So, my neighbor told me to stop cooking “smelly” foodand things got a bit awkward.
Ive just moved into a new flat in a three-story terraced house. Ive got two neighborsones a young family with two little ones, and the other is this middle-aged woman named Margaret who lives alone.
I thought wed all get on finenever had any issues with neighbors before. But then, out of nowhere, Margaret made things a bit weird.
One evening, I was whipping up dinner when the doorbell rang. Opened it to find Margaret standing there, looking proper annoyed. She went on about how the garlic smell from my cooking was seeping through the wall and ruining her telly time. She actually asked me to cut back on the garlic next time!
I was gobsmacked but just nodded and let it go. Fast forward to the next weekI made my favourite creamy garlic chicken pasta. Few days later, my landlord turns up at my door, saying thered been a complaint about “persistent cooking smells.”
At first, I was fumingcouldnt believe shed gone to the landlord instead of just talking to me. But then I figured, maybe theres a better way to handle this.
So next time I cooked the same dish, I knocked on Margarets door with a plate in hand. Smiling, I said, “Reckon you were just jealous cause it smells too goodfancy a taste?”
She looked shocked, but took the plate and actually invited me in. Turns out, she started telling me about how she used to love garlic bread as a kid, but her ex-husband hated the smell, so she stopped making anything with garlic years ago. My cooking had brought all those memories backand frustrated her that shed ignored what she liked for so long.
Next morning, she left me a note saying the food was brilliant. Now? I always make extra for her, and sometimes we even cook together. Proper nice, really.
