My Neighbour Asked Me to Stop Cooking Smelly FoodThen Things Took a Turn
Id just moved into a new flat in a three-storey terrace house. Ive got two neighbours next doora young couple with two kids on one side, and a middle-aged woman named Margaret living alone on the other.
I reckoned Id get on with them just fine, since Id never had any bother with neighbours before. But my optimism didnt last long after a strange run-in with Margaret.
One evening, I was cooking dinner when the doorbell rang. To my surprise, it was Margaret. She started complaining that the smell of onions from my flat was seeping through the wall. Said it was so strong it put her off her favourite telly programme and asked if I could go easier on the onions next time.
I was taken aback but kept quiet and brushed it off. The next week, I whipped up my favourite sausage and onion casserole. A few days later, the landlord knocked on my door. Someone had complained to him about a “persistent smell issue.”
At first, I was furious shed gone behind my back and landed me in hot water. Then I figured Id better sort it out properly.
Next time I cooked, I knocked on Margarets door with a plate in hand and said with a grin, “Maybe the smell was so good it made you fancy a bite yourself.” I handed her a serving of what Id made.
Everything shifted then. She looked startled but took the plate and invited me in. Over tea, she told me how as a girl, shed loved onion gravy with her Sunday roast. But her late husband couldnt stand the smell, so shed stopped cooking with onions altogether. My cooking had brought it all back, and shed been cross with herself for forgetting what she liked.
The next morning, I found a note from Margaret thanking mesaid the food was brilliant. Since then, Ive always made extra for her, and weve even had a few cooking sessions together.
