To eat apples and crisps at work?

[Justchillalready]

Not at the same time, of course! (Now I'm wondering what that might taste like!)

I sit in an open plan office. One of my colleagues has misophonia, so really hates the sound of chewing/crunching. I realise this is not something she can control and is not just her being ridiculous. We've worked together for about 4 years and for 4 years I've tried to eat crunchy/noisy food as quietly and discreetly as possible.

If someone else in the office eats said noisy food, she emails/texts me complaining how much it's irritating her. Very funny initially...

Thing is... I'm getting a little bored of it and to be honest, sucking crisps to reduce the crunch just isn't quite the same as actually, well..... eating them.

While I'm certainly not saying I'm going all out and having a packet of crisps every day, crunching away without thought to anyone else, on the odd occassion that I do fancy a pack of crisps or an apple, I just don't really fancy having to eat by stealth anymore.

AIBU to occasionally simply enjoy the food in all it's crunchy glory?

Does she have an actual diagnoses phobia or is she just picky about noise?
If the former, I think it wouldn’t kill you to pop to your kitchen or take 2 minutes to pop away from your desk and eat then. Eating at your desk isn’t great anyway.
Just be a nice person. It’s something that is within your control to help and it might make a big difference!

Is there a break room or somewhere you can go to instead?

In my office eating at your desk is really discouraged due to noise / odour / untidiness etc so they have a decent break room for when you want lunch or a snack.

I appreciate that isn’t always possible though! I guess if you’re only doing it now and well it could as easily be your colleague who moves away while you’re crunching.

I had a very adverse reaction to the shredder noise when I first started working here. It was real ragey physical symptoms too!

However. I got used to it - because I had to and generally don't even notice it any more (well until a colleague was using it for about 20 minutes non-stop a few weeks ago and then I came over all irrational!).

You could pre-warn her and apologise in advance I suppose (although you really shouldn't have to!).

There are an awful lot of obia's and onia's that are just life aren't there?

I want crisps now.

Honestly I wouldn’t care if someone did that in an open plan office, it’s noisy enough to cover someone eating and if it’s not, well just stick some headphones in. As long as it doesn’t stink (or you sit far enough away that you couldn’t smell it) I don’t see the issue in having a snack now and again.

It would be very considerate of you not to eat such food as you know how much it distresses her. Depends on how considerate you then I guess.

I have misophonia too. And apples in particular drive me mad. However. I find that if I know in advance that an apple is going to be eaten, I can cope slightly better.
You’re obviously friendly with your colleague so how about telling her that you’d like to occasionally eat noisy food but you will pre-warn her.
Then she can at least put some earplugs in if it still bothers her.
Also, try to eat fairly quickly. Don’t drag eating the apple out for 30 mins like my bloody colleague does, sucking and crunching away till there’s a tiny nun of core left and then sucking on her fingers!

I wouldn't eat anything noisy at my desk.

If she has misohponia she won't just get used to the noise it will drive her mad. Personally I wouldn't easy noisy food in an open plan office anyway - I'd probably just nip to the kitchen or eat something quiet instead.

I get the rage when people eat crisps in the office. It's annoying hearing people eat them full stop but at work, I just can't understand why people do.

Surely you have a lunch room where you eat such foods ? Eating at your desk sounds messy and unprofessional. Wait until your actual lunch break .

FFS if you want an apple you should be able to eat an apple. It’s her problem, not yours.

Get some ear defenders and next time she complains plonk them in front of her without a word.

As someone with misophonia I believe the onus is on ME to move away from what is a perfectly normal activity/noise.

If I were in a similar situation I'd find reasons to leave the room whilst other people are eating.

Oh, the hell of working with people who have some or other form of Attention Seeker Syndrome...
If she's otherwise OK, can you eat your snacks away from your desk? Is there a break room, or do you work for the sort of outfit that considers any break other than for excretion to be the hallmark of the skiver who isn't committed to the company ethos?

(If you do work for an employer who frowns on breaks, then it's time to love and utilise the office whinyarses; mobilise them to threaten discrimination claims etc if their various quirks and whims aren't catered to, because this might actually benefit the rest of you...)

I have misophonoia - especially with sounds of people eating. I don't tell people because it's my issue and not anyone else's! I just shove my headphones on when someone is crunching or chewing loudly.

Also, my misophonia is bad to the point I can no longer visit certain places such as the cinema, I carry around earplugs and have noise-cancelling headphones - all things I do to mitigate it without impacting anyone else. Rude of her.

The person in my work who has misophonia wears headphones most of the time.

Job done.

I have misophonia and i cant stand it. It actually makes me feel tearful when it gets too much, it can take over your life.

my colleague talks while she has a mouth full of food, she covers her mouth with her hand but thats not the point.

my DSS constantly sniffs and i have had to leave the room and sit in my bedroom for while.

There's only one way to safely eat crisps. In a sandwich.
That should deaden the noise.

Sorry if it's offensive, I'm a shameless lover of crisp sandwiches

Either that or warp a scarf round and round your head.

AIBU to occasionally simply enjoy the food in all it's crunchy glory?

YANBU. While you all consider her, she should consider you by wearing headphones.

Oooh I don't have a problem with noise, but I don't think I'd like someone eating crisps or an apple at a desk near me. Crisps smell really strong, accompanied by a lot of bag-rattling. Eat somewhere else.

Difficult one.

I work in an OPO and want to eat crackers but feel I can't because it's so damn quiet. I have yogurt instead.

Yes, we have a staff room but it's crap and tiny.

Oh my god just eat your company! if it's bothering her that much then she needs to move. You can't sit there sucking crisps FFS!

What about skips, they melt quietly

I didn't realise that not liking (especially eating) noises had a name until I saw it on the BBC website yesterday. Surely there must be millions of us? Who actually does enjoy hearing someone slurp or masticate or crunch or smack their lips etc etc?

I really don't think that one can claim it is a special personality characteristic. And I say that as someone who retches if I see someone eating messy food in public. People putting their hand in a bag of crisps and then - eeerrruugggghhh - licking their fingers is absolutely disgusting.

Surely you have a lunch room where you eat such foods

No everywhere has a lunch room. We have a small kitchenette which is basically a sink, cupboard and fridge. There's no chairs or tables and nowhere else in the building to sit which isn't someone's office. We all sit and eat at our desks. The other option is sitting outside (on the floor, in all weathers) or in our cars (not everyone drives in to work).

OP if there is nowhere else to eat then YANBU.