We all have that friend who has annoying eating habits, whether they chew loudly or scarf down a meal in seconds, so you feel like you have to rush. One man addressed his wife’s soup-eating practices, and she wasn’t too happy with what he said. He turned to social media to see if he was right to do so.
The poster shared his dinner table woes on Reddit, explaining that he and his wife attended a chef’s table experience. The chef served the couple soup, although the husband explains his wife was “loudly slurping.” He allegedly politely asked her not to slurp. However, she replied that it was a “sign of content” in Japan. His issue was they weren’t eating in Japan, and he worried the noise was disturbing nearby diners. The food wasn’t Japanese either. It was potato leek soup.
A row ensued, and the wife allegedly snapped at the husband for telling her she was doing something the wrong way. The poster clarifies that his wife is not Japanese, although she is familiar with the culture, having spent some time there. As her reaction was so negative, he wondered if he was wrong to bring it up at all.
Was The Husband Right To Bring Up The Soup Slurping?
The post on Reddit, which quickly garnered thousands of responses, is filled with comments, mostly suggesting the husband was in the right. One reply with 10K likes says, “She’s not Japanese, and you weren’t in Japan. Japanese etiquette was completely irrelevant in this instance. Your wife was being gross and annoying, and seems to have no social awareness.” Another user points out the excuse is strange, saying, “She can recognize the importance of cultural context but only for Japan? Bizarre excuse.”
Others believe the husband is in the right but try to explain his partner’s behavior. One reply theorizes that she knew she was wrong but was embarrassed and felt the need to double down in the moment. Another user points out that the story lacks context, as while it says the husband “politely” asked his wife to stop, it’s unclear how he said it. One commenter suggests a more tactful response would be, “That’s a cool fact about Japan! We’re in (where you are), and here it’s considered rude. Could you follow the customs of this culture instead?”
Others are less kind, suggesting slurping soup is as bad as licking fingers or eating with your mouth open.