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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.”
“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?”
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.”
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.”
Other people said the annoyed employee could have dealt with the situation differently.
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.
“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.
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