Woman Has The Audacity To Complain About Another Kid’s Lunch To Her Mom, Gets Shut Down
Parents may choose to pack their child’s school lunch for several reasons, including nutritional control, saving money, and even teaching them responsibility.
Reddit user Pastel-Clouds-808 also does this. However, the woman was recently approached by her daughter’s classmate’s mom, and the lady told her she needed to stop, or at least change the menu.
The reason was simple: her son couldn’t stand the smell.
The Redditor replied that the boy was free to choose another chair at the cafeteria, but the lady wouldn’t budge and the two mothers got into a heated argument.
Unsure if she handled the situation correctly, Pastel-Clouds-808 made a post on the popular subreddit ‘Am I the [Jerk]?‘ describing what exactly happened during the exchange and asked the members of the sub to share their take on it.
This woman was packing her daughter Asian food for lunch
Image credits: Fernando Santos (not the actual photo)
But the girl’s classmate thought it smelled disgusting
Image credits: halfpoint (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Pastel-Clouds-808
Image credits: Markus Winkler (not the actual photo)
To the untrained taste palate, Asian cuisine can take some time to get used to
Asian food can, indeed, have a variety of smells. For example, writer Vivian Giang, who grew up in a Vietnamese-Chinese family, said her favorite dishes from childhood included ca chien sot ca — fried fish with tomato sauce and drenched with garlic fish (yes, more fish!) sauce — and ca kho to — braised fish simmered with caramel sauce with tons of shallots, peppers, and garlic cooked in a clay pot.
“To this day I can’t stop salivating every time bo kho is on the stove (a rich, hearty beef stew slow-cooked for hours with gelatin-rich beef stock, aromatic spices, potatoes, carrots, lime juice, and fresh herbs),” Giang wrote.
“Every morning (and on cold nights), my Chinese grandfather would make a generous pot of congee and we’d eat the piping hot rice porridge with fermented bean curd, pickled preserves, and century eggs.”
“And then there’s bun bo hue, a brothy noodle stew cooked with tender brisket, lemongrass, basil, shallots, and fresh herbs exploding with so much flavor, you’ll find yourself literally crying into your bowl as you eat it because it’s just so spicy, hot, and delicious.”
But Giang said that these dishes came with an ‘added’ price, or as she called it, “the lingering smells that cling to every fiber of your being until it seeps into your pores.”
Even today, when Giang talks to her friends from immigrant families, they cringe “at the memory of their own childhood homes permeated with smelly ‘ethnic’ foods.”
However, without having an extensive list of the dishes that the Redditor packed her daughter, we cannot determine how bad (or good) it smelled
Parents should take extra precautions when preparing and packing their kid’s school lunches, as flunking in food safety is not an option. Especially when children are most vulnerable to foodborne illness.
The USDA has some tips to help them, but they’re mostly about keeping cold foods cold and hot foods hot, keeping raw meats separate from ready-to-eat foods, proper refrigeration, and so on.
As long as the dishes are well prepared and safe to consume, the smells are more of a mutual understanding kind of thing.
What’s certain, however, is that you probably shouldn’t insult a person and call their meals disgusting if you want something from them.
As her story went viral, the mom provided more information in the comments
And most people said she did nothing wrong
But some believed she could be more considerate
This was an episode of Fresh off the Boat but the kid was bullied and begging his mother not to pack him asian lunches. I wonder what the kid thinks about it. But I don't really get the problem since the cafeteria is cooking food as well. There are all kinds of different lunch smells in the lunchroom
Debra needs to take her kid to a neurologist and get him checked out. Allergies aren't the only thing soy triggers. I get micro seizures from the smell. Dysosmia is real. And it is a MF to deal with. I also happen to be allergic to it so that's fun too. I use coconut aminos as a substitute when I cook Asian dishes.
I guess you don't expect everybody to stop eating what you are allergic to. If somebody is allergic to a smell, he can sit somewhere else. Full stop. Or you explain politely and try to find a way. But this is a case of "as I don't like it nobody can eat it", with a good dose of racism to make it even worse. If the girl likes it, the boy and his mother can really f. off.
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teriyaki chicken? i want some.... also, yeah, the racist can just go f off. no need to compromise. in fact, id pack an even smellier lunch, just because. maybe that fish thing?
Let's just say Debra is a racist piece of f*ck and while I hate durian, I'd happily pack one and crack it open in her vicinity (yup, I'm spitefully petty).
i was looking for the durian in the comments :-D
Load More Replies... No one is harmed by smelling someone else's food. I don't think your nose should dictated what I can/cannot eat. I'd also say F off.
No one is EVER the AH for telling racists to F- Off. It is twisted disease that should not be tolerated in a civilized society.
Exactly. Even if the girl took a really stinky lunch to school, there are civilised ways of asking or suggesting. Insult, especially based on ethnicity, should never be tolerated.
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Teachers where I r-taught used to have a problem with my Greek salads, but I got that. Feta can smell bad, but Asian food? Sad we have to live with people like Debra.
That ridiculous, you can barely even smell most feta unless it's right under your nose.
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The only thing that has no business in a communal lunch area is fish that has been rewarmed in the microwave. Anything else, there's no excuse to be a d**k. Sounds like this was just blatant prejudice/racism.
I think OP should check with her daughter and ask A) is she being bullied about her lunch, and b) would she rather take something else? Having stinky food isn't going to do her any favours at shool. A lot of Asian foods are probrably fine, some non-asian food are definately stinky. It's not about race or culture, it's about being considerate of other people. Chicken teriyaki - not a problem. Fermented fish - definately a problem. Ever been in an office where someone microwaves fish?
From what I know, Japanese foods generally don't fall under the "stinky" category, especially packed bento boxes which are meant to be eaten in public. And kids don't have access to microwaves at school cafeterias, anyway, which eliminates the chance of someone heating up pungent foods. To me, the question is have any other kids complained or is it just Debra's kid? If it's just Debra's kid complaining, then either OP's daughter or Debra's kid can sit somewhere else further away.
Load More Replies... Mixed bag on this one, for sure. You handled this wrong! Never use foul language on the school grounds, ever. I have said some very demeaning things that were perfectly acceptable. " Well, aren't you a busy-body!' or 'I'm sorry, are you the new Queen of the world?' If she had asked or opened a discussion, it would have been so much different, but she didn't. Next topic, well into my 30s, the smell of garlic would turn my stomach so bad that I could hurl and sometimes did. I had several bad food allergies. As an adult, I suspect that my mom had a chat with the other Mom before she would let me spend the night or whatever. I remember that I would ask if I could and she would say, well let me talk to Mrs. So and So first. I never came across foods I couldn't have at any of these homes. Even my Italian friends would serve something without garlic when I came over. And I never noticed! So, can you pack a lunch with less aroma? Can the kids sit apart? Have you brought the teacher in on this?
I've encountered cuisines aroma that aren't to my liking before. And I have NEVER acted entitled nor will I allow my niece/nephew to act in such manners. You don't like how smell? Well, then TOUGH it out hon. LOL. There's a LONG list of things you won't like about living and this won't be the last time you'll have to deal with it
it all depends on which foods are being packed. Kimchi is not okay. Teriyaki chicken should be okay. If the kids eat in a big food hall, not a small classroom, then it shouldn't be a problem as they can sit at opposite ends of the lunch hall. The other mother needs to figure out what exactly is bothering her son. What if it's the broccoli? Not sure if that smells bad as leftovers; fresh broccoli should be okay (I only like it from this one Chinese restaurant myself). If it's the soy and or dysosmia, well the child will need professional help with that, because there's no avoiding soy in this world.
This was an episode of Fresh off the Boat but the kid was bullied and begging his mother not to pack him asian lunches. I wonder what the kid thinks about it. But I don't really get the problem since the cafeteria is cooking food as well. There are all kinds of different lunch smells in the lunchroom
Debra needs to take her kid to a neurologist and get him checked out. Allergies aren't the only thing soy triggers. I get micro seizures from the smell. Dysosmia is real. And it is a MF to deal with. I also happen to be allergic to it so that's fun too. I use coconut aminos as a substitute when I cook Asian dishes.
I guess you don't expect everybody to stop eating what you are allergic to. If somebody is allergic to a smell, he can sit somewhere else. Full stop. Or you explain politely and try to find a way. But this is a case of "as I don't like it nobody can eat it", with a good dose of racism to make it even worse. If the girl likes it, the boy and his mother can really f. off.
Load More Replies... teriyaki chicken? i want some.... also, yeah, the racist can just go f off. no need to compromise. in fact, id pack an even smellier lunch, just because. maybe that fish thing?
Let's just say Debra is a racist piece of f*ck and while I hate durian, I'd happily pack one and crack it open in her vicinity (yup, I'm spitefully petty).
i was looking for the durian in the comments :-D
Load More Replies... No one is harmed by smelling someone else's food. I don't think your nose should dictated what I can/cannot eat. I'd also say F off.
No one is EVER the AH for telling racists to F- Off. It is twisted disease that should not be tolerated in a civilized society.
Exactly. Even if the girl took a really stinky lunch to school, there are civilised ways of asking or suggesting. Insult, especially based on ethnicity, should never be tolerated.
Load More Replies... Teachers where I r-taught used to have a problem with my Greek salads, but I got that. Feta can smell bad, but Asian food? Sad we have to live with people like Debra.
That ridiculous, you can barely even smell most feta unless it's right under your nose.
Load More Replies... The only thing that has no business in a communal lunch area is fish that has been rewarmed in the microwave. Anything else, there's no excuse to be a d**k. Sounds like this was just blatant prejudice/racism.
I think OP should check with her daughter and ask A) is she being bullied about her lunch, and b) would she rather take something else? Having stinky food isn't going to do her any favours at shool. A lot of Asian foods are probrably fine, some non-asian food are definately stinky. It's not about race or culture, it's about being considerate of other people. Chicken teriyaki - not a problem. Fermented fish - definately a problem. Ever been in an office where someone microwaves fish?
From what I know, Japanese foods generally don't fall under the "stinky" category, especially packed bento boxes which are meant to be eaten in public. And kids don't have access to microwaves at school cafeterias, anyway, which eliminates the chance of someone heating up pungent foods. To me, the question is have any other kids complained or is it just Debra's kid? If it's just Debra's kid complaining, then either OP's daughter or Debra's kid can sit somewhere else further away.
Load More Replies... Mixed bag on this one, for sure. You handled this wrong! Never use foul language on the school grounds, ever. I have said some very demeaning things that were perfectly acceptable. " Well, aren't you a busy-body!' or 'I'm sorry, are you the new Queen of the world?' If she had asked or opened a discussion, it would have been so much different, but she didn't. Next topic, well into my 30s, the smell of garlic would turn my stomach so bad that I could hurl and sometimes did. I had several bad food allergies. As an adult, I suspect that my mom had a chat with the other Mom before she would let me spend the night or whatever. I remember that I would ask if I could and she would say, well let me talk to Mrs. So and So first. I never came across foods I couldn't have at any of these homes. Even my Italian friends would serve something without garlic when I came over. And I never noticed! So, can you pack a lunch with less aroma? Can the kids sit apart? Have you brought the teacher in on this?
I've encountered cuisines aroma that aren't to my liking before. And I have NEVER acted entitled nor will I allow my niece/nephew to act in such manners. You don't like how smell? Well, then TOUGH it out hon. LOL. There's a LONG list of things you won't like about living and this won't be the last time you'll have to deal with it
it all depends on which foods are being packed. Kimchi is not okay. Teriyaki chicken should be okay. If the kids eat in a big food hall, not a small classroom, then it shouldn't be a problem as they can sit at opposite ends of the lunch hall. The other mother needs to figure out what exactly is bothering her son. What if it's the broccoli? Not sure if that smells bad as leftovers; fresh broccoli should be okay (I only like it from this one Chinese restaurant myself). If it's the soy and or dysosmia, well the child will need professional help with that, because there's no avoiding soy in this world.
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