Community Chat

[ginirn]

Yes this is often job related.  My husband has a friend who does this and worse.  Both are retired cops.  My husband does not do it.  We both were taught manners and his friend very obviously was absent that day.  Here at home he is done eating before I even sit down after serving.  In restaurants he is even worse.  Servers are taught to take orders rom the ladies first.  He talks right over them/me.  When food is served he doesn't wait for the rest to be served.  He wolfs it right down.  I always serve his dessert last at home because he is always done as soon as he gets it.  I would like to say something but my husband won't let me.  This guy has dated hundred and maybe thousands of women and never picked up anything along the way.

[Yardlie]

I was a nurse for over 30 years. We often just had to run down to the cafeteria and gobble something down as quickly as we could, so I guess I'm guilty of still being a fast eater. I learned to think of food as fuel to keep me going for four hours or so. Sometimes people comment on how quickly I eat, and I tell them why I am a fast eater.

I don't normally pay any attention to how fast or slow people eat. However, the other night, I met a friend for dinner. We both ordered risotto. I was through with my risotto in 10 minutes, and then slowly nibbled on the bread to keep my friend company. She literally picked up about 5 grains of rice at a time with her fork. I've never seen anyone eat that slowly. We were in no hurry though, as we were chatting away. I guess we all have our own eating styles, and our eating style doesn't hurt anyone. There are bigger issues in life to worry about.

I've had the waitress take my plate many times long before my dinner partners were through eating. I never thought about it making the others at the table uncomfortable. I thought the waitress was just being polite to give me space at the table so I could enjoy my hot tea more comfortably. I guess I don't totally understand how it would make you more comfortable if your dinner partner was sitting there with an empty plate in front of her. I personally wouldn't let it get to me. Just enjoy your dinner at your own pace.

[Mrsq2022]

I'm a fast eater too. I'm not at all overweight, and I eat for sustenance.  I do enjoy food, but I don't like to sit and savor each bite.  When I go out for lunch with a friend, it is purely for the social time, and the food is secondary to the visit.  So the speed in which my friend eats has never, ever been of concern to me.

 If anyone I had lunch with suggested that I eat too quickly, I would not eat with them, and suggest we go for a walk together instead.  It would actually annoy me to have a friend suggest that I should slow down.  

I don't eat a large volume of food at each meal, so my meal might not take very long to eat.  How long does it really take to eat a half of a sandwich or a cup of soup?  8-10 minutes max.  

[DiAnne]

This is a timely subject for me.  I eat out often - dinner or lunch several times a week.  Next week I am meeting a former neighbor for lunch.  I am already dreading this because she eats so slow!  It is not because she seldom goes out to eat.  It takes forever to have lunch.

[RedTop]

I lunch regularly with 2 friends from work, and am the person who always finishes my food first.   I am not a fast eater by nature, but with both friends, they talk, and I listen.  During the last lunch, my friend talked nonstop for 20 minutes before she took a breath, and I actually got to say anything.  With 2 friends like this, it is always very easy for me to finish eating first.

[SANNA]

I am a slow eater, always been. My husband , my mom and some of my friends are fast. I really do not care, I still follow my pace. I  can eat fast if necessary , like lunch brake at work or else, but it is unhealthy and unattractive.

The servers at the restaurants who hover and watching your plates in order to take it are driving me crazy and I usually do not tip them well for such behavior .

My best time eating out is when we travel to France (especially ) or Italy. People there love to eat, do is slowly, spend a lot of time at their dinners, communicate( no cell phones ever on  the display). Waiters are fast and efficient but never ever ever hover or rush you. It is consider an insult to bring you a bill before you ask or to take away your plate. They actually encourage you to stay longer and try things.

I always have to tell my DH yo slow down and enjoy our dinner for good 3 hours.

Then we take a long stroll of the streets of the city or the town we visit an the moment.

Tell you, I live for those moments. I seriously  need to win a lottery to travel more to my fave places!!! 

So my vote is for slow eating.

[SeaMaiden]

People just eat different. I aways finsh way before my husband... Always have just been a fast eater... not a huge talker and eater. You just  need to get over it if you go to lunch with other people. Why should she change the way she eats to please YOU?.

[SeaMaiden]

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@Hot Street wrote:

I don't tolerate rude phone behavior either.   Most of the people I go out with aren't like that.

I only notice how fast someone is eating when they are done in 5 min and I still have most of my food on the plate!    When you are sitting there for another 15 min still eating while they sit and watch you... to me, it's uncomfortable and ruins the whole fun of eating with another human being.

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Then  EAT ALONE IF IT BOTHERS YOU SO.

[msvictoria]

Yes, yes, yes...I've been complaining about this for years and finally have begun speaking up at restaurants. My family and friends that I often go out with know that this bugs me tremendously, so they always leave a bite or two in their plates. I'm always the last one eating because I'm a slow eater and feel so stupid finishing my dinner "alone".

I worked in restaurants for years getting through school etc. and know that they really want to know if you're happy or unhappy. You'd be surprised how receptive managements are to suggestions. Try it and let me know how you make out...I've had a pretty good response from wait staff.

[Moonchilde]

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@insomniac wrote:

I didn't read all the posts, but I want to address a particular aspect of the thread: having to wait around alone while others leave to smoke. I HATE THAT.

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While I was on vacation over the holidays, I witnessed something I considered very rude. A group of about 10-12 people were meeting up for lunch. All were greeted and seated, and then two women got up from the table, moved about 10 feet away, and had a "private", standing, conversation for almost the entire time I was there, and were still there when I paid and left - in full view of the table! If I were one of that group I would have thought it was incredibly rude. You can grab a minute here and there in a situation like that to say a few words - after the meal, in the parking lot, etc. - but to have a *long* private conversation in full view of others seemed like first grade behavior to me.