this oh-so-subtle note was posted by mary’s former boss, “a pathetic professor in a backwater institution” where 90% of the graduate students happened to be korean, japanese, or chinese.
“nevermind that he doused himself with great lashings of brut in an attempt to jazz up the bald-up-top-ponytail-in-back look he had going on,” mary says. “there were a lot of things i could have said to him on a post-it, but i decided to be the big kid and quit.” luckily for us, she swiped this note off the breakroom microwave first.
interestingly, it seems fish-hating office workers elsewhere also share an affinity for clip art.
related: no smelly foods
93 responses so far ↓
#1
geg
No one wants to smell your disgusting lunch have some consideration you cretins
Feb 11, 2008 at 11:55 am rating: 0
#2
Canthz_B
Does the 1st floor microwave oven have the new, super-secret, odor suppression system installed?
Feb 11, 2008 at 12:08 pm rating: +4
#3
anglophile
All I can think of when I see the first sign is that I wish the sign-maker had rotated the fish image 180° before printing. Is this a sign that I have a larger problem than a stinky microwave?
Feb 11, 2008 at 12:11 pm rating: +8
#4
Limited Ed.
I work in a holistic clinic and one of our goals is to make our patients feel as relaxed as possible. The smell of all of the weird health food that gets cooked in our kitchen often wafts into the patient areas and disturbs the patients, so I understand where these people are coming from. No one wants to smell your stinky fish.
Feb 11, 2008 at 12:23 pm rating: +3
#5
Canthz_B
“Please do not heat up healthy seafood while I’m trying to enjoy my artery clogging McMeal”
Feb 11, 2008 at 12:27 pm rating: +12
#6
Canthz_B
I’d pay good money to smell fish rather than burned microwave popcorn!
Feb 11, 2008 at 12:33 pm rating: +5
#7
amy d
In consideration of others…If you need to heat up fish, please use the 1st floor microwaves. The people who work on the 1st floor do not count. They are minimum wage cretins and do not deserve the privilege of stench-free air.
Thank you!
Feb 11, 2008 at 12:43 pm rating: +11
#8
MissHoneychurch
At my last job there was no lunch room and it drove me crazy that we were all forced to eat out or eat at our desks (where our bosses would continually bother us through the lunch hour).
Now I have a desk near to the lunch room and the smells, everything from fish to cookies being baked in the toaster oven, are disgusting. I’d gladly give up the lunch room to have a smell free desk.
Feb 11, 2008 at 12:48 pm rating: 0
#9
Naomi
Because we all know using Spongebob is the best way for people to stop eating fish.
Feb 11, 2008 at 12:52 pm rating: 0
#10
alli
haha.. that last one is mine. awesome.
Feb 11, 2008 at 12:52 pm rating: +2
#11
tanyetta
I TOTALLY AGREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WOULD GO AS FAR TO SAY DON’T EVEN HEAT UP FISH AT ALL. GEEZ!!!!!!
Feb 11, 2008 at 12:53 pm rating: 0
#12
monkey
shouldn’t this fall under clipart too?
Feb 11, 2008 at 1:05 pm rating: 0
#13
sitboaf
I once had a boss that expressed his hatred of smelly microwaving quite violently – one day we found the severed plug of the microwave … INSIDE the microwave.
Game over.
Feb 11, 2008 at 1:06 pm rating: +4
#14
M
I love how the third one is a screen shot; “I’m making this passive aggressive sign, and thought everyone should know before I print it.”
Feb 11, 2008 at 1:07 pm rating: +1
#15
Jeff
The maker of that screenshot is apparently an engrish fan:
http://www.engrish-store.com/smsmt.html
Feb 11, 2008 at 1:24 pm rating: 0
#16
Katzndogz
I had a roommate my last year in college who was Asian. I was fine with her storing stuff in my mini-fridge until the day she put a jar of some sort of sauce in there that reeked. I never said anything about it, I am teh wimp.
Feb 11, 2008 at 1:52 pm rating: 0
#17
etherealangel
Hmm maybe no microwave in that breakroom at all would solve the problem Different people find different sorts of smells offensive. But I guess the rest of the folks did not bother to make a sign about their dislike for the smell of a certain food.
Feb 11, 2008 at 1:52 pm rating: +1
#18
damon
Those offensive fish stix were fuckin… nah never mind.
Feb 11, 2008 at 1:57 pm rating: +1
#19
KittyKat
Oh, I’ll say it, and I can’t believe I’m the first – That delicious lunch was fucking delicious!
Feb 11, 2008 at 2:05 pm rating: +1
#20
GhostWriter
Dude, why does every note start with, ” I had a friend who was Asian…”?? Holy Stereotypes, does nobody eat at the Hunan Buffet for lunch anymore? “I have never smelled such a horrible Asian- food smell in my life! …and who’s in for Cho’s Sushi Bar today?”
Feb 11, 2008 at 2:15 pm rating: +3
#21
violet
Ya Know..I understand the sign with a fish but the sign with a SKUNK!?! OK, there is a problem if someone is heating up skunk in the micro! My guess is that it must be a local delicacy. (none for me-thanks!)
PS- did anyone notice the small “ad by Google” on the bottom of the comment page for ‘DESTORY ODORS NATURALLY’ – hmmm?
Feb 11, 2008 at 2:24 pm rating: +2
#22
Lurker
OK, are the fish sticks offensive, or are they delicious? Make up your porous mind, SpongeBob!
Or maybe he meant to write, “delicious.”
Feb 11, 2008 at 3:09 pm rating: +1
#23
unholyghost2003
I am NOT Asian but had a college roommate who would pitch a fit about my keeping smoked oysters and pate in the fridge. Too bad BITCH it was MY fridge!
I must say Fish Sticks ARE offensive. That is no way to eat fish.
Last in my thought is; Who eats reheated fish at work ANYWAY? If you are going to be dealing with clients you don’t want stinky, fishy breath.
Team “odor neutral foods for lunch”
Feb 11, 2008 at 3:23 pm rating: +1
#24
GhostWriter
The 2nd set actually had another note taped below, that said: “Look, I don’t know what you are planning on heating up, but you’d better just take it straight to the 1st floor, because I’m tired of it.”
It included a clip-art pic of a jack-in-the-box giving off a mysterious odor.
Feb 11, 2008 at 3:44 pm rating: +2
#25
bamBAM!!
I thought sushi is supposed to be raw.
Feb 11, 2008 at 4:28 pm rating: 0
#26
bamBAM!!
What puzzles me is the reason behind the need to eat fish while at the office. Bring a fucking granola bar.
Feb 11, 2008 at 4:30 pm rating: +1
#27
Sundaeg1rl
So, microwaved kippers for all on Friday then???
Seriously, I would be in there with a veritable stinkfest, because that’s the kind of mood I’m in.
Haven’t these people heard of baking soda?
Feb 11, 2008 at 4:30 pm rating: +4
#28
geko
I lived in a university dorm with four randomly-assigned roommates who all happened to be our visiting students from China. I guess the university wanted to keep them together so they’d have a support system around, and I somehow got caught in the crossfire. They were generally very nice and very polite, but they were in the kitchen 12+ hours a day cooking elaborate meals for lunch and dinner. (I’m more the grab-and-go busy student type, I got time to cook maybe once a day every few days.)
Anyway, after a month the constant smell of fish, garlic, sesame oil, onions, etc, was starting to get to me. I had headaches all the time from the smell, and it was starting to cling to my clothes and hair when I went out. I gently asked that they start opening the window and turning on the vent when they cooked, and maybe tone down their use of the more pungent components of their meals. They told me that if I went to study in China, I’d have to deal with the same smells, and I should just get over it. First of all, if I was studying in China I would have dealt with it, but I chose to study in America. And if I had gone to China, I would have done my best to assimilate and respect their culture instead of expecting them to deal with mine.
So I guess that’s a long and venty way of saying that people can be very inconsiderate when it comes to cooking fish.
Feb 11, 2008 at 4:47 pm rating: 0
#29
Grimfool_Reluctant
Radiply? Radiply? Pathetic professor, indeed. Less Brut, more Splelchekc!
Feb 11, 2008 at 4:54 pm rating: +7
#30
bamBAM!!
Were they trying to make the whole thing more light-hearted with the happy go lucky fish picture??
Feb 11, 2008 at 5:08 pm rating: 0
#31
Troy McClure
Some excerpts from Dr Suess:
One fish
Two fish
Dead fish
Pee-yoo fish
…
This one has a little stench.
This one’s rotting on the bench.
Say! You eat a lot of fish, you wench!
…
We took a look.
We saw a schnook.
And on his head he had no hair.
The smell of Brut was everywhere.
He sure told us “How to Cook”.
…
At our office we heat up fish.
We have to heat up many fish.
And that is why we have baking soda.
Baking soda for fish is very good.
Have you some baking soda for fish?
You should.
…
When I wish to make a wish,
I make a sign with a big swish swish.
On it I say, “Don’t heat up fish!”
and draw a fish upside-down on a dish.
…
And now, goodbye.
It’s time to work.
I’ll shut up now,
but might still lurk.
Feb 11, 2008 at 6:08 pm rating: +9
#32
Rachael
I kinda sympathize. It reminds me of when I rented from a whacko guy whose “personal assistant” would make kimchee for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I felt really shy about saying anything because I was worried it would be taken the wrong way but my room was right next to the kitchen and the smell…
Feb 11, 2008 at 11:07 pm rating: +1
#33
Suebob
Sometimes I come in from the outside world and the whole floor smells like rotten, stank-ass fish. It is like a Wall of Smell when you open the door. Gag.
Feb 12, 2008 at 12:49 am rating: 0
#34
Minda
I am not typically sympathetic to note-writers, but it’s crazy how debilitating a bad microwave smell can be. My old roommate reheated egg rolls once, and the stench lingered for days. I couldn’t even focus on my daily episode(s) of Law & Order, and the headache I got from the smell lasted almost a week.
Team Don’t Eat Smelly Shit in Other People’s Spaces
Feb 12, 2008 at 1:58 am rating: 0
#35
bcteagirl
Erg… that first note really gets to me, given the background. Team don’t tell people they can’t eat their food because it ‘offends’ you… Maybe he should lay off the cologne.. perhaps it offends the Asian students!
Feb 12, 2008 at 9:31 pm rating: +1
#36
SHARKFAN
What does radiply mean?
It looks like the professor doesn’t know how to use spell check.
Feb 12, 2008 at 10:44 pm rating: +1
#37
cookiemunstahh
Man I swear this IS some cultural bullshit. My mom had the WORST supervisor ever (talking shit behind her back, etc… even though she did nothing… that woman was SO bad my mom quit because of her… I think they did something illegal because she when she gave the letter of resignation that said she’d leave 2 weeks later that bitch came out and said “You can leave now” with a smirk as if she’d won… I thought of firebombing that bitch’s car) and she also yelled at my mom for bringing fish to the office, though everyone else didn’t care. She was the only one. (My mom is Viet btw.)
Besides Westerners don’t know the difference between fresh fish and bad fish. Every single Ralphs/Albertsons/etc I’ve been to has had bad fish. Only the Asians supermarkets have fresh fish… and upscale seafood restaurants. Fresh fish smells good, I dunno wth ya’ll are talking about.
The “This is America” argument doesn’t work here. While I think it works for language as it is an essential part of life, smells are not. Live with it. Come on… Westerners eat Camembert (which I love btw… I’m part French as well lol) and it smells like ass on a stick. What I put in my mouth shouldn’t matter to someone else.
Also my mom’s friends owned a Viet restaurant in a rich, predominately white area and some white folks next door (another business) kept complaining about the smell and demanding they fix their vents. They eventually caved in and they worked fine, no smells. BUT GUESS WHAT they kept complaining, racist bastards. Finally they sold the business to someone else because they couldn’t handle the harassment from those assholes.
If it’s some lady who’s complaining, she should think about closing her legs.
XD I credit my roommate for that one.
Feb 13, 2008 at 4:47 am rating: +2
#38
Salieri2
‘Round these parts we refer to the “the bald-up-top-ponytail-in-back look” as a ’skullet,’ and we automatically disqualify anything said by anyone who chooses to sport one.
The Brut-bathing would be a finable offense.
For what it’s worth.
Feb 13, 2008 at 4:56 pm rating: +1
#39
Mary
Wow! NO FISH got the green light!
It was so unfair because NO FISH was allowed for the majority of microwave users, but go right ahead with your microwave popcorn.
Anyway, author of NO FISH also:
1. Dressed in entire outfits of a single, vivid primary color. For example, royal blue cords + royal blue sweater. Also wore expressive sweaters, the kind that tell a story. Gone fishing, or the deer hunt or, during the holidays, the sleigh ride!
2. Got a kick out of talking about mouse sex. Like, going all adolescent about the LUCKY male laboratory mouse who would get to DO IT with all the lady mice for the sake of science. Gross.
3. Looks like this. Photographic evidence FTW.
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u127/seppaku/image.jpg
Feb 14, 2008 at 4:04 pm rating: 0
#40
Michelle
I worked in an office where one of the big shots complained about the smell of popcorn in the office and how unprofessional it was and that we shouldn’t be cooking such odorous things in the kitchen. The next day, I brought in fish and brussel sprouts to (over) cook in the microwave. He never complained about the popcorn again.
Mar 22, 2008 at 11:06 pm rating: 0
#41
Olivia
Ah, “radiply” – that’s just so painfully obviously misspelled that it somehow loops around and becomes perfectly acceptable. Long live Radiply.
Also, am I the only one sensin’ a lit bit of sarcasm in #3’s “DELICIOUS lunch”?
Apr 1, 2008 at 2:33 pm rating: 0
#42 perhaps it’s time for a little group therapy?
[...] eau dear extra credit: “food odors at work” [chowhound.com] digg_skin = ‘compact’; [...]
May 19, 2008 at 4:24 pm rating: 0
#43
Mishee
Jesus! I never commented on this note?
That’s not the microwave, RB just needs to put on underwear and close her legs!
Aug 13, 2008 at 12:43 pm rating: 0
#44 the silverware segregationist
[...] related: eau dear [...]
Nov 13, 2008 at 12:00 pm rating: 0
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