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An office employee’s unusual lunchtime habit of narrating her food consumption out loud as she eats it has become the center of a workplace debate.
The woman routinely comments on her meals, uttering things like, “Mmm, spicy little pickle today,” or “OK, let’s give this baby carrot a crunch,” according to a recent Reddit post.
One of the more memorable lines, a colleague shared in the post, was: “What’s that? You’re just a sad sandwich? Don’t worry, I’m gonna eat you anyway.”
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“I thought it was funny at first, but it happens every single day and it’s getting kind of weird,” the author of the post said.
The writer said the co-worker’s habit has become “really distracting” in their small, 15-person office. Eventually, the person confronted her during lunch, saying, “Hey, no offense, but do you realize you talk to your food out loud every day?”
Colleagues (not pictured) complained that the comment by a worker made for an awkward work environment, according to the viral post. (iStock)
The woman laughed it off but appeared embarrassed and has since stopped with the narration.
“A few co-workers said I killed the vibe and that she was just being quirky,” the Reddit user wrote.
“I feel kind of bad now. I didn’t mean to shame her, but it was honestly getting distracting and hard to ignore.”
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The person then asked if she was wrong for “saying something.”
The thread quickly went viral, drawing some 3,000 comments and more than 12,000 “upvotes.” While opinions were split, most Reddit users took aim at the original poster.
“She wasn’t hurting you or anyone else,” one person said. “You should have removed yourself or used earplugs … Let people have their harmless quirks.”
Someone else argued, “She has just as much right to be in the break room talking in an inside voice as you do to sit there silently.”
A woman at work was called out (not pictured) for narrating her lunch as if she were hosting a cooking show, a colleague said. (iStock)
Other people said the annoyed employee could have dealt with the situation differently.
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“You didn’t need to call her out like that,” a Reddit user commented. “You should have found a way to say that respectfully and privately.”
“That vibe needed to be killed.”
Others sided with the original poster, calling the narration inappropriate for the workplace.
“That vibe needed to be killed,” one user wrote bluntly.
Another said, “She can narrate her meals at home, but workplace etiquette matters.”
The Reddit post about an office worker confronting a co-worker who talked aloud to her food garnered thousands of reactions. (iStock)
Someone else chimed in, “I sometimes say stuff like, ‘Oh yes, that’s what I’m talking about’ when I eat my favorite food, but ONLY when I’m alone at home.”
“I understand how irritating it would be in a small office where you may not have the option of eating somewhere else,” another person said. “The person with the bothersome, unnecessary habit is the one who should change.”
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Sheree Bryant Sekou, a leadership consultant and business etiquette trainer in Houston, said no one is in the wrong in the situation, but said that consideration is key in shared work spaces and that the original poster was “well within her right” to say something.
“The issue isn’t conversing with her meals,” Sekou told Fox News Digital of the worker who “talked” to her food. “The challenge is doing so in a manner and volume that is disturbing to others.”
She suggested the co-worker consider whispering — also noting that the phrase “no offense” often makes people feel more offended, not less.
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“Office vibe and culture should never take precedence over consideration and respectful behavior in the workplace,” Sekou added. “Co-workers should feel open and free to share their experiences and concerns with one another in respectful, healthy ways.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the original poster for comment.