"I am dealing with an office full of people that bring in desserts to share. I'm not having luck convincing them that this is as bad as smoking in the office. One woman brings in brownies every week, has been asked by the manangers not to, and she still continues. Any suggestions?"

I wrote about this reader query in my previous post, but I wanted to come back to it.

* The parallels between tobacco and sugary/fatty/salty processed foods are many, but this isn't one of them. Everyone, not just problem eaters, suffered from secondhand smoke. And, we didn't ban smoking in public places because smoke would tempt those trying to stop.

* The payoff some people get from plying others with sweets is fascinating to observe. This isn't someone who just wants to eat a brownie while she's at work. This is someone who wants to put them out, to display not only her baking skill but her obvious generosity. Evidently, these payoffs outweigh the facts that a colleague has said her actions cause a problem for her, and that her bosses have instructed her to stop.

She's not unique. Even more so at holidays, but pretty much any time, people express love and fellowship with sugar and flour. It is a connection wrought in childhood and very tough to combat.

* Managers can be so feckless. Jeez — either make a rule and make it stick, or say you're not going to. Is there any explanation apart from weenie-dom?