'You’re just a sad sandwich': Office worker talks to her lunch every day, gets embarrassed when coworker points it out

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Aug 7, 2025 9:00 PM EDT

Whether we realize it or not, we all have our personality quirks that are a part of what makes us exactly who we are. For some, it's more obvious than others, and try as we might to practice professionalism in the workplace, they are usually apparent there as well.

As anyone who has seen enough job listings will know, one of the most important qualities of being an employee in all kinds of positions is being able to work well in a team. Sometimes, this means accepting the idiosyncrasies of other people's personalities, so long as they do not negatively affect the quality of work or those around them. 

When we spend enough time in the workplace, it is almost inevitable that we will come up against others who we find annoying. It is up to us to make a judgment call about whether that is something we should keep to ourselves or not.

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    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

  • When one man had a coworker with a strange lunchtime habit, it got to a point where he couldn't help but comment on it. This colleague had a habit of talking to her food when she took her lunch break in their small, shared office.

    After noticing it for some time, he pointed it out to her. This led to her falling quiet during her break, and to other coworkers accusing him of being too confrontational. He wanted to know if he was in the wrong.

  • AITA for telling my coworker her quirky lunch habit is really distracting?

    I work in an office with about 15 people. One of my coworkers has this habit of narrating everything she's eating out loud. Not in a joking way. She'll literally say stuff like: "Mmm, spicy little pickle today" "Okay, let's give this baby carrot a crunch"
    via Doctoroff-Anoel
  • Or my personal favorite: "What's that? You're just a sad sandwich? Don't worry, I'm gonna eat you anyway."
    via Doctoroff-Anoel
  • Cheezburger Image 10539448832
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • I thought it was funny at first, but it happens every single day and it's getting kind of weird. She's not talking to anyone btw. She just narrates it to herself like she's doing voiceover for her own cooking show. Last week during lunch break, I finally said this to her: "Hey, no offense, but do you realize you talk to your food out loud every day?" She just laughed it off but seemed pretty embarrassed about it. Now she barely says anything at lunch and a few coworkers said I k lled the vibe an
    via Doctoroff-Anoel
  • Cheezburger Image 10539450112
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Opinions about this interaction were mixed.

    47sHellfireBound Does she live alone? I feel like she lives alone.
    via 47sHllfireBound
  • WeMiPl I've lived alone for a decade. I may chat with my cats but I've never tried to have a conversation with a pickle before.
    via WeMiPl
  • TheBattyWitch Is it weird? Sure. But I'd take this over Mary who continually made "mm" "hmm" "mhmm" noises at escalating volumes the entire time she was eating, every time she was eating. Or Olaf who snorted, sniffed, cleared his throat, hacked, and coughed up phlegm, did that thing where you snort in really hard to get the phlegm up, then split it out, in the break room, the entire time he ate, regardless of how many people were there, trying to eat.
    via TheBattyWitch
  • pahshaw This has big ADHD energy, both the initial food narration goofery, and the big shame/embarrassment reaction. A lot of people are responding like she's one of those gross creepy middle-aged food tiktokers, but she's not. Truly obnoxious people double down on their behavior instead of d_ng of embarrassment and never doing it again.
    via pahshaw
  • If you want to make amends, consider telling her that you're sorry you embarrassed her. I wouldn't say "I didn't mean to" because you kinda did, and that's why you feel bad now. You said something to her because you were tired of hearing it and wanted it to stop. You said it in a way that was socially acceptable, but the message was "shut up" and she received the message. It doesn't feel good to make someone shut up, at least not if you are a reasonable person, which you seem to be. However you
    via pahshaw
  • Ginger_spice-13 My question is how big is your staff room where you eat lunch? Is it possible you can just move to the other end of the room? Also how loud is she taking? I'm assuming other people are talking to each other, is she speaking any louder than any of the other conversations happening? Is it the fact she's not talking to another person that is bothering you or the fact that she is being loud and disrespectful? If it's the second then yes that deserves a conversation. If she's the same
    via Ginger_spice-13
  • Unhappy-Quarter-4581 Sometimes you just have to accept that people nuts. I think this is one of these times.
    via Unhappy-Quarter-4581
  • glytxh I'd prefer to be surrounded by weirdos not so self conscious they don't feel comfortable being themselves.
    via glytxh
  • babyeventhelosers_ YTA you didn't need to call her out like that. If you would have told her that privately, it would have been fine, but part of you saying it in front of everyone was to shame her a little, and it worked, but now you feel bad about it. If you're going to go for the public call-out, this is the way it feels afterward. You should have found a way to say that respectfully and privately. Assume good characters. No one has the energy to go out of their way to be annoying every day a
    via babyeventhelosers_
  • nolajersey78 Sounds like you're the sad sandwich
    via nolajersey78
  • Cool_Relative7359 YTA. She wasn't hurting you or anyone else. If it bothered you, and no one else, you should have removed yourself or used earplugs or something. Like seriously, you sound miserable. Let people have their harmless quirks. Stop dimming the light in them.
    via Cool_Relative7359
  • ThanosSnapsSlimJims She wasn't hurting anyone. I know that it's weird, but you could have looked the other way.
    via ThanosSnapsSlimJims
  • eastcoastseahag Idk maybe OP's phrasing wasn't the best, but having to hear that kind of thing every day would drive me nuts. Some people are quirky and some people are just grating.
    via eastcoastseahag
  • 1568314 Someone calmly talking during lunch break is "distracting"? Or it's specifically because she isn't talking to someone? Or because you find her innocent comments to be weird? Honestly there are so many people with eating disorders and it's such a terrible, terrifying disease. I couldn't even imagine wanting to make a judgemental comment about how someone encouraged themselves to eat. Do you inspect people for whiffs of whimsy and tell them they aren't coloring inside the lines?
    via 1568314
  • Distracting is the exact word that schools have used for decades to say that kids can't have a Mohawk or dye their hair blue. Not even teenagers are fooled by that. We all know that the "distraction" is really Someone in a huff about conformity. You're that person.
    via 1568314
  • embarrassedalien also like...distracting from what? who? OP's own lunch?
    via embarrassedalien
  • Saiko Bunny ΝΤΑ As someone who also has coworkers with trifling habits, I would have to disagree with the majority in this thread. I feel like most of you commenting don't even work in an office/shared space. OP didn't make it a point to tease her in front of everyone and draw attention to her, OP asked her a genuine question. Is it harmless? Sure. Is it annoying if it's every day? Absolutely, NTA. Be mindful of your surroundings, especially when you're in the same space for 8-9 hours a day.
    via SaikoBunny
  • mormonbatman_ Ididn't mean to shame her, Intentions matter less than results in public spaces.
    via mormonbatman_
  • ojoucomplex YTA for not just using earplugs or headphones to block out inane things you don't like, which is the rational and responsible thing to do. Shaming a person for a personality quirk you don't happen to enjoy is r de and unnecessary because it is self-centered behavior. You could have dealt with this personal irritation in a way that didn't involve her or anyone else. Instead, you hurt her feelings. You are feeling bad now for a reason. You did an unnecessarily r de thing. Bring some no
    via ojoucomplex

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