Me, I’ve had a lot of people eat or munch on something while talking to me, as I’ve done the same. I don’t mind much, nor have the people I’ve been talking to when I’ve done it.
But I can understand someone who is annoyed by it. So really, the question is, what do you think about people who eat while talking to you on the phone? If you’ve ever come across this (and I’m pretty sure many have) what do you do? Keep talking because it doesn’t bother you? Keep talking but hide your secret disgust and annoyance (and probably find a way to get them off the phone)? Offer to call back? Grab something to eat yourself and thank them for the idea?
As I said, I don’t mind if someone does it on the phone with me, but what about you? And have you ever indulged in this act?
I absolutely cannot stand hearing someone eat over the phone. More accurately, I can’t stand listening to people eat at all. If it’s someone I’m very close to, I’ll just ask them if they’ll stop. If it’s someone I think might be offended I’ll just find a way to end the phone call and offer to call back. I hate hate hate it.
I sometimes resume eating while on the phone if someone has called me during a meal (and has not afforded me the opportunity to explain that a meal has been interrupted). If I was aware that someone I’d called was eating, I’d offer to call back when they’ve finished.
I usually say something like, “Geez…that must taste really good because I hear every bite you’re taking.” Hopefully they’ll stop. I find it disgusting.
If I’m eating on the phone, I’ll put it on mute until I swallow that mouthful. Then I don’t take another one until the call has ended.
I don’t mind eating over the phone, and neither does my girlfriend. However, she despises me pooping while I’m on the phone. In the unfortunate circumstance that she calls and I’m on the can, I can answer, but not let on that I’m pooping. This has led to long conversations where I’m on the pot and holding poo, since the splashing would let on to what I’m doing. Even if I’m finished, I’m forced to stay on the phone and chat for however long the conversation lasts before I can wipe or flush. My legs have fallen asleep a bunch of times because of this strange rule of hers.
And for a bit of explanation, I always take my cell phone to the can so I can play video games on it while pooping. It would be rude to not answer it, right?
I don’t like it and in the past have just said, “Sorry if I caught you at a bad time, I’ll call you later.” As for me I wouldn’t think of answering the phone while eating, they can leave a message or ring back but I am otherwise engaged.
Wow, I didn’t know it upset people this much. I regularly eat while talking to friends. Convenient phone time seems to overlap with dinner time. If my dinner’s ready, I just start eating. I’ll have to be more careful to ask people if it bothers them. Sorry to anyone I’ve offended!
It depends…if I’m calling them at work, I’ll often realize this may be the only time they get to eat lunch all day. (If it’s a busy place they work at!) Other than that, I’ll usually offer to call back later.
Get a little icked out, but unless it’s really gross–loud chewing, slobbering, smacking of lips, slurping–just continue on. When you gotta eat, you gotta eat.
It doesn’t gross me out, but I suppose it depends on who I’m talking to. I spend all day on the phone at work, and I absolutely hate talking on the phone at home. Phone conversations don’t last longer than five minutes unless the person on the other end is hundreds of miles away. In that case, they’re usually a pretty good friend, and I don’t care if they’re eating, as long as I can still understand them. If they called me during dinner, I’ll tell them that I’m in the middle of dinner, but if they can stand it, so can I.
I don’t get riled up or grossed out, I just marvel at peoples Pavlovian response to a ringing phone. So far in this thread it seems some people can’t resist answering if they are eating or shitting. So where do they draw the line…exercising?..having sex?..vomitting?
There is one person I know professionally who is well known to call people from anywhere. During one phone call we were made painfully aware that he was in a public toilet. He routinely calls from fast food joints, and sometimes has to pause his phone conversation to yell his order into the fast food drive-through microphone. He has also been known to brush his teeth and shave while on the phone.
