You know what I hate most…lingering food smells. I walked into the office today, and the place smelled like an onion and garlic locker! It was awful; like sliced red onions fermenting in Italian vinaigrette on a 100 degree day! It drives me crazy!
In fact, one of my biggest pet peeves (along with butter served in hard, individually wrapped foil) is smelly food in the office. I realize people have to eat during the day, but let’s try to keep it to non-odorous foods like fruit, cookies or bagels. Heating up fish in the micro at lunch, opening a can of tuna like you’re on a camping trip, or ordering in anything spicy (particularly Thai or Indian cuisine) and not opening up a window or door for ventilation is just wrong. I particularly take issue with someone throwing the uneaten portion into MY trash bin, or when I walk into an office where the occupant has thrown it in theirs…come on! Take it to the break room. No one wants to take a meeting in an office that smells like a carnival, deli or In-N-Out!
I’ve always had this obsession with smells. I refuse to go any place for lunch that when I come back, I smell like what I’ve just eaten, and you KNOW what I mean. That smell left on your shirt from the joker in the next booth, who orders sizzling fajitas for lunch (which by the way, isn’t really a Mexican dish, AND inevitably, someone orders every time I go to a Mexican joint); deep fried cat-fish from the Thai place, or hot wok oil with garlic and noodles from the Chinese place. Nothing’s worse than coming back and having to sit in your office all afternoon…reeking like diner…while the lingering food odor from your shirt gives you a headache; yuck!
In fact, I’m so sensitive to smells, that on our trip to wine country this past Christmas, “Edith” kept a journal of all the smells I took in while we were driving from place to place!
For example, if you take the 101 north towards Santa Barbara, there are several crop fields along the way; add in the bonus of farm animals, i.e. pigs and cows…nice. And when you drive off the beaten path into the Central California region, you of course, get into farm country. You smell everything from cabbage and radish fields to fermenting grapes left too long on the vine. There was one smell in particular (and I still can’t pinpoint the origin) that was like stale beer spilled on a bar floor, then mixed with the chlorine used to mop the floor. That was extra special.
And then there is “Mr. Clean” in the front seat, sanitizing his hands with Purell every time we’d get back into the car; not just the original, alcohol loaded Purell, add Aloe Vera into the mix; sweet.
We smelled skunk, skunk and more skunk; diesel from air-polluting cars ahead of us, and the ever present animal farm smell. Having grown up in rural Michigan, I thought I’d never have to smell that again!
So…in order to get through these smell dilemma’s (and a few others), here are several rules to live by..
Judy Ludy Rule #1 – if you’ve made a luncheon appointment, but you’re not sure where you’re going, don’t take the chance of smelling like your lunch all afternoon! DO NOT wear cotton that day, as that’s the worst fiber to catch and retain smells! You may want to wear something that’s easy to launder, or perhaps an over-shirt you can take off when you get back to the office.
Judy Ludy Rule #2 – If you have a luncheon date, AND you’re going out on a date right after work, but don’t have time to go home to change, you MUST take a change of clothes with you to the office, at least a change of shirt. Nothing says LOSER more than smelling like a carnie!
July Ludy Rule #3 – If you notice your hair smells like the burger you had for lunch, keep a bottle of baby powder in your desk. If you sprinkle a small amount all over your roots, then run your fingers through your hair, it really helps in absorbing the odors trapped in your hair; it’s an old trick used by professional stylists (it will also absorb any excess oils you have in your hair, making your hair look fresher).
Use these rules, and I guarantee you’ll be glad you did!