How do you feel about eating in front of people?

[Croconaw]

I don't mean a scenario in which you are a kid sitting in class eating potato chips and nobody else has food, so you feel bad eating it. That isn't what I mean.

In general, how do you feel about eating in front of people? Imagine you are at a restaurant in a crowded dining room and you aren't the only table that's occupied. How does it make you feel that other people are in your vicinity and have eyes on you? Do you think people are potentially watching you or they couldn't care less?

I'd be lying if I said I was comfortable eating around other people. I can tolerate it, but eating is just something I prefer to do alone. I generally prefer tables in the corner as it means less people can surround me. I also prefer to face the wall in this situation.

I'm just wondering if anyone else feels the same.

 

[Midoriya]

I honestly don't care if people are watching me eat. I eat with my mouth closed and use table manners. If people want to obsessively stare at me while I eat, well, more power to them. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[SkyKnight03]

I don't care at all who looks at me eating.

However, I do care about the actual company around me. I'm very picky about which family member I get seated next to at a restaurant. Sometimes at a family gathering I'll take my plate and go slip somewhere quiet. If timed correctly nobody ever notices or cares.

 

[Millysaurusrexjr]

I don't like it if I'm alone in public or with people I'm not comfortable with. Its part of my social anxiety i think. But I am way more used to it by now compared to how I used to be.

I actually went quite a few years without eating lunch in middle school and high school because I was so uncomfortable with eating in front of people.. and I wasn't much of a breakfast eater either so there were a lot of days where I was super hungry I think I was worried about being judged for eating lame/boring/uncool food?? Really dumb in retrospect but yeah. And then the other part of me was worried about the way I looked while eating.

But then in the last year or second to last year of high school I saw how socially acceptable it was to eat pizza from the cafeteria so I started having a slice of pizza for lunch every day which honestly made a huge difference

 

[LadyDestani]

I don't mind eating around others. I've never even really thought about it. I would feel differently if I was the only one eating during a meeting or something at work, but as long as there are others eating I don't feel uncomfortable at all. And if I'm the only one eating at home, I really don't care.

 

[rocketspruggs]

I don't really care, I'm used to it.

 

[Akkari27]

I don’t really mind usually, but with some people I feel very self aware about eating and that’s a bit uncomfortable

 

[Bluelady]

I don’t like eating in front of people. People are very judgmental and “proper table manners” varies from person to person due to upbringing or culture. There’s no winning.

I eat my lunch inside my car because of this. At first, this also felt weird. However, I quickly forgot about it once I started watching episodes on my phone. It feels better hearing the audio through the speaker than through earphones.

Once late spring arrives, eating lunch in my car won’t be an option anymore. I better enjoy while I still can.

 

[danmokun]

I have excellent table manners and I appreciate seeing fellow diners not being their neatest at the table: it keeps me in check with myself. However, I do prefer to eat alone. Either I have nothing to contribute to the boring discussion at the table, or I get along with my company so well, that my language and mannerisms become perhaps a little... too expressive and colorful to the people around me. Plus, I like messing around while I wait for my food. Flicking crumpled up paper from the straw at you... playing chess with the checkerboard table cloth and salt shakers... Making fun of the dumb names/prices on the menu... Uhh, anyway, yeah, it's whatever. As long as the food's good. That's why I'm at the restaurant.

 

[Goldi Locks]

I make sure to try everyone else's food to see if it's too hot, too cold or just right. It's not a service most people appreciate, but it hasn't stopped me so far!

 

[pochy]

if im with another person i like to talk or converse while i eat, and doing that while also not having all the food fall out your mouth is difficult i value etiquette to some point (at least for myself) so i try to avoid hanging out and eating. maybe i just cant multitask well enough loll

 

[Paperboy012305]

I always ate with my parents and siblings every day, so that never bothers me. However, when it comes to strangers sitting next to me I have never encountered that happening yet. It still wouldn't bother me unless they have a questionable/weird conversation, then I'd just find a different table.

 

[Gabby]

I do not mind eating around other people. It doesn't bother me, unless there is something on my face or I accidentally spill water on myself or something. I do understand those who do not like to eat in front of others, though. It can be for many reasons.

 

[Xara]

It’s one of my biggest social anxieties. I chew with my mouth closed, do my best not to make a mess, stay off my phone so that I don’t come across as disengaged or rude and practice the other usual good table manners, but I’m still always worried that I’m doing something wrong or that I’m being judged. I’m also not skinny, so any time I‘m eating or drinking something that isn’t water or a salad, I immediately feel like I’m being judged. Usually not by the people that I’m with, but by the other people around.

I went for brunch with my mom the other day, and the place was packed, so there was people seated at the tables beside ours. They barely looked at us, but I was of course still worried that they were secretly judging us/me xnsjcnchbc

I think I have a little too much anxiety and care too much about what other people think to ever be able to comfortably eat in front of others, but going out to eat or eating with friends/family is still nice sometimes. I just prefer to eat by myself most of the time.

 

[-Blue-]

I really don't care either way tbh. I'm going to let you all on a little secret. None of us are really on the mind of the random stranger. They don't really care about us or what we are doing. They have their own whole thing going on to care about what we are doing.

 

[Shawna]

I never even thought about it. I occasionally eat at restaurants with my family (like today), so I am used to it.

Post automatically merged: Mar 2, 2024

I don’t like eating in front of people. People are very judgmental and “proper table manners” varies from person to person due to upbringing or culture. There’s no winning.

I eat my lunch inside my car because of this. At first, this also felt weird. However, I quickly forgot about it once I started watching episodes on my phone. It feels better hearing the audio through the speaker than through earphones.

Once late spring arrives, eating lunch in my car won’t be an option anymore. I better enjoy while I still can.

Yeah, if there is one thing I worry able while eating around others, it's this. There are so many guidelines on how to eat. I am not against basic table manners, but some of it can get a bit too complicated.

 

[Halloqueen]

I don't tend to go out to eat, but when I do, I don't care whatsoever about any of the other customers who aren't at my table. I do prefer the corners, but that's just more down to liking the little nook, and I'm fine sitting wherever the wait staff decide to place me. My only issue with going out to eat with other people I know is that I'm a slow eater and am, without fail, always the last one to finish. It's healthier to eat slower and chew more, but it nevertheless makes me feel a bit awkward.

 

[MatchaMoonlight]

I do it at work because I have to, but I really don't like it. It makes me feel very nervous/self-conscious because I'm afraid I might make a mess.

 

[ali.di.magix]

It doesn't really bother me. I'm a rather clumsy and fast eater, so I'm a bit self conscious at times. But on the other hand, I don't really care as long as I'm enjoying my food.

 

[Aniko]

I hate it, I always eat alone and never go to restaurants. The only time I eat with people it's with my family and it happens like 5 times year (Christmas and birthdays) and it makes me nervous, even if it's people I see every day. I don't eat with my other relatives, so if they invite me to a party, I won't eat. (I just won't go)

Why I don't like it? I'm not sure. I don't think it's table manners or it is? I learned those when I was little and my father was really strict and scolded me all the time because my elbows touched the table or because I was holding my fork with my right hand and not in the right angle, or it wasn't the right fork... My father brought a lot of stress at the table. When my father left, I stopped eating at the dinner table. I kinda felt chained to that table. Maybe I still feel that stress in restaurants.

I also have a fussy stomach, just a tiny bit of stress and my stomach hurts, I dislike people talking when I eat, I dislike people looking at me in general, but I don't think it's because they could judge me because I usually don't care and don't think they care about me either.

I have a gum disease that makes me self-conscious, because the bone in my gum "melted" it let spaces between the teeth and food can go there. So I always eat with my hand in front of my mouth and don't talk at the table.

But even when I was little at my grandma's house, I didn't seat at the table with everybody. She let me eat in a corner or the staircase and I was not eating much, just a bit of soup. I preferred stealing carrots in the gardens around...

So yes it makes me uncomfortable but I'm not sure why, must be the same reason why I refuse to go out if the neighbors are out too. (and I will have more neighbors soon , I can't stand it...). I don't even feel confortable to take the trash out if my neighbors are in their kitchen and I can see their shadow in the windows.