To tell this man what he's doing is disgusting?

[Helpinsuchapickle]

warning. May make some people feel a bit sick

walk to school and back every day, there is one basic route from my house (so I can't go another way before it's suggested).

I pass by a fellow school childs house early on and the father and I often end up walking close to each other. We don't talk as he doesn't speak English bar a few phrases.

Here's the problem. He spits and blows his nose constantly. Not into a hankie, but onto the floor. He hacks up phlegm very loudly and really fires it out. And when he blows his nose he covers one nostril and blows everything out through the other one. Everywhere with no tissue.

It actually makes me heave. I've been late to school before because I've had to hang behind him and wait for him to get a good deal ahead of me because I couldn't listen/see it.

WIBU to say something to him?

It's literally every day I see him hack something up.

When I lived in Edinburgh 25 years ago I had to walk past the ''Heart of Midlothian' I think it was called outside St Giles Cathedral in the Royal Mile to work each day.
It was traditional to gob green phlegm onto it. Shiny, yellow green mucusy phlegm. Stinking and slippery. It still makes me feel sick just thinking about it.

Bloody disgusting.

I dumped an ex on the spot for spitting out of the car once. I waited till he had dropped me off at home then told him How I couldnt stand the thought of going near his mouth again after seeing what had just come out of it so it was probably for the best if he didn't bother calling again.

He thought I was the weird one but years on and I still get a sick feeling when I think of it. Id do the look of disgust each and every time you see him do it OP. he may not understand much english but everyone can see the look of disgust on someones face.

Very common across Asia and in dusty, hot countries. I admit when I lived over that way I learnt to spit a good 3 metres, in private!!! It is though foul and when I see, usually young men, do it here I often give them daggers, look at their deposit and say "charming' in a sarcastic tone!

Buy some tissues, leave them on the desk.

Yuk! Absolutely detest seeing spitting. Remember when I was about 6 yrs old and a 17 yr old boy snorted and spat phlegm down my front, all the while holding my arm so I couldn't run away. I felt so dirty and humiliated, none of the other children did or said anything as they were scared of him too. Every time I see someone spitting, it brings back a horrid memory.

There are efforts in India to encourage people to "please use the spittoon" and signs asking people not to spit (train stations, public places).

So it's not widely acceptable to do it in the street.

I've travelled a lot in India and while I've heard it ALOT, I've never come so close to it. The snorting and rolling of phlegm round the back of the throat but not the spitting.

can you leave 5-10 minutes earlier?

It is cultural, but it's also considered disgusting in the U.K.

On the one hand, I think he should modify his behaviour to fit the country he is in.

On the other hand, would I stop blowing my nose in public if I went to Japan? Or wear a face mask in the middle of summer if I had a cough? Probably not. I'd be the disgusting foreigner.

Can you not say something but in a polite way?
Perhaps with a bunch of flowers in hand? I could not live with this on a daily basis, navigating phlegm on the ground walking to shops with dd makes my blood boil. It almost turns me into a shoes off person too
But there is a very real risk of disease with TB etc, only the other day a poster on here said her DH was possibly about to be diagnosed with with.

I would approach full of apologetic smiles, and some sort of gift and just say - I wonder.....so sorry.....

Jam but no one has to physically step in your cough and I assume you blow nose into tissue which is binned.

The head teacher at my DC's old infants school spotted a parent coughing up a greenie, and spitting it right onto the playground years ago.

She spun round, went inside to get a paper towel and then marched up to him in the middle of the playground and very loudly asked him to clean it up

FLOWERS? FLOWERS??????

Fuck that

Packet of tissues, park your self right in front of him, thrust the tissues at him, point at the spit and loudly say NO, DIRTY.

Fuck flowers, that is beyond disgusting

I hate this so much.

You need a shield OP, a big shiny one like knights have that you can put up when he does it. That should get the message across. Or gift him a balaclava?

And when he blows his nose he covers one nostril and blows everything out through the other one. Everywhere with no tissue.

I have never got over seeing a young woman do this on an escalator in the flagship H&M in Oxford Street

Cultural or not, it still disgusting and unhygienic.

Yes Kicking but if you want someone to do something for you it generally pays to be nice and come at it from a nice angel. After flowers if he is still spitting you can hold signs up - no dirty with diagrams and big XCROSSES

I would approach full of apologetic smiles, and some sort of gift and just say - I wonder.....so sorry.....

What the actual fuck now???

You so would not do that

Well I bloody hope not anyway. It's insane.

Funnily enough, this is not just something that you see in Asia.

I used to live in Sweden, and it was quite common to see Swedish men doing the nose blowing thing. When I said how awful I thought it was, I was told that blowing snot into a handkerchief and then putting it up your sleeve was even worse.

yes, Yes i would, DO THAT and in other situations I HAVE DONE THAT because if you are asking someone a favour which this is - you have to ask in a manner that endears the offender to you.

So they wont want to do it - they will want to stop it - although its probably habit sadly, its worth a try.

It is a cultural thing, and shouting "DIRTY" at someone will not help!

i do this where i live now we all do yet i too would be disgusted in the uk

Yes. Experienced this a lot when I lived in east London.

I used to be openly disgusted. Make faces, dart out of the way etc. Occasionally the men/women would apologise.

They had to put up a sign in the lobby of our block of flats asking people not to do it inside. I've also seen tube staff have to ask people to stop doing it in the carriages.

Maybe said already but I spit occasionally. And very often hold a nostril while snotting out of the other. I'm running, and I always check there isn't anyone too close.

Have often pondered the legality (or otherwise) of this,

Jesus IAdore, if I bought a gift for everyone I saw spitting, I'd lose my home and have my kids taken away

It's seriously rife around here, particularly in the Asian and African communities.