In an office with a shared refrigerator that’s rarely caused issues, one coworker brought in a store-bought bag of kimchi and kept it in the fridge for days, sealed only with a small clip.

Over time, the smell spread, and eventually, the taste did too, affecting nearby foods like fruit, sandwiches, coffee, and even butter.

Read on for the story.

AITA for “calling out” a coworker’s kimchi in the office fridge ?

Straight to it: me and my colleagues share an office fridge, and there have rarely been any issues up until recently.

A coworker brought in, a few days ago, a bag of kimchi – it is not homemade, as it is stored in the bag it is sold in, one that my coworker has then closed with a little claw clip thingy. You know, those things they sell at IKEA? It will be relevant, as well, it is not hermetic at all.

Now, to preface: I have nothing against “cultural” foods (because this is what I’ve been getting in terms of criticism) and I absolutely love Korean food, kimchi included.

Who doesn’t?

The issue is that that godforsaken kimchi bag has been in the fridge for about a week, and the fridge now reeks of kimchi –normally an issue I can deal with, except now the taste has started to “get into” other foods stored there, if you know what I mean?

I have a couple kiwis in there, who now vaguely taste like kimchi. Same for my sandwiches, and my cold brew that I make ; worst of all, it’s gotten into the fancy butter that I like to keep there.

Hence, I put a post-it note on the fridge : “can the person who brought in the kimchi eat it / throw it / store it better, as it is now causing odor and taste problems for other items in the fridge. Thank you”. I tried to be straightforward and neutral, describing a problem so it could be fixed.

Problem solved.

I’ve now been accused of being culturally insensitive, disrespecting my coworker’s origins and making her feel bad/ put on the spot (she is Korean, but I never assumed she was the one who had brought the kimchi in and never targeted her directly).

Again, I had truly no bad intentions behind it. A few years ago, we had a similar issue with a very stinky cheese (the office is in France), someone put up a similar post-it, and it was swiftly dealt with, no issues.

I think I am not the AH, but some people in the office are saying I should apologize to her and that I was in the wrong.

Instead of resolving the issue, the note sparked backlash, with accusations of cultural insensitivity and singling someone out. What’s Reddit think?

Most people say NTA…though a note might’ve been a bit passive aggressive.

This person has an idea on how to get the point across.

And this person knows all about kimchi storage, and says the coworker should’ve known too…

At what point does “shared fridge etiquette” stop being about culture and start being about common courtesy?

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.