3. You eat lunch for breakfast
Food that might not be particularly smelly at lunch reeks if opened before 11a.m. “I sit in a small room with one other person,”
writes a Weddingbee.com message board user. “ One morning [my office mate] popped open a bag of Doritos at 9 a.m, so not only did I get to hear her breakfast, but I got to smell it, too.” Food odors are stronger and more noticeable in the early morning hours. Ever head of morning sickness? The same snack you might crack open at 4 p.m will smell a lot more nauseating to your fellow office-mates if you're eating it before noon. Skip the spicy, garlicky stuff before lunch time if you want to keep the peace.
4. Everyone around you is wearing headphones
There is such a thing as noise-phobia, and it’s more common than you think. Some people just have a hatred of a certain sounds, specifically related to chewing, lip-smacking, or crunching. Yup, they've got a
Facebook group. Part of the problem is that when you’re overworked and confined to small spaces with the same people, you’re going to get agitated, but a crinkly bag of chips or loud slurp can increase the tension. Be courteous and chew quietly on that cookie or bag of pretzels, or face the passive-aggressive glares of your office-mates.
Even if you’ve managed to sneak out for a quick lunch at a restaurant, be careful what you order. If you're unsure about your ability to slurp soup quietly, save it 'til you're in private.
The Village Voice's food writer Lauren Shockey pegs noisy eaters as one of the most offensive types of people to be seated next to in a restaurant. “Sorry, soup slurpers and dribblers, loud chewers, and gurglers of the world," she writes. "It's really hard to enjoy a meal in peace when it sounds like you've got a mild case of the flu."
