. Fortunately, she inherited a large bottle of Shalimar which ended the problem.

A good neurologist might be able to fix your headaches.

I get crop dusted with a dirty diaper (Depends?) smell multiple times a day.

I still can't figure out what to say.

She's such a sweet lady.

Sack up, walk over, and say "Would you mind if I asked you not to microwave fish in the office?". Do this after lunch, so you don't leave her starving all afternoon.

I get crop dusted with a dirty diaper (Depends?) smell multiple times a day.

I still can't figure out what to say.

She's such a sweet lady.
You say nothing. Chivalry isn't just about opening doors, right?

this thread is why I do not feel at all guilty when I crop dust.
In the shop, it's all guys, and they applaud a proper crop dusting.

S She’s kinda easy on the eyes BTW.

Take her out on dates often enough that she's always got non-fish leftovers. Kill two birds with one stone and maybe soon enough you won't care about the smell of her cooking as she'll make up for it in other ways.

leave an anonymous note?

As for the anonymous note goes, she knows folks didn't care for the smell. I mean the guy 2 aisles down came looking for the responsible party and they acknowledged each other. Only time will tell if she got the clue.

I'm happily married and she's engaged, BTW. We have gone on a business trip (didn't travel together, she was at site when I showed up).

Page 2 and no mention of sex.

This sounds like a job for HR - they're paid to deal with sticky stuff like this.

I'm not sure what's worse: The fish smell or folks that put on cologne or perfume with a paint roller.

Page 2 and no mention of sex.

It's definitely not a cjab thread then.

Page 2 and no mention of sex.

Give us time. We're still trying to get the OP to take the woman out for lunch.