Stop chewing your gum so loud!

[Mental Magpie]

My basic training academy is set up like a classroom at tables.  We are encouraged to sit next to a new person everyday, and most of us stick to that.  Today, someone to whom I have never set next sat down beside me.  Everything was fine all morning, but then we came back from lunch.  She sat there chewing her gum with her mouth open, making that awful smacking sound.  Not only did it make me antsy (yes, it bothers me that much), but it was severely distracting otherwise.  I wanted to ask her to stop, but I felt like she might take it as a personal attack.  What, if anything, can I say in the future if this happens even if it isn't necessarily her?

[misha412]

I would wait for a quiet moment and then say something like, "I hate to ask this, but, here goes. The sound of gum chewing makes me antsy. Can you stop chewing gum?"

By making it about you, you are not making a personal attack against her.

[cicero]

I would wait for a quiet moment and then say something like, "I hate to ask this, but, here goes. The sound of gum chewing makes me antsy. Can you stop chewing gum?"

By making it about you, you are not making a personal attack against her.

this.

and be thankful that this isn't your permanent roommate, like mine, who pops her gum (I did ask her to stop. she "forgets" that it's annoying...), chomps on crunchy vegetables all.day.long, yawns really really really loudly with theatrical effects all.day.long, and talks to her computer. well, i talk to my computer too, so can't complain too much about that. but the other stuff is *really* annoying...

gum popping - besides being annoying - is IMHO very unprofessional.

[Giggity]

Gum-chewing at all is unprofessional, I think. I can't stand the stuff.

That said, if you can chew it so I don't notice you're chewing it, you're doing it right.

And a whole lot of people think they can chew it unobtrusively and they are incorrect.

[WillyNilly]

There is nothing wrong with gum chewing and asking someone to stop is obnoxious, SS and way beyond the scope of even remotely OK. Gum chewing is certainly a much healthier a habit then not gum chewing and she might have a justified need to do so.

There is something wrong with chewing with one's mouth open, which is aside from visually gross, quite loud. Its perfectly reasonable to mention her chewing is quite loud and would she please be mindful of that and take steps to be more quiet such as closing her mouth and not chomping. The OP doesn't mention popping or snapping but it would be reasonable to ask someone to stop snapping their gum as well.

[Shopaholic]

I think it's highly likely that she doesn't even notice how loud her chewing is.
I know that I chew loudly, but I wouldn't have known that if someone hadn't pointed it out to me.
Unfortunately, that someone chose to tell me that I chew like a cow, rather than ask me politely to chew with less gusto.

I don't think it's too different than asking her to stop tapping her pen or cracking her knuckles, if she were so inclined. I like misha's suggestion.

[Mental Magpie]

It's not the sound of chewing gum that bothers me, it's the sound of chewing anything with your mouth open, which she is doing with her gum.  Smack, smack, smack, smack, and I can't concentrate and get antsy in my seat.  It's really just the sound that's distracting; I didn't know she was even chewing it until she started to with her mouth open.

[O'Dell]

"Wow. You're really enjoying that gum."

[mbbored]

There is nothing wrong with gum chewing and asking someone to stop is obnoxious, SS and way beyond the scope of even remotely OK. Gum chewing is certainly a much healthier a habit then not gum chewing and she might have a justified need to do so.

There is something wrong with chewing with one's mouth open, which is aside from visually gross, quite loud. Its perfectly reasonable to mention her chewing is quite loud and would she please be mindful of that and take steps to be more quiet such as closing her mouth and not chomping. The OP doesn't mention popping or snapping but it would be reasonable to ask someone to stop snapping their gum as well.

While I agree with your second point, we'll have to agree to disagree on the first one.

[WillyNilly]

There is nothing wrong with gum chewing and asking someone to stop is obnoxious, SS and way beyond the scope of even remotely OK. Gum chewing is certainly a much healthier a habit then not gum chewing and she might have a justified need to do so.

There is something wrong with chewing with one's mouth open, which is aside from visually gross, quite loud. Its perfectly reasonable to mention her chewing is quite loud and would she please be mindful of that and take steps to be more quiet such as closing her mouth and not chomping. The OP doesn't mention popping or snapping but it would be reasonable to ask someone to stop snapping their gum as well.

While I agree with your second point, we'll have to agree to disagree on the first one.

I'm not sure what there is to disagree on - its proven that chewing [certain] gum has real health benefits and I would have thought it universally accepted that its not ok to tell someone what they can or cannot put in their own bodies... but ok.

But regardless the offending person was chewing with their mouth open - that was the real offense not the actual gum chewing itself, so yes of course MM can simply ask they close their mouth while they chew, which should significantly cut down on noise.

One explanation actually could be the person suffers from allergies and was specifically chewing a xylitol gum (which can reduce allergies) and was chewing with their mouth open because they were a bit stuffed up and found it easier to mouth breathe.

[Shopaholic]

I don't think that's the issue. The issue is that the coworker is making a noise that makes MM uncomfortable.
It doesn't matter if she's cracking gum or sniffling or even humming to herself.
The OP is perfectly within her rights to say
"Excuse me, I find that noise very distracting. Would you mind terribly if I asked you to stop?"

[WillyNilly]

^ Right 

My point is its ok to ask them to stop chewing loudly/stop making smacking sounds.  Since they were chewing with their mouth open this should be easy for them to stop - closing their mouth will significantly lessen the noise.
 
Its not ok to ask them to stop chewing gum though, at least not as a first resort.  And its such an unreasonable request its likely to not accomplish anything.

Its not the gum chewing that is the problem, its the sound.  They can continue one while stopping the other.

(Sorry I tend to get a bit defensive on the subject on these boards because there are some seriously anti-gum-chewing-at-any-time posters who are downright nasty at times in how "disgusting" and "unprofessional" and and all sorts of other nasty untrue words, etc gum chewing is, when really its not any of those things.  Some of the associated issues, like sounds of chewing or snapping are annoying and perhaps gross and unprofessional, but not all gum chewers chew loudly or snap.)

[RegionMom]

Went to an appt. where the doctor had a piece of gum planted between her teeth so hard that it gave her a lisp as she spoke.
At first, I thought she had a speech impediment, but the I saw the gum.  She was not smacking it, not even chewing it, but was speaking to me through almost clenched teeth.
I admit that it took me off guard, since I work at a school where no gum is allowed (trash, smells, wrappers, gum residue, sharing issues)

As for the OP's concern, it was a lunch table, so I would expect the sound of chewing.  Since it is supposed to be a new person each time, just move while saying, "I already sat with you, maybe next time, gotta follow policy!"

Oh, wait, it was after lunch.  Maybe she was 'brushing" her teeth with the gum?  For fresh breath?  I dunno.  grin and bear it?

[MariaE]

Oh, wait, it was after lunch.  Maybe she was 'brushing" her teeth with the gum?  For fresh breath?  I dunno.  grin and bear it?

That's what I do. My dentist has told me to eat gum after meals. I keep it quiet though, and remove it immediately if I have to go to a meeting or something similar.

[WillyNilly]

Went to an appt. where the doctor had a piece of gum planted between her teeth so hard that it gave her a lisp as she spoke.
At first, I thought she had a speech impediment, but the I saw the gum.  She was not smacking it, not even chewing it, but was speaking to me through almost clenched teeth.
I admit that it took me off guard, since I work at a school where no gum is allowed (trash, smells, wrappers, gum residue, sharing issues)

I think that nicotine gums are supposed to be used like this.  I never used them myself, but my understanding is you don't chew them per say but rather just hold them down between your teeth chomping them only occasionally.