We’re all painfully familiar with this situation: you hear the familiar “pop-pop-pop” sound in the communal office lunch room. Before the fragrant aroma of buttery goodness wafts down the hall, the popping stops…but the microwave is still going. Now your entire office is in it for it. The stench of burnt popcorn will linger for days.
Food odors can be a huge problem in the workplace. Certain food smells can be nauseating to your co-workers and leave a stench that sticks to everyone’s hair and clothes. Even worse – what if a strong odor offends a visiting client or a potential account executive?
As many as 83 percent of people regularly eat lunch at their desks, according to the American Dietetic Association, and most corporate cubicle spaces are not well ventilated. A smell can permeate the air (and walls) in the workplace for hours, even days.
Below are the top five foods to avoid bringing in the office.
Popcorn - No matter how you pop a bag of popcorn, it’s bad news. If it’s popped right, you’re just teasing your co-workers with the scent of the delicious buttery treat they can’t have. And if it burns, that stench gets everywhere and stays in the office for days. It’s best to just avoid it.
Fish - “The second you put that fish in the microwave, all bets are off and anyone who tries to slice you with a broken coffee carafe is simply delivering justice,” writes one author in an OC Weekly blog. Fish smell gets everywhere and is arguably one of the most nauseating odors.
Eggs - When cooking eggs, there’s a fine line between pleasantly cooking the protein-packed food and making the office reek of a sulfurous hot spring. Be careful when reheating hard-boiled eggs and egg salad, especially.
Strong spices - This usually applies to ethnic fare. Curry scents are great fresh off the stove. But day-old Indian food reheated in the microwave? Gag. Same goes for Mexican and Asian. Keep away from anything heavy on garlic or spices.
Stinky veggies - Raw onions are stinky, but so are other veggies. “Asparagus, cabbage and broccoli smell like someone let a flatulent dog into the office and fed it a can of beans,” writes the Houston Press. “Stick to carrots, celery or otherwise inoffensive vegetables if you value your life.”
At the end of the day, everyone has different tastes. Bloomberg Businessweek closes with this tongue-in-cheek rule: “When it comes to inappropriate office foods, the only agreed-upon rule seems to be ‘Whatever you’re eating that I’m not.’”