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?