A warning to the visitors to the Oregon Coast, there has been several shark sightings the past few days. The sightings have included a great white shark! You can read the full article at Oregonlive.com, here is the direct link to the article:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/great_whites_like_the_one_take.html
The teacher would say “spit out your gum, Bill” and half the class would run up to the waste basket and spit out their gum. I guess that is when it was ingrained into me that gum chewing was unattractive and annoying. I do chew gum. However, I would never meet a client while chewing gum. It just seems rude to me. I would never great a date chewing gum. Just seems a bad way to start a date. Sure maybe we might share a stick of gum after a nice dinner. But before moving on to an after dinner walk along the river in downtown Portland or along the Oregon Coast I would neatly place the gum in a napkin and ditch it in the nearest garbage can.
The reason that I am talking about gum chewing today is becuase that was my annoyance yesterday. Not only while taking mom over to our local credit union to help her take care of some banking chores but also while sitting at my Mom’s last night watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Before ranting about gum chewing I just wanted to thank Ed, the head honcho at the Lake Oswego branch of the Onpoint Credit Union. He was not chewing gum and was without a doubt the nicest, most accommodating, head honcho on the planet. He treated mom with just a tremendous amount of respect. He helped us transfer the direct deposit of Mom’s social security check from B of A to the credit union. Took a lot of his time so that we wouldn’t need to stand in line at the social security office. I just hope Ed succeeds at whatever he does, he deserves it. And it a weird bit of connection, Ed & I, both here in Portland, Oregon were born at the same hospital in Billings, Montana.
Now on to the gum chewing. I am starting to see it everywhere. The checker at the grocery store. The clerk at the gas station. The order taker at the fast food restaurant. OK, I admit I am old fashioned but I would NEVER allow any employee of mine to great a customer or a client while chewing gum. It just seems rude and bad manners. Yesterday when we walked into Onpoint, the first person we meet, the person right there in the front that is the first person anyone encounters is chomping on gum. Between chomps it was “Can I help you?.” Why was I so freaking annoyed at that?
Last night the third contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire sat in the chair and the camera shows him chewing gum. I mean don’t they have a producer to tell him, “lose the gum you idiot.” It annoyed me so much I wanted him to lose. He didn’t, he is still going strong. I get to root against him again tonight. If he learned some manners overnight and ditches the gum then maybe I’ll change and root for him. Why did his gum chewing annoy me so much?
OK, talk me down here. My mom talked me down when I wanted to leave enough money for the coffee and walk out of the local Shari’s before the dinner came a couple of nights ago when I saw cook in the open kitchen scratch his back with one of his cooking knifes. She calmed me down enough that I stayed through dinner. Can you do the same here? Talk me down. Tell my I am to old fashioned and I should at least move into the eighties. Tell me that gum chewing by employees meeting the public is just to little of a thing to worry about. Of course if it annoys you too, I am all for you agreeing with me.
Today‘s Trivia:
1. Name the rock group that was made up of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynn, and Roy Orbison.?
2. Who was the only regular cast member of the TV show M*A*S*H* to actually serve in the army in Korea?
3. Who played Chandler’s father on Friends? (I love this question)
4. At 85 hours what is the longest movie ever made?
5. An earthquake that measures 8 on The Richter Scale would be how many times stronger that an earthquake that measured 4 on The Richter Scale?
YESTERDAY’S ANSWERS:
1) c. John Lennon
2) b. Some Like it Hot
3) c. lusted in his heart
4) c. Arsenio Hall
5) d. Harry Truman
6) b. Bonzo
7) a. Chevy Chase
8) b. Richard Nixon
9) b. golf
10) d. Babe Ruth
HAVE A GREAT DAY! LOOKING FORWARD TO SEE WHERE YOU STAND ON GUM CHEWING!
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10 comments:
I loathe gum. Rob once gave a 5 year old Danielle a piece of gum and, hoping to remind her of the correct way to dispose of it asked, "What is the most important gum rule?" to which Danielle replied, "Don't chew it near Mom."
Hi Ellen
Good to see you! LOL at Danielle's comment. Classic!
Bill
I cannot stand people who chew gum at whatever job.
I don't mind gum in social situations, but man you better not look like you a cow chewing cud.
Also, not sure your mom should have talked you down about leaving the diner.
Hi Connie
I knew I liked you!
Mom didn't want to cause a scene, I didn't want to cause a scene just leave.
Bill
I can't say gum chewing bothers me much, tho' I don't chew myself. I do think it looks unclassy, and should definitely not be done in any kind of professional situation.
That chef should have watched one of the cooking shows. People get "fired" for such unhygienic practices. I'm sure lots of things go on in restaurant kitchens that we'd rather not know about, however. Me? My head is in the sand unless I actually see something icky.
Ellen, I love Danielle's comment!
Hi Pat
In a lot of restaurants here they have open kitchens so you pertty much see what is going on, on the ones that don't I keep my head in the sand too!
Bill
Love Danielle's come-back, Ellen.
Chewing gum... depends on how. I mean, you can chew gum quietly and unobtrusively or you can chew it with your mouth half open and smacking sounds. You can roll it into your cheek, if your get caught and need to deal with people. (I used to chew gum, don't anymore). However, I agree there's no place for gum chewing in professional or service situations. Thing is, there's not much you can do about it. It's a management and training issue. I honestly can't say I've seen it in professional settings that I recall.
As to the diner, I'm with you and Connie and Pat. I think I'd have left. Where else had he scratched with the knife? Scratch and set the knife aside for washing and get a new one, okay. Scratch and use the knife on food. Nope. Like Pat, if I don't see it, that's one thing. If I do, different story.
Hi Dr
See with me it doesn't matter how you chew the gum, if you are greeting clients or customers you shouldn't be chewing it. It is rude, imho.
I wanted to leave their restaurant but mom didn't because it is a place we eat at regularly and she didn't want to hurt people that we know feelings. Of course, I am going to discourage us going there in the future and am seriously considering writing the home office about the incident.
Bill
Like the others, I loathe chewing gum. I would think anybody who saw a video of themselves while chewing gum would never, EVER do it again. YUCK!!!
Hi Mary Z
Welcome to the anti-chewing club!
Bill
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