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Oh Lunch Most Foul!

I teach an etiquette class to elementary school children at my local library. I tell them it’s bad manners to talk with a mouth full of food or to blow their noses at the table. When I eat lunch with coworkers I often think I should raise the maximum age for the class.

Some adults simply have strange table manners. While at lunch with five coworkers in the company cafeteria, four of them blew their noses during the meal without turning away or without even saying “Excuse me.” Blowing one’s nose at the table tops most etiquette lists as the most disgusting thing people do during a meal.

My experience certainly made my stomach queasy. I came close to swearing off lunch with any of my nose-blowing colleagues. But I found them interesting. And lunch is a great time to get to know colleagues better and learn about company lore.

While at lunch with one of the offenders who had just cleared his nose, I pointed out that he made it hard for me to face my yogurt. He apologized. And the next time at lunch, he stepped away to blow his nose. I was on my way to an appetizing lunch hour again.

It’s uncomfortable to point out colleagues’ shortcomings, but if the price of not pointing them out is too steep, you owe it to yourself to speak up.