The way we eat our food is habitual. This means that we are usually not aware of it. I have noticed some of the ways people eat and they range from elegance to gluttony.
My father slurps his soup. It is disgusting but we dare not say anything. He will be sorely offended if we did. On the other hand my mother is so gracefully in her ways. It is a pleasure to watch her daintily scoop the food up into her mouth and then chew it slowly and gently.
A fat friend of mine literally gobbles up his food. He eats at least three times as much as I do in about half the time that I take. While he is eating, he is totally oblivious to his surroundings. He puts the food into his mouth as fast as he can, chew a couple of times and then swallows. It does not matter whether he is using a spoon, chopsticks or his hands. He is skilled with all. After finishing, he sits up, gives a couple of burps and rubs his belly. It is all very disgusting, but at the same time it is very amusing.
Another friend of mine, a thin one this time, hardly, eats at all. He sits at the table and, half-heartedly picks up the food with a fork. He says he has no appetite. No wonder he is so thin.
Then there are many who talk while they eat. So little pieces of food and drops of saliva start flying. Only a sharp “Shut up and eat!” can silence these talkers. They usually shut up but only for a while.
How do you eat your food? Do you eat quickly, slowly, like a glutton, sparingly, daintily or noisily? Do you lick your fingers, spoon or plate? Are you aware of how you eat?
gluttony when people eat and drink more than they need to
slurp to drink a liquid noisily as a result of sucking air into the mouth at the same time as the liquid
oblivious not aware of something, especially what is happening around you
