when pet peeves go bad

[mishapville]

I've been noticing lately that my dislike of eating noises is unusual. Right now, I'm grinding my teeth and inwardly cringing because the guy at the next desk is eating an apple. He sounds like a feeding animal but no one else seems to notice. I myself eat at my desk (we have no lunchroom) so it's a bit hypocritical of me to be so aggravated. I often have colds so I'm sure i've made gross eating noises on many occasions. I'm not sure what to do about it, though - I snapped at my boyfriend for making crunching noises while eating something crunchy. Don't get me started on people who snap their gum. I'm out of control!

Does anyone else have this problem? Any ideas? Should I buy earplugs? Is there medication for this?

[soapandwater]

I'm pretty sure there's no cure. I just graduated high school, but for the past couple of weeks, this kid had sat down to eat with us. I felt sorry for him and wasn't going to be all "go away" because that's cliche and rude. ANYWAY, it wouldn't have been so bad if he didn't drink from his gatorade bottle, the squeezy kinds with the squirt-nozzle, or whatever it was without drinking for a long time and making excessive slurping noises. I was horrified.

My mother also will drink something as though she's NEVER had anything to drink before, taking huge gulps and sighing afterwards.

Can you listen to music when you're eating? Or when he's eating? Headphones, computer cd player? Something. At least then it wouldn't be so conspicuous.
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When you got a hundred voices singin',
who can hear a lousy whistle blow?

[danielepea]

I also have this problem, though I don't think my case is as severe as yours. Mostly it's the people who chew with their mouth open that I can't stand. In college, my roommate used to call them "poison frogs". I have no idea what one has to do with the other, but it was a fun term nonetheless.

So far I have only found three ways to deal with it that range from ineffective to inconvenient for me: cringing (doesn't solve the problem), going to another room (not always possible or desirable), or yelling at the person (I only reccommend this for poison frogs that you know quite well).
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D ;o)

[mishapville]

Ah, at least I know i'm not alone! I have an iPod but someone kept talking to me (the nerve!) so I had to turn it off. I think I might mess with his chair settings while he's at lunch - otherwise I might start ranting and foaming at the mouth.

[soapandwater]

You know, you'd think it'd be common etiquette among decent people to respect the fact that if someone owns something as swell as an ipod, one should refrain talking to that person until that person is done listening.

Can't the other people hear the apple munching, anyway? Can't they understand your escapism?
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When you got a hundred voices singin',
who can hear a lousy whistle blow?

[BumbleV]

I can completely feel you on this one. It got to the point where I would cringe and get all annoyed over something a complete stranger in a grocery line was doing. If it had gotten any worse I think my husband and family would have planned an intervention.

I'm doing a bit better with my level of tolerance...but it still gets to me when someone chews like a cow. :)

[soapandwater]

And another thing... my mom smacks her gum. I cringe. I noticeably cringe. It's the one thing I can tell her to stop doing that she wont' get mad about. Of course, she only stops for about five minutes, and then she retaliates the next day by saying I slurp my cereal.

I bet I do. What a hypocrite I am.
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When you got a hundred voices singin',
who can hear a lousy whistle blow?

[heathertea]

mostly the sounds of eating don't bother me... but the sounds of people kissing do! uggh especially when they're really kissing, not the smacking sound of a smooch, but the whole yucky tounge action sound. actually, if I'm really distracted or not in the mood at all the sounds of kissing when I'M kissing someone will bother me. wish I could get over that one!

[india*romeo]

I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who gets grossed out by mouth sounds. My mom, bless her heart, makes the worst eating noises. She inhales through her mouth with every bite, and bites the utensil as it goes into her mouth. It makes me cringe just to think about it! It's been a few years since I've lived at home and eaten with her on a regular basis, so luckily I don't have to deal with it very often. Nowadays, when I have to eat a meal with her, I always make sure I'm sitting as far away from her as possible so I don't get grossed out. Oh, and she's a gum smacker, too!
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india*romeo | the handmade market

[Snufkin]

No eating related, but I have a parking pet peeve. In the past month, I've had somebody try to guide me through a totally complicated parallel parking or backing up manuveur rather than just move their car a yard or so. To be honest, I'm terrible at parallel parking. But it's really annoying to have somebody going "okay a little more, a little more" with the hand gestures while you try and back your car in/out of a really tight space for 20 minutes. When you know that they could just move their car a little bit so that you could get in/out in about 15 seconds. The last time was at work, when I had to park at the loading dock and the mail delivery guy decided to double park behind me. And then refused to back up because it would be "so easy" for me to back out past him and the other car on the dock. After 15 minutes of near misses and getting my front bumper stuck on the curve, it finally occured to him that if he'd just honored my original request, I'd have been out of there for at least 10 minutes >:(.

[Lyssalicious]

I've heard cows chew cud more quietly than my roommate chews her gum. Seriously.

I saw yuck to kissing noises too.

[Armande]

I am pretty tolerant about most things but my boyfriend has an auditory obsession about all sorts of sounds. Eating sounds annoy the hell out of him, but I have to say, now that I am paying attention to it: very few people seem to have any sort of table manners these days!
Whatever happened to proper upbringing suggestions like: chew with your mouth closed, don't slurp or burp and don't talk with food in your mouth.

I have a couple of petpeeves about traffic though. People sneaking onto the fast lane right in front of me and then they're going real slow, way under the speed limit. So far I have managed to refrain from just stepping on the gas and PUSH them past that truck they're overtaking.
grrr
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Witch of many trades: gemstone jewelry, photography and tarotreadings ;-)

[Dawn]

This is the very reason why I carry a pair of earplugs with me everywhere I go. The guy on the other side of my cubicle smacks every time he eats. He eats often. It. gets. on. my. nerves.

My ear plugs are very inconspicous - especially since my hair usually covers my ears. If you feel bad about wearing them, look at it this way:

You can either use the ear plugs or stab him in the forehead with a pencil. Which option is more likely to advance your career?

:o)

[Mathias]

<----guilty of talking with food in her mouth. I do wait until I've got a little control over it, though. It's not like I'm spitting out food as I talk or that I've got icky stuff haning out in my teeth while I'm doing it (that I can tell, I mean). I do know when it's totally inappropriate to do so (although I'm sure there are those who never feel it's appropriate to talk with food in your mouth). But I do it. All the time.

[yardenxanthe]