My wife, daughter and I were having dinner at a restaurant over the weekend when my 8-year-old burped. She didn't immediately say "Excuse me," so my wife corrected her by asking, "What do you say?" My daughter then responded with the proper phrase. It was one of those teachable moments we all have gone through in our lives.
I'm not sure everyone learns from those teachable moments or really even has them growing up. The reason I say this is 10 minutes after the incident at our table, a gentleman sitting at the table behind us blew his nose very loudly. Needless to say, my spaghetti didn't taste all that great after hearing the sound. I chalked it up to a one-time incident and continued with my dinner. But the trumpeter swan behind us wasn't finished. He proceeded to blow his nose an additional four times before our meal was over. I guess you could say it was poor manners or a lack of home training when he was a child, but unfortunately, this lack of self-awareness happens far too often in restaurants across the country.
I guess it is a pet peeve of mine because I notice it every time. I can honestly say that at least once a month I am treated to someone playing a tune on their nose flute while I'm eating out. It is a disgusting occurrence and if you are one of those folks that blow your nose in a restaurant, please stop. The polite thing to do is get up and walk to the restroom where you can clean your sinuses until your heart is content and you will not bother anyone.
When did doing the polite thing become so hard? So many things that were considered normal and appropriate standards in a polite society have gone away. Things like respecting your elders. How hard is it to hold a door for someone older than you and let him or her walk through first? Who knows, it could make that person's day and would probably help improve your mood too.
Another thing I have noticed all too frequently is people treating service industry folks terribly just because they are paying them for something. If you are paying for something, you should absolutely be served correctly, but there is never any reason to be rude, hateful or hurtful to someone who is trying their best to help you. Believe me, if your steak is undercooked, your server is not to blame. Getting red-faced mad over something like this and yelling at your waiter or waitress says more about you than it does the level of service you are receiving.
So let's all try to be more aware of what we do and how we react to situations. You may be surprised at how something so simple can have a huge impact on the world around you.
Life is tough enough without us imposing our rude behavior on others. We are all in this together and as my mother used to tell me all the time, "There is no need to be ugly."
Editorial on 03/18/2018