My Neighbor Told Me to Stop Cooking ‘Smelly’ Food—Then It Got Personal

Sometimes, you can get into arguments with your neighbors over some minor things. Like it happened to one of our readers, Monica, whose cooking was criticized for an unusual reason. She shared her story with us to give an example for anyone facing similar issues.

Smelly dinner

I’ve recently moved to a new flat in a four-storey house. I have two neighbors next door. One of them is a young family with two kids, and my other neighbor is a middle-aged woman, Maria, who lives alone.

I thought I would get along with them without any issue, as I’ve never had any problems with my neighbors in my previous places. However, my optimistic view was suddenly changed following a strange incident with the lady next door.

On a Friday night, I was cooking dinner when someone rang my doorbell. I was surprised to see Maria at my door. She started to complain that the garlic smell coming from my flat was bothering her through the wall. She said it was so strong that she couldn’t enjoy her favorite TV show and asked me not to use so much garlic next time.

I was stunned but didn’t say anything and just forgot about the whole incident. The following week, I made my favorite pasta with chicken and garlic. A few days later, to my surprise, the landlord showed up at my door. He said someone complained to him and criticized me for a “recurring odor issue.”

The solution

First, I became angry that my neighbor went behind my back and put me in this uncomfortable position. Then I started to think about a solution that could solve the situation.

So next time, when I cooked the same food, I went to Maria, and said with a smile, “Maybe you were upset because the food smelled too good, and you just wanted to taste it.” Then I handed her a plate of the dish I’ve been cooking.

Everything changed

She looked surprised, but took my plate and invited me in. Then she started to tell me about her childhood, when one of her favorite foods was garlic bread.

But her husband didn’t like the smell of it, so she hasn’t made any food with garlic in decades. When I made my dishes, she remembered how much she loved it, and became frustrated that she only cared about her husband’s taste.

The next day, Maria left a thank-you note at my door, saying the food was delicious. Since then, I have always made a portion for her as well, and we even cook sometimes together.

Not everyone can make peace and even become friends with their neighbors, as some of them can make co-living tough. As proof, just read our collection of the 18 Neighbor Stories That Made Us Google “Best Places to Avoid Humans”.