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the organic or grass fed people can be the most annoying people at work.. they will try to shame others about what they eat... (this happened in my past)
food is a part of our lives,,people talk about food
here is my suggestion to the op
take a stand.. "i don't judge your food do not judge mine"
Thankfully I don't have the grass fed crowd at work.
Marachino ... you shared what you think about this subject with us here on the internet - why not say the same thing to your coworkers in the office? In the instance of ensuring all get the same message at the same time, you could even hold a 'meeting' in the lunch room to tell people how you feel about their comments, etc. once and for all. Explain to them that it is a personal preference that you be left alone when it comes to what you eat and bring for lunch, etc. and that their comments irk you. You should be ready, particularly after all this time, to confront the issue since it seems to make you 'so' uncomfortable that your resentment is probably even affecting your job performance (if you brood about it after lunch each day for a while) or maybe how you feel about coworkers who are working on projects with you.
They obviously just don't understand how you feel since it is not an attitude they perhaps encounter too often but I bet that would 'fix the problem' and you will be able to cook/eat in peace from that point on. You just might have to actually say something in order to get them to stop. One hopes though that each and every one of your coworkers will also see that this is the ONLY area in which you are to be treated differently than the rest of the group - and not hold your admission against you.
Or you could just smile and tolerate what you see as personal affronts but which others apparently see as friendly office conversation.
The OP did not make as big a deal out of it as your response does. The OP merely wondered why people do this.
I do not regard the preoccupation of some with others' food or eating patterns as friendly office conversation. They are often being judgmental nosy busybodies or passive-aggressive. "You always get chicken salad, don't you?" "You never seem to eat beef." "My, that's a huge salad. Anyone else couldn't eat it all." "You're adding salt to that? It's not salted already?"
Why on earth would anyone even NOTICE what other people are eating or how they eat it or what they put on it, unless it's something truly odd that humans don't normally do. It's just eating food. A very normal and boring and frequent occurrence. There is nothing interesting at all about it, really. Not when compared to so many other things.
One exception would be if everyone states if what they ordered was good or bad, when ordering at a restaurant. That's how the group decides whether to go back there. Notice in movies when people are eating at home or at a restaurant, there is usually no conversation or comment about people's eating habits.
I have tried to understand the myriad of possible reasons people like to do this, but since it is so prevalent, I need answers from the folks who actually do it.
Whether I am taking food from the microwave or just pulling a bag from the fridge, there is always someone right there leaning over to see what I have. And it is usually accompanied by some comment about yumminess or how they wish they had something different than what they brought.
It just feels invasive. What if I had brought leftovers from my cannibal feast? Now I have to share that info with you? And so what if I have a really big salad. Must you guys have to say something about it?
I do this (but then again I am a chatterbox and talk about anything and everything, stranger or not). I am always on a diet and come in with low cal food, and I kind of live vicariously through other people's food...if you went to dinner last night, I will ask what you ordered in detail, lol. I also work with a lot of people from other countries such as the Phillipines, and if it's a dish I never saw before I will ask about it too.
I think you're going too deep with it, you don't have to talk about anything you don't want to. I wouldn't be offended that you're not a person who likes to chat, to each his own. No one is trying to dig deep down into your life, it's just chatter.
I do not regard the preoccupation of some with others' food or eating patterns as friendly office conversation. They are often being judgmental nosy busybodies or passive-aggressive. "You always get chicken salad, don't you?" "You never seem to eat beef." "My, that's a huge salad. Anyone else couldn't eat it all." "You're adding salt to that? It's not salted already?"
This is your perception, and may not be their intent at all. My perception is that these are just comments from someone attempting to make small talk and can't think of anything else to say except what is right in front of them such as your food. These comments do not appear to be judgmental or passive-aggressive to me at all.
I think the focus should be on their intent versus the actual comment.
After reading several CD threads over the years about subjects of conversations that are apparently offensive to others, I am probably offending folks daily and don't realize it. I always assumed subjects about food, the weather, vacations, where one works are safe topics to make small talk about - apparently not!
The question bothers me. Because it forces me to be hypocritical: "It's ____. Do you want some?"
It has been imprinted since my earliest childhood that you have to share your food with the hungry. So if anyone points to my food, I feel obligated to offer some to everybody in the room.
The question bothers me. Because it forces me to be hypocritical: "It's ____. Do you want some?"
It has been imprinted since my earliest childhood that you have to share your food with the hungry. So if anyone points to my food, I feel obligated to offer some to everybody in the room.
I have never seen any expectation that a co-worker share his lunch with co-workers, that is silly to me. If you come in with a dozen donuts yes people may expect you to share, but not your lunch. I have never commented on someone's lunch with the hope they would offer me some.
"The hungry" doesn't actually mean your co-workers who just haven't gotten their turn at the microwave yet.
If you are burning popcorn and heating up garlic mussels marinated in seaweed they may be trying to subtly tell you something other than making chit chat.
I do this (but then again I am a chatterbox and talk about anything and everything, stranger or not). I am always on a diet and come in with low cal food, and I kind of live vicariously through other people's food...if you went to dinner last night, I will ask what you ordered in detail, lol. I also work with a lot of people from other countries such as the Phillipines, and if it's a dish I never saw before I will ask about it too.
I think you're going too deep with it, you don't have to talk about anything you don't want to. I wouldn't be offended that you're not a person who likes to chat, to each his own. No one is trying to dig deep down into your life, it's just chatter.
It's unwanted chatter. And it's actually just not a very tactful behavior. Most of the time, it's not even chatty, just leaning over and staring.
I was raised to mind my own business. Not everyone was.
One of my co-workers habitually brings in a bag of sugary treats, asks if others want them, gobbles the lot, and then complains she is fat. What should I do?
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