Darren’s Diatribe

One of the wonderful things about living in a multi-cultural society is being exposed to all different sorts of ideas, foods and cultures. We tend to take it for granted that things are done certain ways, but it is often not the case in other places.

Some things you would expect to be fairly universal though, like not chewing with your mouth open. It is hard to imagine how anyone could not find this disgusting. Most kids get trained out of this habit by the time they are two years old or so. It is amazing how many people we get in the lunch room at work who don’t seem to have grasped the concept yet. Maybe they are from some other planet where it is regarded as being normal, but I think that they could at least show a bit of cultural sensitivity if they are going to live here by not doing things which make most people feel sick.

It is hard to know exactly how to broach the subject with someone. Saying “You are a disgusting pig. Close your mouth when you eat.” may be regarded as being mildly offensive. I end up just looking the other way. Maybe we need to get this added to the list of inane rules we already have in the lunch room…