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Everybody has a food smell they can’t stand, and every roommate has a limit for how much of it they’ll tolerate.

A tenant cooked anchovy pasta one afternoon, opened all the windows, and figured that would be the end of it.

Her roommate came home, smelled fish, and got angry, demanding to know why she’d cooked it.

The tenant apologized right away, but the roommate kept bringing it up, complaining again and again and telling her how mad she was.

By evening, friends had arrived and were praising the smell of her fresh cookies instead.

She admits the fish was strong, but it was a one-time thing. Now she’s wondering if she’s really the problem.

Read on for the full story.

AITAH for cooking anchovies at home?

Ok, so I (21F) cooked pasta with anchovies today at home. I have 2 roommates (22F both).

One of my roommates came home and immediately smelled the fish and got angry.

The chef knew this smell would be polarizing, so she did her best to deal with it.

I had opened all the windows in the apartment, but yeah, you know, I agree it’s a smell you don’t easily get rid of.

She asked me why I had to cook this, and I apologized for the smell.

But for her roommate, this still wasn’t enough.

She then complained again at least 5 times in the afternoon, saying she was mad at me.

Mind you, we had friends coming over at like 6 p.m., and I was baking cookies, and they all complimented the smell of the cookies.

Like, I KNOW it smells bad, right? But I don’t cook fish often… I don’t know, man.

AITAH?

She can’t go back in time and choose not to cook the fish, but it still seems like her roomie is expecting her to do the impossible.

Redditors chime in with their thoughts.

If she wants to get one little quick complaint in, fine, but this is getting ridiculous.

This roomie still has agency in this situation.

If anything, both parties will know better for next time.

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If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a homeowner who doesn’t think their painters should use their water spigot on the job.

Believe it or not, there are more pungent aromas out there.

This roommate has mistaken a one-time dinner for a personal attack, and she’s made her stance on the matter abundantly clear.

The tenant opened every window, owned the smell, and apologized before anyone had to ask twice. That should have more than settled it.

Anchovies are a lot, and nobody is pretending otherwise, but a fish dinner that happens once in a blue moon doesn’t earn an afternoon of grumbling.

This apartment smells like a whole lot of drama.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.