What should i do? (eating ettiquette)?

Question

I am finding it difficult to talk while there is food in my mouth. I find it rude when someone talks with food in their mouth so i get self concious when i have to reply to a question while i am eating. This happens while i have dinner with strangers and they ask me
questions that i have to reply quickly to..It would also be rude if i take my time chewing then aswering...

If i AM FORCED to talk with food in my mouth (due to dinner time conversation)--im afraid the other person will see the beautiful contents of my mouth...


Should i:

a) Keep chewin, swallow then reply (even if it takes awhile!)
b) Talk with food in my mouth
c) cover my mouth with my hand
d) pretend im thinking about the question when im not and just use the time to keep chewing, swallow then answer. (probably wont work on simple questions like 'how are you')

Answer 1

I use "a" or "d". They know I am eating and won't expect me to respond immediately. It's also more accepted to take your time to eat. BTW, it eliminates the little "umm/uhh" if I take my time to chew and think on the answer/response.

Worst case, I would use "c", but never "b".

Answer 2

I know what you mean ,,,, It bothers me to no end when a waitress will come up and ask if everything is ok ,,,, With out fail they ask me when my mouth is full ,,,, With a waitress I will either just nod or if I have something to say probably about a missing item I've ordered but didn't get I will hold up a finger and take the time to swallow before I say anything ,,,, As far as I'm concerned they can stand there and wait ,,,, I think it's very rude of them not to take time to notice whether the person has food in their mouth or not ,,,, As for anyone I'm dining with ,,,, I will wait to swallow before I reply ,,,, Usually a conversation over dinner isn't a rush rush thing anyway ,,,, Taking your time with your dinner partner isn't that big of a deal ,,,, If this thing bothers you though you could always start asking them something when their mouth is full and see what they do ,,,, If they talk with their mouth full then they will probably not take offense if you do ,,,, Proper etiquette requires that a person does not talk with food in his mouth though ,,,,

Answer 3

Hold a finger up to say "hold on a sec", as you're chewing, then swallow the contents of your mouth and reply, with an empty mouth.

Answer 4

I can't imagine a dinnertime comment that would require an answer from you before you have chewed the food in your mouth.

Answer 5

Since everybody knows you're not supposed to talk while chewing, they'll never expect you to answer till you've swallowed. There's no need to rush, or give any kind of signal.

Answer 6

I would keep chewing,swallow, then reply...it's rude of your dinner companion to keep asking questions while your mouth is full. it might help to take smaller bites so you can finish chewing faster

Answer 7

Keep chewing and reply when your mouth is empty. This should train people to ask you questions when your mouth is empty.

Answer 8

Cover your mouth with your hand...when the other person sees you doing this, they will be more considerate about talking with their mouth full or trying to get a response from you while your's is full.

Answer 9

I always take small bites with guests. If it ever happens, you can just cover your mouth with your hand, people do it all the time. I had friends with braces who got gooey candies and they talked almost all day with their hand in front of their mouth.

Answer 10

if they are strangers i think you should eat very small pieces so you can chew-in and swallow in a little time then you can talk very easy.
Because if it is someone older or your boss than you it will not be very nice (inappropriate) to tell him to wait till you finish.Right
This will take so much time to finish your pate but it will really help you out.