Food

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

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Do I have something in my teeth? And other annoying habits we should be aware of

The other day I told an acquaintance something I've been wanting to say for a long time: "You have about 6 months worth of plaque stuck between your two front teeth."

Why didn't I tell her this before? The truth is that a. we are not very close and b. it wasn't my place. It's the place of the mirror, a string of dental floss, a dentist or close friend but not for an acquaintance. I took one for the team and decided if I didn't step up to the plate, the girl would be walking around, smiling and making people queasy without knowing. I began to think about things people don't and should share with even their loosest acquaintance, to spare embarrassment.

I called it in to a friend and self-proclaimed "social expert" who's infamous for saying all things we want to say but don't. Together, we narrowed down the top 5 icky things we all do when we eat but shouldn't do. They are absolutely obvious but worthy of repeating as we all seem to keep doing them over and over again.

1. Talking with our mouths full
Duh, but I'm serious here. We all know this is not cool, but we all do it anyway! Think about the last time you consciously swallowed every last bit before opening your bouche?

2. Slurping our soup
This is really gross. I don't care if your ears are closer to the source, if you hear the slurp, we do too and what's more, we see it, which is way worse..

3. Rushing our meal
What's the rush? It's not going anywhere unless of course you're dining with a food thief, which brings me to my next "don't."

4. Eating off of someone else's plate.
We've all been guilty of it. You're super hungry and your rail-thin friend is only having a few of her fries. Try to avoid. It's simply not great form and terribly habit forming, so just say no.

5. Splish splashing away
Some dude splashed cranberry sauce from his turkey sandwich on my purse today and I nearly threw up. Most foods have a splash factor. Figure it out and don't let it happen.

Related links:

What's the etiquette for the new communal table trend?

Is it OK to steal a pickle from a family member's plate?

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From the Community…

Comments 1-10 of 16
  • Superwoman's Avatar
    Posted by Superwoman Tue Aug 19, 2008 1:01pm PDT

    HOw can she not have seen "it"? Doesn't she brush her teeth?

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  • M G's Avatar
    Posted by M G Tue Aug 19, 2008 1:05pm PDT

    ok, i think you missed a big one-

    licking your fingers for any reason is sick! i don't care if you are eating finger foods, because then you got someone who just licked off their fingers eating fries then goes to open the ketchup bottle with those slimy paws or grabs the salt shaker. eww. but i definitely agree with the others.

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  • Brandy's Avatar
    Posted by Brandy Tue Aug 19, 2008 1:24pm PDT

    you also missed smaking... I agree with the rest

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  • Maggie Nemser, Shine staff's Avatar
    Posted by Maggie Nemser, Shine staff Tue Aug 19, 2008 1:25pm PDT

    That is absolutely huge. It's worthy of a numero 6 but I'm hoping the comments will make the list complete! Thanks MG!

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  • Jerbizzle's Avatar
    Posted by Jerbizzle Tue Aug 19, 2008 2:48pm PDT

    I agree with all of these and the licking fingers is totally true too. My one comment is about eating off of your friends plate. Sharing is caring and being able to share food with your friends is super important and can even be a bonding experience. On the other hand, if its just an acquaintance stay away for sure unless it seems like something to bond over like "This food is terrible, try this! " ;)

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  • Ashley's Avatar
    Posted by Ashley Tue Aug 19, 2008 3:20pm PDT

    I am so anal about dining habits and I notice EVERYTHING. In my experience men are worse than woman and old people are worse than that. Here are a few that top my list

    -scraping your teeth on the fork. I cannot stand that noise!

    -eating finger food but never putting it down. Take a bite of your burger...and put it down!! Don't hold on to it with one hand while you shovel in fries and chew. It won't run off the plate I promise.

    -taking seconds when you aren't even finished with the food on your plate. Pig.

    -continuing to put more food in your mouth when you aren't done chewing what is already in there. The next bite isn't going anywhere.

    And I totally agree with rushing. What is the big hurry?! This isn't the Indy 500. I will not go to a buffet restaurant for these reasons and the fact that I cannot watch people with bad manners eat. Gross.

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  • Wingless Pilot's Avatar
    Posted by Wingless Pilot Tue Aug 19, 2008 11:39pm PDT

    Food for thought...I'll say!

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  • Kitten's Avatar
    Posted by Kitten Wed Aug 20, 2008 6:47am PDT

    The chewing with your mouth open has ruined more than one meal for me. I get chills just thinking about it. And how did that guy splash cranberry on your purse? Was he waving his food in the air? Is a knife and fork a new concept for him? Whatever happened to manners?

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  • Mmgirl's Avatar
    Posted by Mmgirl Thu Aug 21, 2008 8:08am PDT

    I don't know what is up with you guys, but I tell people flat out not to do those things. If you are going to talk with your mouth full of food user your napkin to cover it. If you are chewing with your mouth wide open, I will ask them to chew with it closed. I guess being blunt doesn't come natrually to a lot of people.

    The teeth thing is just nasty. Seriously disgusting!

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  • MochaMama42's Avatar
    Posted by MochaMama42 Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:01am PDT

    LMAO!!!!

    At least you told her. I want to know why SHE hadn't noticed it all this time. I still can't stop laughing at the mental picture in my head.

    Don't forget offering a mint or gum when the offense is BAD BREATH!!!

    I do it all the time, and expect others to do the same.

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Comments 1-10 of 16

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