Soooooo if someone smoke and pollute your appartment, you have to suck it up but if you cook something smelly once in a while, you have to stop?

We like to make durian ice-cream!

Tom

Smoking cigarettes cause lot of complaints or annoyance too, don't they
especially in family friendly apartments.

This thread has made me hungry.

funny they complain about your curry when during the zurifest last summer i had to walk around with a gas mask because of all the raclette stands

Yep! Terribly!

Usually on this forum if you complain about someone smoking cigarettes and disturbing you in your house you get the: You have nothing you can do, it is their rights...

And now someone cooks a one time meal and they suggest to not cook it again...

Weird no?

I remember my father having a massive fight with my mother (they are very divorced) because all my clothes smelled of curry due to my stepdad's Asian cooking. And I have to say, I agree with him, it's delicious if you are the one eating it but as a second hand smell, it really is pretty unpleasant. I guess it depends on the apartment building you live in, the smell issue is why many a take-away / restaurant lost or never got their license. Cigarette smoke is just as bad, fingers crossed my new neighbours are not heavy smokers. I really hope the place I move into doesn't decide on a "no barbeque on the balconies even if you use gas" rule...

Next time you want to cook a crab curry, or any curry for that matter, my kitchen is available for you

Well, yeah. Like you said, a one time meal. They are not asking her to change her cooking several times a day for the rest of her life.

If I knew that one particular meal I cooked made my neighbors vomit, I'd stop. (Actually, I wouldn't. I'd ask them to tell me when they are going away and I'd enjoy my special smelly meal whenever they're gone.) I'd be annoyed with them for having such weak stomachs but not as annoyed as they'd be if I didn't stop.

It's just part of living with neighbors so close - and getting along well with my neighbors is more important to me than any particular dish in my repertoire. Except cheesecake, and luckily cheesecake doesn't smell.

Keep in mind that the OP is probably not physically addicted to crab curry (delicious as it may be) so "stopping" is only slightly easier said than done.

__________________
Need help? Contact a mod.

This is because you are a kind and true nice person. But let's assume the neighbour smokes on her balcony many times per day and the OP ask her to stop because she has asthma and it is very bad for her health, what are the chance that she will actually stop doing it?

Of course we can admit that cigarettes is an addiction and it is not something easy to manage. But it still their rights to smoke on their balcony. Like to cook a meal, once in a while...

Maybe I had to many bad experience with smelly issue here... so I can't be impartial... And I am hormonal... I should go and kick someone's butt in the noise thread instead...

Cigarettes, Cooking choices, and vomit aside....... I'm off the impression the point of the OP's post was not perhaps the issue that the neighbour complained, but perhaps the manner in which she was approached.
(re: "insensitive tone")


For me, I always seem to get a mixed bag of responses from Swiss people, and sometimes it can come across quite strongly.

Having just started to learn German, I'm begining to realise that some direct translations of the language could be regarded as 'rude' in an English context.

e.g. "Kommst du mit auf ein Bier?" as an informal request to invite someone for a drink at the pub directly translates to "Come you with for a Beer?"

It would raise eyebrows for me if someone was to say this...... however, I can only assume that our "Denglish" can also be misinterpretted.

My point is not about Beer, but to raise my awareness that I've begun to cut the Swiss some slack with their seemingly 'forceful' nature to verbally approaching a topic.

In most cases now I can see that things were not intended to be so harsh, and they are quickly forgiven.
(In fact, now I mostly assume they are innocent until proven guilty)

But as we know...... sometimes they are just pricks. (as can we)


I think we can all agree that it's in nobody's best interest to piss off your neighbours, and usually a smile and light conversation can address most issues.

I would suggest that you talk polietly to the Janitor again, and throw in some light conversation to guage her reaction.

If she's laughing, then she probably meant you no harm - and perhaps failed miserably in trying to ask you to refrain from preparing a Crab Curry.

If she's still a hard nosed bitch...... I say we have a Curry Party at your place.

I love Crab.
and Curry

(and polite people)

If she was really being 'nippy' with you, you should have told her to scuttle off

But yes I think she over-reacted a little there !

Sounds delicious by the way.

Next time politely ask her to move out.

If she is the janitor, it's possible she is talking about dealing with the trash that resulted from your meal. If not properly secured the waste could stink up the dumpsters / trash area something fierce.

Remind me to never invite you to a party

Knock on her door every day for a week and tell her you had vomited for her food every time and see if she will stop cooking her food, if yes, then you can stop cooking your crab curry .
BTW you just woke up my curiosity and now I need to try crab curry. I've only tried boiled crab and then salt, pepper, lemon and chile habanero yummy!!

Crab Curry




sounds delicious ! BUT Switzerland is NOT really a seafood country. Catholics on Friday may have fish




but more likely some "Wähen"





so that this janitor possibly rather reacts negatively to seafood quite in general and spicy seafood in particular

Another aspect of course is that you when cooking seafood or Sauerkraut etc always should be careful that the inevitably resulting smells get out permanently through the windows and NEVER into the Hausgang

AND why not try to talk about cooking and recipes with the janitor ? The person may get interested in YOUR cooking and may have good ideas about HER cooking

I object very strongly to the smell of potatoes and melted cheese in my apartment building - can anyone advise?

Cheers,
Nick

Oh well - at least she vomited - not something I would normally wish on anyone but if they are so tactless then it is well deserved. Personally the most offensive cooking smell I've ever noticed in this country is that cheese and wine stuff they churn out by the bucketload at any sort of chilbli or town gathering. Turns my stomach so fast (even out in the open) I have to sprint past to try and find some air - but at the same time respecting the right of folk to eat such stuff if it be their desire.

Solution: