I was hesitant to post the picture of Craig eating the egg onion bagel in the post below this because of a certain theory I have, a theory that goes: “It’s hard to look good while eating a bagel and cream cheese.”
Nothing grosses me out more than globs of cream cheese on someone’s lips while they snap and tear at a chewy overstuffed bagel. I know I’d hate to watch ME eat a bagel and cream cheese, which is why I mostly eat bagels and cream cheese on my own.
Which leads to a question for you, readers: which foods do you hate to watch other people eat? Have you ever been on a date and gotten totally turned off by watching your date consume something unattractive? Let it all out in the comments.
I hate watching my husband eat spaghetti or soup. Too much slurping :(
This might be juvenile but in all honesty people eating bananas in public make me feel really uncomfortable.
Long noodles, either in soup or in a sauce. I don’t like watching people slurp noodles.
Of course, I love eating noodles myself, and I’m sure I look gross when I eat them.
I don’t know if I hate seeing someone eat something in particular as much as I hate *hearing* the process of consumption. The chewing. The smacking. The crunching. Any noise that comes from your mouth while eating pretty much grosses me out.
Once you’ve raised children, you can watch a person eat most anything.
I go nuts tho when some man in my house whose last name I now share eats in a prissy fashion with leetle bitty pieces. Aaaargh.
Long pasta like spaghetti or any long noodles. The potential for slurping or having a wad of noodles with the ends sticking out of your mouth only to be bitten off and dropped back onto the plate, is never a good look.
i have never been able to watch people eating gingerbread men or gingerbread girls. it’s always been the most cannibalistic thing a person can do.
I lived in Asia as a young adult; I think that changed my perception of what was okay and what wasn’t (while eating).
I actually like seeing people feel free to just eat. When I was dating (now this was YEARS ago) I refused to hold back while eating out. Sure, the good manners went to use; other than that, I didn’t worry about it. I have an appetite. I like food. I’m going to eat it.
Slurp up that pho, baby! :)
You’re my kind of gal, Amanda!
@Jess – I feel the same way about watching people eat hot dogs.
I agree with Crystal – this morning at a meeting I got stuck sitting next to *that* lady while she ate her pb&j english muffin. She CHEWS WITH HER MOUTH OPEN. I think it’s just bad manners that bother me…
i can’t stand pics of celebs stuffing salad into their faces. there’s just something so sad and self-loathing about it. on another note, worst date of my life came in the form of a chinese buffet.
It’s not the watching, its the listening. My husband insists on slurping hot chocolate. Like when its to hot to drink normally, he has to LOUDLY sip it bit by bit.
i don’t have much problem watching other people eat anything, but i know i can’t eat corn on the cob or ribs in public. i invariably end up with a huge mess and tons of food stuck between my teeth and i just don’t want to put anyone else through having to see that.
i don’t have much problem watching other people eat anything, but i know i can’t eat corn on the cob or ribs in public. i invariably end up with a huge mess and tons of food stuck between my teeth and i just don’t want to put anyone else through having to see that.
I don’t like to watch people eat soup. They slurp or blow on it or end up dripping it all over themselves. Now if it’s in a cup or mug and they’re sipping it like a drink, fine, but out of a bowl? Yuck.
I don’t like to watch people eat soup. They slurp or blow on it or end up dripping it all over themselves. Now if it’s in a cup or mug and they’re sipping it like a drink, fine, but out of a bowl? Yuck.
Ice cream- I love ice cream and I love eating it and I’m certain I do the very thing that disgusts me, but for some reason, I can’t stand watching someone’s tongue go over and over the same creamy spot and watching the milky residue collect on their lips. The worst for me is when there’s a chunk of ice cream on a spoon and the spoon gets licked at and you see the same chunk get smaller and smaller, but never disappears completely and becomes a drippy, milky mess. Just put the whole bloody thing in your mouth already and swallow!
Sorry for the rant. And thanks for the outlet. Clearly, I have issues!
Most things don’t bother me – soup, pho, spaghetti, all fine – but for some reason tacos get to me. I hate watching people eat tacos. Little bits of food fall out between the bite and the taco and it’s just gross looking.
Also, once I went on a date with someone who chewed with his mouth open and talked while he chewed (with his mouth open). It was revolting.
people drinking/gulping milk makes me want to leave the room. ugh. just thinking about it turns my stomach.
I’m not personally bothered watching people eat anything. Now that I have braces, however, I often feel self-conscious while eating with others. I hate it – the embarrassment factor is high.
I do recall eating dinner w/my current roommate and a potential new roommate (we were “interviewing” her) and she ordered buffalo wings. Later, my roommate remarked that that was “brave of her.”
Most things don’t bother me – soup, pho, spaghetti, all fine – but for some reason tacos get to me. I hate watching people eat tacos. Little bits of food fall out between the bite and the taco and it’s just gross looking.
Also, once I went on a date with someone who chewed with his mouth open and talked while he chewed (with his mouth open). It was revolting.
I went on a date once with a guy who was a funeral director. He took me to a place that had chicken wings on their buffet. I found myself fixated on his hands which had been dealing with dead, embalmed bodies all day long and were then wrapped around these greasy wings as he was munching happily away, licking the sauce off his fingers! Yikes! Things went downhill from there – that relationship was a dead-end! ;-)
I’m with Jackie. I also have braces (which are thankfully coming off very soon), and they have made me an extremely self-conscious eater. It’s hard to enjoy your food when you’re constantly fishing it out of your teeth with your tongue and hoping no one notices.
I always break my bagels into tiny pieces, smear a little cream cheese on, and put the whole piece in my mouth. Biting into things is just asking for it when you have braces (think Miranda on Sex and the City).
So as far as watching other people eat… I’m too concerned with my own eating to notice. As long as they’re chewing with their mouths closed, I’m usually ok with it.
You know what’s really disgusting? Someone with braces eating a bagel with cream cheese. Ugh. I saw it once and then, for the two years I wore braces, never ate a bagel with cream cheese when anyone was around because I didn’t want to subject them to it. So gross.
Corn on the cob is a big one, but I personally will never eat roast chicken (on the bone) in public. I find it ridiculously difficult to eat with utensils, and I can’t seem to find a dainty way to get into all of those delicious little crevices without looking like a cavewoman. I like to eat roast chicken completely with my hands, sitting alone, with a roll of paper towels at my side. Darkness is optional.
Oh my god. Bananas. I can’t deal with listening to someone eat a banana. And if they’re eating a banana and talking at the same time, it’s even worse! Gag.
I didn’t realize how strongly I felt about this!
Also hate watching someone eat Cheetos. All of that orange powder.
OK, now that THAT’S off my chest . . .
For me, it’s not watching people eat, it’s listening to people eat. That sucking noise some people make when they are chewing makes me seriously sick to my stomach. What sucks is that my husband is one of those people. *shudders*
I would be happy if I never had to watch anybody eat *anything* *ever* again! Most people eat way too fast and look like cavemen. Ugh.
It’s not the watching, it’s the listening.
I HATE listening to people eat, particularly when you can’t see them (and/or aren’t eating with them)
I heard someone eating a pastry on the tram yesterday and the crinkle, the chewing, the licking lips/fingers just disgusts me.
Then again I hate eating on-the-go in public and try to avoid it at all costs. Particularly if it’s something meal-like and smells up public transit. I don’t care if it’s french fries, dahl, or spaghetti, it shouldn’t be eaten on the train while squished between 400 sweaty, smelly people. It’s disgusting. Stick to apples or chips.
Fried eggs, especially if they’re runny.
It’s not so much as a certain food, but eating habits. I can’t stand people who bite into the silverware or chew with their mouth open.
I hate watching people eat corn on the cob. Especially my mother. She does this thing where she tries to eat it with the corner of her mouth… almost her back teeth, and she does this attack and retreat thing like it’ll bite her if she keeps her mouth close to it for too long.
Anything that requires a bib. It’s more the bib than the food – I don’t like anything that makes my date look like a toddler.
Ignoring your prompt for this discussion, I’d like to go back to the original topic and note that Craig looks totally cute in the picture with the bagel.
A dog leg, duck head, snake gall bladder, chicken feet (this one especially), and any form of Chinese preserved meat bits that come in vacuum sealed packages warm right off the shelf (ie: chicken feet, drum sticks, kabob). That last is just the most nauseating thing in the world if you’re on a cramped bus ride for hours and hours and people chomp noisily on these disgusting ‘snacks’ right before they light up a cigarette.
I think it’s important to mention that in China there are no rules saying you should eat with your mouth closed or not talk while you eat. This kind of behavior is not as horrible as you would think, you get used to it, but every now and then someone eating bread or dumplings in front of you becomes a disgusting spectacle.
I get really disgusted watching my mom and sister eat an icecream cone. There is lots of slobber involved for some reason. I guess it is a hard food to eat neatly.
I think sounds are just as important as sights. And all I can imagine right now is the way a friend of mine eats french fries. He dips them into the ketchup perfectly – with a measured amount on each fry. Then he chews like he’s eating soup. Think about that entire scene for a minute.
I think sounds are just as important as sights. And all I can imagine right now is the way a friend of mine eats french fries. He dips them into the ketchup perfectly – with a measured amount on each fry. Then he chews like he’s eating soup. Think about that entire scene for a minute.
I think sounds are just as important as sights. And all I can imagine right now is the way a friend of mine eats french fries. He dips them into the ketchup perfectly – with a measured amount on each fry. Then he chews like he’s eating soup. Think about that entire scene for a minute.
I agree with all the sounds grosser than it looks, comments. I have a very low tolerance for loud smacking and crunching. The worst is when my dear mother hunkers down with a chicken bone and starts chomping on the cartilage. I shudder just thinking about it.
The other thing I can’t watch is when a person with super unhealthy eating habits eats mcdonalds for breakfast every morning followed by some kind of deep fried super sauced chinese food for lunch. I used to have a coworker like this and every time lunch came around I’d have to avert my eyes. I don’t think I ever saw him eat a vegetable. It’s like watching someone deliberately stuff their arteries day after day.
Anna – I feel the same way about ice cream. Especially when adults eat it. Gross!
CEREAL!
The slurping! The milk dribble! The crunching!
Try having a dorm roommate in collage that insisted on eating his morning cereal in the room while you tried to sleep in…
I can handle watching anyone eating anything. It’s the noise I can’t stand… loud chewing makes me shudder.
Tacos, schwarma lafas, and really any hand-held food comprised of many components are all date dangers.
i meet up with my boyfriend at our local bar every wednesday after work. he eats the cheese fries we order like a fiend. pulling and wrapping the cheese around the waffle fries…he even has a small plate for his “reserve” of waffle fries that he keeps in case something happens to the basket. it’s ridiculous….and hilarious…and a little gross.
Is it just me? I think watching someone enjoy food, whatever it may be – all over their face or not – especially when you can tell they are relishing the food (and even more when I’M the one who cooked it!) – is damn SEXXXY. I mean, muh god! HAWT!
Though I admit if seeing someone order and then eat a well done steak makes me sad. If they put ketchup on it, it makes me really uncomfortable and not want to be friends with them anymore. Hahahaha.
One of the things I can’t stop myself from doing – I don’t even notice I’m doing it until people look at me funny (though, bless him, my boyfriend will stop eating to just watch me with this cute little smile on his face, and that’s probably one of the reasons why I love him so much) – is when a really fresh piece of sushi or a particularly tasty morsel crosses my lips, I kind of go, very softly, mmmmmmm… it gets louder as the food gets better. I haven’t yet reached When Harry Met Sally proportions, but perhaps one day…
One of my friends LOVED watching people eat. She thought it was the cutest thing, no matter the person. We worked with a bunch of volunteers, and anytime they ate, she just loved watching them eat whatever it was.
Then she’d eat an apple as if sounds didn’t make a difference.
I primarily work with Chinese people in a suburban factory area of the city. I am a Caucasian male. I believe I possess good table manners and exhibit good etiquette at most times.
Jonathan, a few posts up seems to think eating with your mouth full is OK and socially acceptable. Perhaps if you live in China, but in North America, it is completely uncalled for.
One doesn’t venture into our lunchroom unless you have a strong stomach or an umbrella. As you might have guessed the lower Chinese classes have a proclivity to eat and talk/shout at loud volumes with their mouths full of food. At times it can be dangerous dodging the grains of rice that have been launched . Think of several people doing this at the same time and it is not for the feint of heart. I have witnessed first time observers gag and almost hurl after seeing the lunchroom and the cacophony that happens there.
I guess that is why I seldom ever venture into the staff lunchroom. The smell alone of microwaved monkeybutt and rice is disgusting as well.
I can’t STAND my cubby neighbor eating her omelette AND/or pancakes every morning. I can hear her smacking her lips and it drives me insane!!
Although I gotta say, Craig looks pretty good in that picture. It could be much, much worse.
I hate watching people eat Doritos or Cheetos or anything else that leaves cheesy goop on their fingertips, requiring them to lick it off.
That being said, my boyfriend will not be near me when I eat an ice cream cone anymore. It bothers him so much he has to leave the room/area. He says I have bad “ice cream cone management.”
I hate watching people eat Doritos or Cheetos or anything else that leaves cheesy goop on their fingertips, requiring them to lick it off.
That being said, my boyfriend will not be near me when I eat an ice cream cone anymore. It bothers him so much he has to leave the room/area. He says I have bad “ice cream cone management.”
2 things:
Hot dog eating contests make me sick to my stomach. Just stuffing way too much of any food into one’s mouth is disgusting but dipping hot dog and bun into water so they’ll go down faster, eeeewwww
Also watching anyone with a full beard eat anything is gross. They inevitably dribble food onto their beard and it usually stays there for the whole meal SICK!!!!
I really dislike watching my mother (or anyone else for that matter) suck prawn heads. Yaaaack!
I also don’t like watching people eat rich tea biscuits. I once esperienced a colleague eating one, digging around his back teeth for a lodged piece, and then promptly placed the chewed up rich tea biscuit sog on his beard. I shudder at the memory.
sandwiches, especially the big, oozing, gooey, smash-between-your-fingers to get a bite in kind. i don’t like to watch or have people watch me eat these!
sandwiches, especially the big, oozing, gooey, smash-between-your-fingers to get a bite in kind. i don’t like to watch or have people watch me eat these!
Oh man, I’d have to say pizza. Most people open their mouths huge and are hunched over like its going to topple them for some reason. People always make the funniest faces.
Oh man, I’d have to say pizza. Most people open their mouths huge and are hunched over like its going to topple them for some reason. People always make the funniest faces.
watching anyone eat anything that involves picking bones out is just disturbing.
Apparently none of you guys have experienced the jouful, head sucking sound of crawdads or fresh shrimp.
;o)
It’s not so much that I don’t like watching people eat something, but more of me not wanting to hear people eat and seeing them lick their fingers all the time. If there’s a bit of sauce on your finger, I’m not bothered as much, but there is a guy I know who sticks 90% of his finger in his mouth when he’s trying to get stuff off his fingers and it really perturbs me!
I had a boyfriend that I couldn’t stand to watch eat, nor could I stand to eat in front of him. As a result, I always avoided dinner dates. I guess it’s a good thing we parted ways!