'AITA for telling my co-worker to stop bringing fish for lunch every day as it stinks up the office?'

When it comes to workplace conflicts, some issues stink more than others—literally.

A Reddit user took to the infamous "Am I The A**hole" (AITA) forum to spill the tea about a lunchtime drama involving her coworker Jason and his daily choice of pungent fishy meals.

In a post titled "AITA for asking my coworker to stop bringing fish for lunch every day?", the OP (original poster) set the stage for a seafood showdown that’s got everyone talking.

OP complains about co-worker's fishy meals

“So I (30F) work in a small office with about 10 other people,” the OP began. “One of my coworkers, ‘Jason’ (probably late 20s?), has this thing where he brings fish for lunch almost every single day. It’s not just basic fish either—it’s stuff like mackerel, sardines, or salmon. The smell is insane and lingers for hours,” she said.

She explained that while she’s all for people eating what they want, the shared breakroom is tiny. "I get that people should be allowed to eat whatever they want, but we all share the same small breakroom and I feel like it’s just common courtesy to avoid food that’s… potent."

"Other coworkers have complained quietly to me, but no one has said anything to Jason directly. I feel horrible dictating what someone else can eat, but the whole office hates it, and it really stinks up the room," the OP continued.

So, the OP decided to take one for the team. "A few days ago, I decided to address it. I pulled him aside and as politely as I could, I said something like, “Hey, I noticed you bring fish for lunch a lot. It’s kind of strong-smelling, and it’s tough for everyone to deal with in such a small space. Do you think you could bring something else now and then?”

But Jason got defensive, saying fish is healthy, and people need to “grow up” and stop being so sensitive. That wasn’t all—he escalated things by bringing it up during a team meeting, accusing co-workers of “food shaming” him.

"I honestly thought I was being reasonable, but now I feel like an a**hole because maybe it is unfair to ask someone to change their eating habits just for my comfort. AITA?" the OP asked.

Reddit jury delivers a unanimous verdict

The AITA community is never shy about serving up opinions, and this time was no different. Top commenters overwhelmingly sided with the OP and called out her co-worker's behavior.

"NTA," one commenter wrote. “Breakrooms are a shared space. There's nothing wrong with asking Jason not to bring strong, fishy smells into the breakroom. I'd also ask a coworker not to bring durian in, if someone did. It's gauche to stink up the breakroom with fish smells. Jason's reaction is AH behavior."

"He's within his rights to keep bringing fish, but telling people to 'grow up' because they're annoyed he's stinking up the breakroom is a total AH move. It's not unfair to ask people to be considerate of shared spaces. They're shared spaces. It's the staff room, not Jason's Stinky Fish Room," they added.

"NTA. This is a reasonable request and you did him the favor of communicating it quietly/privately, and kindly. Your request is literally just that he SOMETIMES not bring in fish. Like what a freak that he a) does that and b) thinks others are unreasonable for disliking the constant smell of fish. LOL," another wrote.

"NTA microwaving fish in a shared breakroom is one of the top workplace sins, right up there with burning popcorn in the shared space. It is not an unreasonable request to not want to gag during the workday," read a comment.

"NTA - It's pretty inconsiderate to smell up your workplace, particularly when it's a small space, every day and not take into account the impact it might have on others. You approached it in a reasonable way and others have told you how they hate it as well. It's give and take in an office with stuff like this and his refusal to compromise and weaponize your comment make him an AH," someone else chimed in.

Some commenters even shared their own fishy office horror stories.

"NTA - we had a co-worker who did this also, stinky fish every day. So irritating. The managers eventually had enough of the rest of us complaining and told him to get more 'neutral' food or go eat outside," one person said.

"His actions impact everyone, he needs to make the accommodations by changing his behavior. Yes, he can eat what he wants. But he can also do it in a way that doesn't bother you. HE either brings different food, or he fucks off and eats on his own in the car park or wherever," they added.

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