Slurp Crunch

[Anonymous]

Our new AP is lovely with one exception: she seems unable to consume foods or liquids without making noise. Sluuuurp. Crunch. Sluuurp. Suck. Crunch. She chews with her mouth wide open...I think on purpose. My husband said this is cultural (Vietnamese). I can’t handle it. How have people addressed this?

[Anonymous]

You address it by addressing your own issues and keeping your mouth shut. This is supposed to be a cultural exchange, right?

[Anonymous]

The chewing with mouth open thing would get on my nerves.

[Anonymous]

My AP does this as well. She also talks with a mouth full of food. I do think it's a cultural thing (mine is from Thailand) I've just learned to live with it.

[Anonymous]

Well, I get that it's annoying but don't be rude by telling her.
It looks natural to her (maybe! I don't anything about vietnamese people).

[Anonymous]

My mom is from Philadelphia and she has always talked with a mouth full of food at meals. It's cultural

[Anonymous]

I cannot stand it and I’m going to have to add it to screening qualifications. Bad table manners make my hair stand on end!!!!

[Anonymous]

If she is lovely in all other ways then consider yourself fortunate.

[Anonymous]

This totally gets to me too. Google misophonia. Our current makes noises like "ummm" as she's eating. Nails on a chalkboard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This totally gets to me too. Google misophonia. Our current makes noises like "ummm" as she's eating. Nails on a chalkboard.

My foreign MIL does the umm thing, and it's unnerving in how sexual it sounds. I fixed this by minimizing meals together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This totally gets to me too. Google misophonia. Our current makes noises like "ummm" as she's eating. Nails on a chalkboard.

Wonder what traits of yours drive others crazy? Do they perhaps drive the AP crazy too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I cannot stand it and I’m going to have to add it to screening qualifications. Bad table manners make my hair stand on end!!!![/quote

It's not really "bad table manners" if it's common in their home country. It is ok to let them know that it is considered rude in the US -- imagine them at restaurants, job interviews if they come back, etc ...

We only host French APs, and it's normal to lick your knife. I don't want my kids to start doing that, so I address it. I also use a lot of positive praise towards my kids during dinner because they're still learning table manners. So OP could try praising her kids for keeping their mouths closed or eating soup quietly.

[Anonymous]

Our Au Pair chews ice with her mouth open and my kids have started doing it!!! Argh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This totally gets to me too. Google misophonia. Our current makes noises like "ummm" as she's eating. Nails on a chalkboard.

My foreign MIL does the umm thing, and it's unnerving in how sexual it sounds. I fixed this by minimizing meals together.

OMG me too! I lie to her and tell her that restaurants have "no sex sounds" rules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You address it by addressing your own issues and keeping your mouth shut. This is supposed to be a cultural exchange, right?

Maybe our part of the exchange is to show them that in America, we tell people to eat with their mouths closed. Ever considered that?