There are certain foods that you just can't eat without making a lot of noise. These foods include, but are not limited to, the following: apples, carrot sticks, chips, and nuts. Now I am aware that these foods are tasty, and many loud foods are quite healthy. However, there is a time and a place for eating these foods.
It drives me nuts when people eat loud foods when it is otherwise silent, especially when the eating of such foods is disruptive to productivity. I'm not talking about popcorn at the movies, or loud crunching in a busy restaurant. I'm talking about eating carrot sticks when you share a confined work space, eating a granola bar during a timed exam, eating chips during a lecture, eating an apple in the library. In these instances, all I can hear is the damned loud crunching...I can't focus on my work, I can't concentrate on my exam, I can't focus on what the speaker is saying, I can't do any reading. Such egregious chomping in these instances is extremely rude, as you subject everyone else around you to the distracting sound of your loud crunching, at the expense of whatever it is they are trying to do.
I don't understand this practice, as it is easily avoided. In the small, shared workspace example, why not step into another room for a moment, such as the kitchen or cafeteria, so I can do my work in peace? For times when you can't step outside, why not eat before or after I am stuck in a quiet space with you for an extended period of time? Or if you absolutely must eat during this time, why not choose a food that isn't so damn loud, such as a banana, or yogurt, or a muffin?
Like I said, there are times and places for loud eating. Eat your apples and carrots in the cafeteria. Eat them at times when there are other noises present, or when people aren't trying to concentrate. Or at LEAST try to be sensitive and minimize the grating sound of your crunching as much as possible.
So the next time you pull out an apple or a bag of carrots, I URGE you ask yourself if it is appropriate to start chomping away. And if it is quiet and people are likely to be bothered by your eating, PLEASE consider stepping outside, or eating during a break, or bringing a quieter food. I promise you that the people around you will be very, very grateful for your consideration.
It drives me nuts when people eat loud foods when it is otherwise silent, especially when the eating of such foods is disruptive to productivity. I'm not talking about popcorn at the movies, or loud crunching in a busy restaurant. I'm talking about eating carrot sticks when you share a confined work space, eating a granola bar during a timed exam, eating chips during a lecture, eating an apple in the library. In these instances, all I can hear is the damned loud crunching...I can't focus on my work, I can't concentrate on my exam, I can't focus on what the speaker is saying, I can't do any reading. Such egregious chomping in these instances is extremely rude, as you subject everyone else around you to the distracting sound of your loud crunching, at the expense of whatever it is they are trying to do.
I don't understand this practice, as it is easily avoided. In the small, shared workspace example, why not step into another room for a moment, such as the kitchen or cafeteria, so I can do my work in peace? For times when you can't step outside, why not eat before or after I am stuck in a quiet space with you for an extended period of time? Or if you absolutely must eat during this time, why not choose a food that isn't so damn loud, such as a banana, or yogurt, or a muffin?
Like I said, there are times and places for loud eating. Eat your apples and carrots in the cafeteria. Eat them at times when there are other noises present, or when people aren't trying to concentrate. Or at LEAST try to be sensitive and minimize the grating sound of your crunching as much as possible.
So the next time you pull out an apple or a bag of carrots, I URGE you ask yourself if it is appropriate to start chomping away. And if it is quiet and people are likely to be bothered by your eating, PLEASE consider stepping outside, or eating during a break, or bringing a quieter food. I promise you that the people around you will be very, very grateful for your consideration.
2 comments:
I feel the same way about people who eat odorous foods in inappropriate places. Do you really need to be eating your reheated Thai leftovers in the library while I'm trying to study?
What's worse than that is people who eat food just before class that goes through them like goosepoop. Even worse than that is someone who does that on a roadtrip and then locks the windows.
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