Bad Manners When Going Out?

Ashley DeShields

  It’s the holiday season; people are heading out to restaurants to avoid cooking as there are plenty of holidays coming up that require excessive amounts of cooking. It is, unfortunately, common to see people in restaurants who appear to have had no home training in manners or who have no concern for other people.  This article may help people refine their behavior when they are out, and avoid being labeled as “rude Americans”.

Whether one is out at a bar, restaurant or traveling, there are some things people shouldn’t do. Marisa Anziano, junior Public Relations major, said, “I hate when you are out to eat with someone and they are constantly on their phone. It makes me feel like they are not interested in what I have to say, or that I’m boring. Another pet peeve of mine is when people are rude to waiters and waitresses.  It is such a difficult job that is not helped by rude people making their lives even more difficult.”  I have to give Anziano some credit. Few people actually consider the feelings of those serving them.  Cell phones do come in handy, but some people are addicted to them and don’t know that they should put them away while having dinner, or any meal, with other people. It is just common courtesy to do so. Some people lack face-to-face communication skills, but eating with friends will give everyone the chance to really get to know each other, and practice their conversation skills at the same time!

A person’s eating habits can also condemn them.  Your parents raised you with table manners, hopefully.  Don’t make fools of them and yourselves.  Gina Osegueda, a Senior Criminal Justice major, discussed her many peeves while eating at restaurants: “People eating with their mouths open, and talking with food in their mouths really bother me. I hate when you’re eating at a table, and people reach over you.  I also dislike others yelling at the table, and talking on the phone, and constantly getting up from the table, and finally, grinding one’s fork and knife together.”

Samantha Vega, a junior English Education major, said “I can’t stand when people pack their food in their mouth, not eating with utensils, sitting on tables in a restaurant.  It’s gross for people to pick their nails, hair, or nose, with food on the table.”  Not eating with utensils is probably the least classy thing someone can do.  Sure there are plenty of finger foods, but dishes like pasta are not finger foods.

Hygiene is equally as important as table manners.  The holiday season is also cold and flu season; spreading germs is a big concern. Unfortunately, Lauren King, a senior Education major, has seen her fair share of this. “When people are at a bar they don’t wash their hands before they leave the bathroom.  I also can’t stand to watch people blow their noses into restaurants cloth napkins; it is completely disgusting.”  Washing one’s hands is probably the most important thing to do from November to March, along with bundling up and staying dry.

When going out and the destination is someone else’s home, please take your dirty shoes off at the door and politely ask where you may place them. Tracking your mess onto someone’s carpets and floor is not acceptable.  You wouldn’t want to clean it up if it were your home. The same goes for wet coats, hats and other apparel.

Some people may not think that going to class constitutes going out, but it does. You are in public, and you have left your place of residence.  Behaving appropriately in class also contributes to one’s reputation and is a mark of one’s character.  Not showing up to class and consistently relying on the notes or work of others labels a person as a slacker or lazy. Guys, when your belt has to be at its tightest to keep your pants hooked up below your butt, it is a problem and there is something wrong.

All in all, put your best foot forward when you step outside your home.  You reflect yourself and your family.  Think about the points mentioned in this article that are considered to be offensive and ill-mannered by your fellow students, and please don’t do them in public. Have some respect for the people around you, regardless of whether they are friends or strangers.