by Jeffrey Wright

Created on: October 09, 2010   Last Updated: October 10, 2010

Saying that eating something is rude because other people don’t like what is being eaten is really a non sequitur argument.   For instance I can say that I think eating pickles in public is rude because pickles gross me out (and they do) .  However that’s not going to be the case for the person eating the pickle, or for all the people eating pickles as well.  Its not rude at all, never was and never will be.

What’s your first reaction when you hear the word “rat”?  Unless you keep them as pets, I’m sure that, like most people here in America, your first thought was vermin, dirty, disease.  Your second thought will be to reach for the phone and call pest control.  You know what the first reaction to that word is in East Africa?  “oh good, dinner just walked across my counter”!

As many cultures that exist, there are even more food choices that exist.  Here’s a few more examples:  Iceland has some interesting food choices reserved for for one of their ancient traditions called Thorrabolt.  Care to take a guess what is eaten on that day?  How about sheep’s head and rams testicles?  What’s that? It doesn’t do it for you?  Well maybe the rotting shark will tickle your fancy!  

It would not be rude to eat things like these in public at all, especially in a society where individuality and embracement of diverse cultures and ethnic backgrounds are supposedly held in high esteem.  Sadly even today that last statement is really a myth.

Basically the problem here is not whether a certain food is rude to eat in public, but rather how rude Americans are when something is uncomfortable.  I’m sure I’m going to get some flack for that scathing statement but its really true.  As much as we preach unity and oneness of a nation and acceptance of other cultures, we sure don’t practice what we preach.

A great example is oriental food…ninety percent of the time, oriental the so- called Chinese or Japanese or mandarin foods are often not true to the country they came from.  Often, they have been Americanized to make it more “comfortable” for our pallet.   True oriental food tends to be on the blandish side, and in some cases can contain some pretty strange ingredients.

Our comfort zones should not affect what other people eat…ultimately, even if it is in public, its not our business to sit there and call something rude.  Hey, I like Limburger cheese, a very smelly cheese that doesn’t have the greatest of reputations, but tastes awesome on grilled cheese with 10 grain bread and mixed with cheddar cheese.  And I do eat it in public.  Does that mean I’m being rude?

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