'Eye contact is key', Etiquette expert reveals CORRECT way to respond to a conversation while eating
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Have you ever been in a situation where you are chewing your food and someone asks you a question? How did you react? Did you respond right away, and maybe hold your hand over your mouth while you chewed, or did you wait until you finished chewing, and swallowed before speaking?
It turns out that there is a proper way to respond to someone who asks you a question while you are chewing your food.
Lucy Challenger, a London-based TikTok content creator, has gotten more than 8 million likes for her videos that teach Gen Z social media users the basic manners and etiquette they need to fit in with the upper classes.
She is known as an "etiquette expert" on social media, and in one of her most recent videos, she demonstrated how to avoid being rude when someone asks you a question while you have food in your mouth.
Lucy demonstrated how to respond to a conversation while eating. Credit: TikTok/@lucychallengerofficial.
"If you're eating, and mid-chew, someone asks you a question, what should you do?" Lucy asked her viewers in the clip. She then went on to demonstrate an answer to her own question.
According to her, the most polite way to respond to a question mid-chew is to simply cover your mouth, chew while maintaining eye contact with the person, swallow, smile, and answer the question.
By maintaining eye contact with the person, you are letting them know that you have acknowledged and heard them, but that it may be a little while before you respond to what they have said.
"It's a really easy technique to use, but it avoids you showing the contents of your mouth and talking with your mouth full, which is a big no-no," Lucy continued.
"But it respectfully shows that you've heard them and that you are ready to acknowledge and answer them as soon as you've finished your mouthful."
A number of people who watched the video also commented on it, saying that the other person who asked the question while you were eating is actually the person committing the social faux pas as they should be able to see that you were eating.
"It's vicious and evil to ask people a question after they've just taken a bite," one person wrote in the comments section. A second one agreed and added, "I just look at them and wonder why they decided to ask me a question while I was chewing."
Some even found humour in the situation, with one user saying: "I simply lean forwards and answer by letting everything that comes out of my mouth fall onto the plate. The funny thing is that they never ask me anything else until I've finished."
On the other hand, there are a lot of other people who think the video is great and have praised Lucy for the advice.
"I was just wondering what I would do, so thank you!" said one person. Another chimed in and wrote, "Thank you so much for this; I'm always awkward in these situations and don't know what to do."
Others admitted that they have been doing this for a long time and that it is nothing new to them. What about you, members? How do you respond when someone talks to you while eating? Let us know in the comments below!
It turns out that there is a proper way to respond to someone who asks you a question while you are chewing your food.
Lucy Challenger, a London-based TikTok content creator, has gotten more than 8 million likes for her videos that teach Gen Z social media users the basic manners and etiquette they need to fit in with the upper classes.
She is known as an "etiquette expert" on social media, and in one of her most recent videos, she demonstrated how to avoid being rude when someone asks you a question while you have food in your mouth.
Lucy demonstrated how to respond to a conversation while eating. Credit: TikTok/@lucychallengerofficial.
"If you're eating, and mid-chew, someone asks you a question, what should you do?" Lucy asked her viewers in the clip. She then went on to demonstrate an answer to her own question.
According to her, the most polite way to respond to a question mid-chew is to simply cover your mouth, chew while maintaining eye contact with the person, swallow, smile, and answer the question.
By maintaining eye contact with the person, you are letting them know that you have acknowledged and heard them, but that it may be a little while before you respond to what they have said.
"It's a really easy technique to use, but it avoids you showing the contents of your mouth and talking with your mouth full, which is a big no-no," Lucy continued.
"But it respectfully shows that you've heard them and that you are ready to acknowledge and answer them as soon as you've finished your mouthful."
A number of people who watched the video also commented on it, saying that the other person who asked the question while you were eating is actually the person committing the social faux pas as they should be able to see that you were eating.
"It's vicious and evil to ask people a question after they've just taken a bite," one person wrote in the comments section. A second one agreed and added, "I just look at them and wonder why they decided to ask me a question while I was chewing."
Some even found humour in the situation, with one user saying: "I simply lean forwards and answer by letting everything that comes out of my mouth fall onto the plate. The funny thing is that they never ask me anything else until I've finished."
On the other hand, there are a lot of other people who think the video is great and have praised Lucy for the advice.
"I was just wondering what I would do, so thank you!" said one person. Another chimed in and wrote, "Thank you so much for this; I'm always awkward in these situations and don't know what to do."
Others admitted that they have been doing this for a long time and that it is nothing new to them. What about you, members? How do you respond when someone talks to you while eating? Let us know in the comments below!
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