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Eating smelly or noisy food at your desk

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People who eat food in the office has got to be my gripe of the day and although I am guilty of the crime myself, I do try to minimise any disruption I may cause and try to at least consider the comfort of my fellow co-workers.  In my opinion company policy, ideally along with a suitable place to eat lunch would be the perfect solution.

I work in a small office and there are usually anywhere between 6 and 10 people working at desks that are spaced fairly close together.  It's a cosy environment in that there really isn't that much room, so consideration for others is of the utmost importance.  Regarding food and the issue of eating in the office it all begins shortly after nine O'Clock when one of the ladies that works near my desk goes off to the kitchen and makes her breakfast.  This usually consists of either a bowl of cereal or porridge with fruit or nuts and whilst I wouldn't notice someone quietly munching a banana or even a cereal bar, you can't help but notice the loud clanking of the spoon on the bowl as she eagerly consumes her food.

As if breakfast time wasn't bad enough there's the constant grazing that goes on as various people in the office munch on apples, bananas and oranges and whilst I'd agree that it's good to eat fruit, it is very difficult to hold a conversation with someone when they are taking huge bites out of an apple - in fact it is very distracting.

Eating crisps - noisy food in the office Crisps have to be right at the top of my list of things people shouldn't eat in the office.  One of benefits of being an office worker is perhaps the flexible lunch breaks, and by that I mean you don't all clock out at 1pm and come back at a set time.  But one of the disadvantages of that is the fact that some are on lunch whilst others are eating, and if they're rustling a bag of crisps and noisily crunching them as they eat it's basically all you can concentrate on - any thoughts of what you were working on go straight out the window.

It's not just noisy eating that can be irritating, eating smelly food can also be quite unpleasant for those who are not eating it or don't share your taste.  At one place where I worked several years ago a certain person would go out and get fish and chips two or three times a week and the stench was almost unbearable, particularly in the winter months when it was really too cold to open the windows.  Another chap in the same office used to frequent a Lebanese delicatessen and he used to sit and eat something' that could only be described as having a smell that was a bit like a burning tyre.  Not pleasant at all.  There are a variety of things I've seen (and smelled) people eating for lunch such as curries, tuna or salmon, burgers, kebabs and burgers.  All this is fine if it's in a staff canteen away from where others are working but I really don't think that this is the type of food that should be eaten at a desk.


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Congo

Congo

How awful!

Eating at one's desk?

Is this normal or merely an aberration practised by a foul minority?

Surely the 'hour of lunch' as promulgated by our Gallic or Iberian cousins is to be observed?
28/11/13 Congo
-5
grubzup

grubzup

Most office workers make plenty of time for gossiping and going on facebook and twitter so why not make time for lunch?
24/08/13 grubzup
-10
Blame the Proper Cause of the Issue

Blame the Proper Cause of the Issue

Blame your managers for not letting people have a proper lunch hour, and proper moderately priced meal in a staff canteen. Eating at your desk is symptomatic of the firm wanting to get every minute of the day from you.
24/08/13 Blame the Proper Cause of the Issue
-8
closeyourmouthplease

closeyourmouthplease

My pet hate is when someone puts a crisp in their mouth and makes an incrededbly, ferociously, loud crunching sound.
28/07/13 closeyourmouthplease
-1
Seeing is Believing

Seeing is Believing

I don't mind people eating what they want but one of the worst things I saw was at the hospital. Nursing staff had the door open and one was eating really unhealthy bags of crisp, chocolate, etc. There was rattling but I was too busy wondering about the rubbish they were piling in their mouths when that particular area advises patients to eat healthily!
25/07/13 Seeing is Believing
-14
LancashireLass

LancashireLass

There's worse things that go on in the office than eating, yes some foods are annoying but there is nothing worse than people who smell BO is up there among the worst of the things that make you gag. Seriously personal hygiene is a must.
22/07/13 LancashireLass
-2
Clear your own mess up

Clear your own mess up

For me, the main problem is people who eat a box of chicken and chips at my desk while I go out for a walk. I come back to smelly boxes and grease over my desk.
22/07/13 Clear your own mess up
-8
Ste

Ste

For crying out loud people can have what they like for dinner get a life, i bet your work mates think you are a right whinging nob.
22/07/13 Ste
-5

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