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PurrfectlyMediocre

I even find it mildly uncomfortable eating in front of people I know well.


martiniandweed

Me too I have a history of eating disorders and even tho I'm physically alright now probably still not fully ok in my head and I feel embarrassed that people might watch and judge me how and what I eat and I always feel fat when I eat as well lol


mylovelyboner

so relatable. I always cover my mouth when I eat and smile/laugh. i have ambiguous mouth shame lol it took mearly a decade into adulthood to just buy a savory and sit down to eat it in public


Nik_2816

Same.Came here to write this.


rmajkr

I’m so glad to see so many people say this. Sometimes I feel more self-conscious than others. work lunches, weddings, dinner with your in-laws… Yikes


RiceandLeeks

Me too, I was kind of raised by wolves and being that I live alone I often have atrocious eating habits because nobody's around to see it. When I'm eating around people I try and remember not to be gross.


Living-Philosophy687

this


VinnieGognitti

On our first date me and my boyfriend ate a pizza with a fork and knife xD Eating in general is usually one wrong move away from disaster even when alone! Lol


q120

How do YOU eat it, with your hands? -George Constanza


sryfortheconvenience

When I was a kid my dad once got really upset with me for eating French fries with my fingers because apparently it was uncivilized or something?? He made me use a knife and fork and I was mortified.


NeuralAgent

He now, don’t knock the technique. Go to Germany and they don’t slice the pizza because everyone uses a fork and knife…


VinnieGognitti

I actually quite like eating pizza with a fork! :p if it's anything higher quality than a piece of cardboard (and easily falls apart when I pick it up) than I like to at least eat the first half with a fork. Before just picking up the rest and eating the last half with one hand xD


MichaelEMJAYARE

I do this so I dont inhale the pizza lol


VinnieGognitti

Exactly!


kawaiipogglet

Yeahhh but I have an eating disorder so I always figured it was because of that. I generally avoiding eating around most people


FlyingSheep77

Same. Just like a feel like they judge my appearance and what I eat. Really insecure feeling :/ So i almost never eat in front of others


ledgend78

I feel uncomfortable in front of people


smemily

DAE hate knowing that others can perceive you?


sportstvandnova

Yes, I will avoid it at all costs. I also am super weird about taking food from a buffet style layout for some reason. If the room is full of people I’ll wait until it’s empty (like if it’s at work or something) until I grab stuff, then I’ll shove it down my throat quick and scurry away lol


Twinkies100

Unprotected buffets are weird. How people trust a stranger or kid to not spit or put their boogers in for 'fun'


Selfishsavagequeen

Yes, going out for food on a first date sounds really bad. Unless it’s like a cookie. Something I can sneakily scarf down. Does anyone else get angry when strangers look at them or touch them while (relatives count) when they are eating?


Amazing_Chocolate140

Not at all. I just shovel it in.


starshopped

same


yogabbagabbadoo

Same. Alpha female right here 🥵


SnooPears4919

Yeah but I also have an eating disorder. I feel uncomfortable ordering food at work too or making my food while people are around. Yesterday i accidentally put too much sour cream and my coworker was right there and I though about it an unhealthy amount


WillStrongh

Me too! Anyyyone that is not an immediate relative, i feel the same man... Too much thinking and it's hard to even make an eye contact...


maisymowse

Yes. I prefer to eat alone or with someone on the side of me, not across.


Real-Accountant9997

I don’t feel comfortable eating with anyone.


[deleted]

Yes I do feel uncomfortable but it’s not going to stop me .As a matter of fact,my nervousness is going to make shakes and I will,inevitably ,drop something on my clothes .Probably salsa,chocolate or mustard.This will ruin my new outfit AND reinforce my discomfort eating around strangers.The cycle is perpetual.


siempreashley

Yup! I had an eating disorder when I was younger and I was always hyper conscious of what I was eating and who noticed. Some part of that hasn’t gone away. I’m always worried people will ask why I didn’t finish something or if I want a second helping. I recognize that I could easily slide back into disordered eating and even being worried about it is in some way disordered (working on it in therapy) but work lunches or dinners after conferences are extremely stressful for me.


AytumnRain

I'm uncomfortable eating in front of almost anyone. Hearing people chew and people trying to talk while they eat are two of the biggest reasons. Why have a meal where you talk to each other? You're just spitting food at one another. It's gross and half it probably ends up on your food because for some reason you have to make eye contact also while at the dinner table. I ate at a dinner table like twice in my life and it was one of the worst experiences. The first time they asked me to say a prayer. I don't know any so I looked in silence at them.


CirclingBackElectra

Only when I fail at eating and take too big a bite or choke or get food all over myself like an idiot. I generally don’t think about it until then, lol


[deleted]

Yes ,but it happens every time for me lol


Wise-Ad-1998

Not really


RelationshipDue1501

I have manners. Why would you be uncomfortable?.


Lopsided-Ganache-631

Yesss - usually ends up with me saying, “oh I’m not hungry; I just ate” when in fact I’m starving


Connect_Office8072

As a very overweight woman, yeah, because people can be judgy.


cowsgonemadd3

For me I sometimes can't eat. Like corporate dinners at fancy restaurants. Just slide it all in a box because I won't eat it.


aqkj

I’m a bit on the opposite end of this scenario. I feel uncomfortable watching people eat…especially those food review videos on TikTok and I’m violated by their excessive chewing and moaning.


Jwzbb

Yeah I’m like a gazelle drinking water. Isn’t that just basic instinct? They could be a predator you need to keep your eye on! 


catlass_y

Absolutely and that’s the biggest reason I hate that going out for dinner is such a common first date practice.


NoLongerXX27

I hate eating in front of people anyways, no idea why


Ya_habibti

I use to, and then a guy asked why I always cover my mouth when I eat and said it was weird. So after that I actively tried to eat without covering my mouth with my hand. I would catch myself and drop my hand. Eventually I stopped covering my mouth and eventually I stopped thinking about it. Every now and then the thought comes back, but mostly I just ignore it and eat. Everyone needs to eat, it’s not weird.


Dry-Application3

Ages works wonders lol


AlphaAriesWoman

No. Honestly, people are thinking about themselves and not you. I think people start to tread the line of narcissism when they assume everyone is always thinking about them


SupermarketSpiritual

99% of the responses here are due to a trauma response or non narc type mental illness. reframing really helps here


dylanndark

Your logic makes sense only on the surface, but if you think a little deeper you'll see the ignorance of it. Mental health disorders does not equal narcissism.


Amazing_Chocolate140

This 👆🏼


Coin_Operated_Brent

Even at Thanksgiving with the whole family. I'd wait until everyone is done so I can sit, not even in peace and quiet, and eat my food.


brontosauruschuck

Absolutely.


GreenGlassDrgn

I'm surrounded by people with misophonia. My boyfriend, his entirely family, half my friends... Ive never heard anything pleasant said about eating in my company, plus I already have social anxiety so... unless its complete strangers who I'll never see again in which case I couldnt care less. I have one buddy I love to eat with, he's the only person who will eat more chicken off the bone or more apple off the core than myself, you can tell how good the food is by how loudly he eats it (and we both love food, especially the kind you can eat with your fingers lol)


BabeWithThePowerZzz

At parties or on first dates YES. I almost never eat at parties no matter the occasion unless it’s a sit down dinner.


dylanndark

I can't even have a proper meal outside of my house, i start to feel sick, nauseous.


MindOverMedia

If it's something that's kind of a mess to eat, like wings or something, I freak out internally about the prospect of getting it all over myself and how embarrassing that would be, so I eat it much more carefully than I normally would.


OldLadyToronto

Yes, I do feel a bit uncomfortable eating in front of people I don't know well.


Affectionate-Dog5971

I hate it honestly


ssaunders88

Yes very much so


lc41086

Depends what I’m eating lol


PoinkPoinkPoink

When I was younger I dated a guy for 3 years and didn’t eat in front of him ever. Ever. I now eat constantly in front of my current partner so whatever that nonsense was, I got over it.


atibabykt

No cause eating means I don’t need to talk to them because I’m using my manners and not talking with my mouth full.


Low-Carpenter-156

Never


nokenito

I mind my manners more, but that’s all. If I’m hungry, I’ll eat. I also may select a meal that isn’t messy.


Top-Comfortable-4789

Yes definitely I hate eating around other people I’m not close with


dayison2

Horribly! I will go out of my way to eat as little as possible around other people, even people I *do* know, because I'm insanely self-conscious about my weight and all I can hear in my head is people whispering "oh surprise, surprise, the fat girl is eating". I've gotten a little better about it with age, but when I was younger I used to tell people I had stomach ulcers or ibs because in my mind that was less embarrassing than eating in front of them.


mayl0811

I used to be! But later on i tried not to care too much because others usually don't care anyway too!


karmaapple3

No! Eating together and enjoying food is one of the universal pleasures. Stop focusing so much on you and yourself. Focus on other people and enjoying the moment!


1nfisrael

Same, goes for school as well because I am extremely introverted


ZenlessPopcornVendor

Yeah, I don't like eating in front of people. Something to do with the CPTSD.


DarkFae420

I'm uncomfortable eating, period.


Technical-General-27

Yes because I have coeliac disease and everyone seems to want to talk about that. I don’t. It’s miserable.


hootsie

Yes also because I am fat.


YukiHase

I’m autistic and have an eating disorder, so it’s around anyone. Same goes for making my own food.


PomeranianMultiverse

I mean. I find eating uncomfortable in general & have to put a show on to distract me from the fact I am eating. Eating in front of ANYONE is a nightmare. I can't even eat in front my own family & close friends without feeling super uncomfy; eating in front of people I don't know well is a no-go. I'm VERY good at putting up a front like I'm an extrovert so people normally think I'm an ambivert or straight up extrovert, even in these situations since I make it look natural & "normal", so it SEEMS like I'm fine with this... I am NOT lol.


SupermarketSpiritual

depending on their manners. yes. I start at overly polite if I'm not already familiar with their standards. if they're trough feeders, I'm very uncomfortable


RemarkableLettuce929

Yes, and in public and restaurants in general. Or in front of co-workers/bosses.


Kerplunk2222

Not so much uncomfortable with actually eating but I tend to be more conscientious with my table manners.


Potential-Click-5284

Most definitely not! I wonder when this happens, and hope they don’t get offended, but this is me that has nothing to do with anyone.


BigRedKetoGirl

What's the worst that could happen if they did judge your choices? Most people aren't really thinking about your food choices, they are thinking about their own, and if they did think your choices were a little odd, most people aren't even going to mention it to you, but let's say they did...you could just say "We all like different things", or something equally dismissive. Sometimes I think we think too much about things and really, truly, most people don't care about what we're doing the way we think they do. They are too busy worrying about themselves or what others are thinking about them.


chriscroston_

I do and don’t know why, but I think I feel gluttonous or like a savage animal. Actually being a savage animal might be cool. Okay I’m fine with it now


Moist_Turnip8433

I don't feel comfortable eating infront of anyone. in french class the other day, my teacher gave us cookies, and I out mine in my bag, for later, I would have eaten it in my room alone. two of my close friends noticed and were like yo are you not eating that and I just told them I was gonna give it to my brother bc I wasn't going to explain how disgusting I feel when I eat anything, especially around other people. 


Fireproofspider

I have dinner with people a lot for work and one issue I have is that I look at people's lips instead of their eyes. With this said, I can't remember even one instance of seeing someone putting food in their mouth. Honestly, the more I think about it, it's weird as fuck. It's a complete blind spot. As for choices, unless it's straight up weird (which usually means off menu), nobody cares.


Elston1012

I felt this way for an incredibly long time....very recently loosened up because it is just food. I don't understand why I'm weird about it. Yes, feels uncomfortable somehow. Oddly personal.


LuluBelle_Jones

Exactly. It’s like buying toilet paper.. we all use it but I used to be so uncomfortable buying it.


ricky3558

Only if it’s something messy. I order a salad when with people I don’t know


Byebyeyoutoo

I feel uncomfortable in front of them regardless of what I’m doing


art_mor_

I have anxiety eating in front of anyone


HasBinVeryFride

I feel uncomfortable eating around most anyone except for immediate family members.


santafesmike

I do for sure! I don't like eating in front of anyone and will purposely get less food when I have no other choice, and usually not even finish that.


withering_heights

Everybody at my office eats lunch at their desk. my desk is at a busy corner intersection so every day I eat lunch anxiously as coworkers walk by me. It makes me so uncomfortable!


Gibuu

Must be fun going to a restaurant


shycrazychicken1111

In places where people dress well, yes. But I find that when I am too busy and hurrying with a task, I can't give any care to what people think of me. So I guess it depends on mood?


gushythebussy

When I was a teenager lol now I do not care at all


tyniiemoseri

I feel a weird amount of guilt. If I didn’t help make the meal or wash the dishes from it I basically won’t eat. I work in a restaurant and even there when we have family meal I’ll sometimes refuse food.


4chan4normies

out of interest.. what are you ordering if noone is judging you?


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PeterNippelstein

No I eat ass all the time


vetsyd

Somewhat. It depends a lot on if I am having a good denture day or not. Lol


WillStrongh

Safe to say you're not alone :D


kittykat-95

Yes, I've never really liked eating in front of anyone except for family and close friends. I didn't used to care until I started struggling with my weight as a teen, then I got really self conscious about it and thought in the back of my mind that people were judging me for eating. I would just pick at my plate and barely eat anything. It's still awkward for me to this day, though not nearly as much as it used to be (though now I usually barely eat because I'm so busy talking I forget to 🤣).


KittyKode_Alue

Y e s


randomgirllmao

Yes but it’s cause I have stomach issues and often it seems like I spit my food out cause I cover my mouth but it’s just hard to swallow.


Wickedestchick

Yes. When i was in highschool i was obese, but i was a varsity athlete for shotput and discus and made state 3 out of 4 years (in Texas it was a huge accomplishment). I was the quiet kid, but I had a lot of friends and, thankfully, never got bullied for my weight (which I was very subconscious about). One time i was eating lunch with some friends, and some random friends of friends came to eat with us. I would always get this sub-sandwich for lunch every day. I took a bite and one of the randoms turned to the other random and said "omg did you see how big of a bite she took" while giggling. My friends called him an asshole and made them leave, but that was a defining moment for me in life. After that i would take tiny bites and now, even at 30 years old (and 150lbs lighter), I hate eating in front of anyone that isn't my husband or kids.


kait_1291

Me. I work in a super isolated building, at night. So, it's literally me, my two coworkers, and like 2-4 security guards. I took a lunch last week during a time when one of the other female security guards was also eating her lunch, so cooked my little Tupperwear container, grabbed a soda from the fridge, and went off to eat in a random empty office(this building is new, so this office has never been used, and probably never will be. Most of our peeps are WFH, and have been since the beginning of the pandemic, and my company doesn't seem keen to bring anyone back into the office if they don't have to.). It's barely been 7 days and she's already being catty to me because she took offense to me heating up my food and sitting in a random office away from everyone else. Girlie pop, it's not you. It's me.


Ambitious-Math-4499

I'll sit in someone's house dying of thirst and refuse a drink out of politeness


SouthernFlower8115

I used to, when I was in school. Now, I just gobble it down without thought


MrsButtercupp

No, I find it uncomfortable to eat in front of anyone.


enigmaticalso

Yes I do that is also why I don't eat in the cafeteria at work. You know that feeling when your trying to enjoy your mean but you are worried your irritating people because you need to smak your lips to enjoy it? Very uncomfortable


VinnieGognitti

I can get the fork, but I don't understand why you would need a knife! Unless the fries are like a foot long xD that's not fair!


Dry-Application3

I'd have to go back a few decades to feel like that. I have no problems now, could be my age.


Yomzie_hun

Well it depends on the food. If it is dry food, it will give me a lil discomfort but wet and saucey food...nah ....I WOULD EAT.


Round-Antelope552

Not anymore, I smash whatever I’m smashing


purplepills3

Yes, there’d be times I wouldn’t even eat around others at all


Surprise_Fragrant

Kind of... I'm more uncomfortable eating in front of people I know professionally. I hate any meeting that involves eating, or celebratory lunches that involves ordering and eating food. I'm fat, and I don't want to be seen as gluttonous, shoving food in my face. So I'll order something easy to eat, something that isn't messy, something I need a knife and fork to eat (so no burgers or sandwiches, etc). But also something that can be taken to-go, so I can just nibble at it during the lunch while we talk, but still reheats well later, so I can snarf it down in the privacy of my office.


Mindless_Mystic_136

Definitely! All the time. Whether they're complete strangers or people I've known my whole life. Always feels like they're judging me (and more often than not, they are!). Judging me for what I eat, what I don't eat, what I eat it with (utensils, condiments, sides, other dishes, anything, everything), how I eat, how slow I eat, how hastily, how much, how little, whatever they can think of really. Sometimes it's just an extremely strong feeling, sometimes it's a very obvious look, sometimes they say it under their breath and others they're yelling it out for the world to hear. But then they also judge when not eating. Can't catch a break! There's just no pleasing some people. So I just do what I want, when I want, how I want; don't pay them no mind


SilencedObserver

Throughout all of human history people have been uncomfortable. Congrats on having a meal and the opportunity to eat, when many are starving and can’t afford food. Learn to deal with overcome anxiety.


rainbownuggies

Only when I’m aware of myself if that makes sense. Like if I notice myself eating while eating instead of focusing on eating, I’ll start to wonder if I look weird haha


666_eiramikkin

i find it uncomfortable with people i know lmao


LowBudgetMemez

Yes! I’m glad I’m not the only one


L_The_MysteriousLady

Yeah i feel i will just chew stuff wrong or something and people will say stuff behind my back so i mostly eat with a friend besides it really helps a lot.


Complex_Detective280

Back in the good old days when I useto date, eating at a restaurant was not for me.  I would prefer coffee or a stroll somewhere. I would be too nervous especially if I liked you.  


Lilliboox

My younger sister is this way. I never really took it seriously ( I know I was a shitty sister 😓) because she always found reasons to not go out to eat with me. I’m older now dealing with my own ✨trauma so I understand this could be one of her things as well.