What will you do when someone keep staring at you while you're eating?

I begin to take my bites of food dramatically and with a lot of noise whilst staring right back at them until they become uncomfortable and cut it out.

Or

I’d say “Take a picture fella, it’ll last longer.. I’m tryin to eat here, mind your business buddy!” (In my best New Yorker accent)

Or

Excited whispers (audible to the starer) to my dining partner “that’s the guy, that’s him… the ” (then the voice gets super loud and the face turns angry) ANNOYING STARER GUY! LET’S MAKE A CITIZENS ARREST!

Or

Say loudly “It’s $25 to watch me masticate buddy! Pay up front!”

Or

Ignore him completely. I am rather fascinating.

Just like @NaturalMineralWater – I’d make a drama out of the meal – but maybe do a “Harry met Sally” moment with my food and pretend I am REALLY getting off on each bite.

failing that, I would flick small chunks of mashed potato at them and shout “BANGARANG”

I like to do the fingers to the eyes and then to the person thing. I also make a really obvious sweep of my face and front, or I’ll just ask the person directly; “Do I have a booger?”

I think I’d put my chin on my hand & just stare right back at them.

one of the following, depending on my mood:

- is there something wrong with your eyes? no… there will be in a minute if you don’t stop staring at me.

- play with my nipples and make loud orgasm sounds.

- start a staring competition.

Flick some peas at them and hopefully hitting them square in the eyes!

Food fight!!!

I look at my boyfriend when he is eating, just because I like to look at him.

I stare back until they stop.

Dribble food down my chin with tongue sticking out, hold that pose. If that doesn’t avert their unwanted gaze, i’d probably throw a ravioli at their face.

If it is a child staring at me, there is nothing I can really say or do except for ignore them.
Now for adults, is a totally different story. I become very rude, and if they are sitting with others at the table I start talking shit.

make a funny face at them till they stop or approach whom ever ask them nicley to stop staring me

it definitely happens.
it’s all energy, you can frame it into anything you could think of, or you move the energy into the center of truth, and everything keeps flowing.

I usually try to ignore them, but if they persist and start making me uncomfortable I will first give them a dirty look. If that fails to make them look elsewhere then I will stick my tongue out at them, and found it works!

offer them food ?

I start chewing really slowly and sloppily, so they can see all of the mush in my mouth.

stare back in a really pointed way. always works.

Stop and stare back, maybe offer some.

Ahhh- Gazing in eachothers eyes while sharing a meal! Cuuuutte @Dibley – the Wife and I do that everywhere and people get really annoyed sometimes.

The rare times when I eat in restaurants now, I’m usually reading a book while eating alone. I probably wouldn’t notice anyone staring at me. If I did, I’d probably asl “what the #$%%^& is your problem?”.

@All,Thank you for your answers!. I noticed some people act a bit rude toward starer.
Moreover,we could be expelled from that place(if public restaurant,cafe,or else) if we try to confront them. It’s still against the law to do that since it’s their ‘right’ to stare.

@Doctor_D If you don’t mind my asking, what Islamic country do you live in. My guess is Iran. Am I correct? Feel free to decline to answer. I will not be offended.

In my older years, I find that what is needed is to acknowledge the other person. They then have moved from observing you, to now being in your presence.

A nod, a smile – this usually stops the staring.

Have to be careful with this however, as a 46 year old guy – I don’t have to worry too much about what might be started, as a female 19 year old, I would need a different approach. I think sexual behavior to strangers is not a good Idea. Really. Really not a good a idea. They my be staring because they are fascinated, and you know NOTHING about them.

As a guy, no big deal – but what of the body language? – frown, arms folded, eyebrows knitted with a scowl. – Staring at you- in the good ole days, them’s the looks that led to gunfights.

Clue here – The other person with above body language is overtly hostile and aggressively confronting your territory. Evade, or address. Approach only if you are a skilled diplomat or carry a high caliber concealed, which he may too.

What of the opposite gender? Beware the stalker of the other gender. I’ve dated them. Bad odds. Passion is one thing but yeeesh.

Eye contact – extended almost always interest – friendly or hostile. It could mean interest in that booger hanging out of your nose, it could mean interest in a nice set of muscles you’ve developed.

Learn to appreciate the attention of others, to capture and repay. This is the opiate of comedians and performers.

@Dr Lawrence You’re wrong. I live in Indonesia. Why did you ask?,is that because country/religion define who we really are?(language,education,freedom like what you said).

If I’m in a restaurant then the chance I won’t notice who’s watching me eat is big because I’m focused on my meal and my immediate company. At work then it’s annoying because I don’t get lunch breaks and have to eat out in the open which I hate. I’ll ignore as gently as possible when co workers come up on me or try to engage me in conversation while I’m chewing. On rare occasion I’ve told someone I can’t chew or relax with them right in front of me.

@Doctor_D Indonesia was my second guess. I wondered because of your comments of how people can get into trouble with the law so easily compared to Canada or the USA. The culture and laws of a country dictate what behaviors are acceptable. In responding to your interesting questions, I wanted to take into account the environment in which you live and the restrictions there might be to your choices. I make no judgments about you. It is important for all of us to understand that what works in one country would not necessarily work in another.

i’d move elsewhere

@DrMC GA to the max. I feel more socially prepared just from reading that. thank you.

@Dr Lawrence Hey I still remember when you said ”@Doctor_D is a non-Muslim from an Islamic country. Their knowledge of English is limited!” (sounds quite arrogant). I think people get into trouble with law more easily in USA and Canada which explain why their government act stricter and more organized toward their law,in my country you can easily buy/bribe the ‘law’ if you have a lot of money. Other than that I agree with you.

By the way,did you come to this question only to interview me or answer my question?.

If I was at home, I would stop eating, then ask if there something odd or remarkable the way I was chewing my food. Then I would ask if there was something on their mind that they wanted to talk about, because if there wasn’t they needed to quit staring.

Out in a restaurant, I would go over and ask if they think they know me, and then tell them the staring is bothersome, and ask them to please stop doing it.

@Doctor_D I was defending you when others were mocking your use of punctuation, not being condescending to you or your fellow Indonesians.

When people stare at me I will challenge them for being rude, something I have no reason to fear doing in my country (Canada).

The staring is rude enough. There’s no reason to be rude back. Ignore them.

I would look at them and ask “Is something wrong? Can I help you?” Once a conversation got started, I would ask why they were staring at me.

@Dr_Lawrence
Oooh, you’ve put your foot in it now! :D

I ask them if there is anything I can help them with ( in a very customer service like voice).

@warribbons Thanks, if only I’d known it to that degree when i was younger.

There was a study where a male stooge (conspirator in a psyche study) would walk past a college aged woman on campus, the seconds of eye contact were measured as the dependent (=y) variable. Afterward the woman was stopped and asked how attracted to the stooge she was.

There was a very good correlation with duration of eye contact and degree of attraction.

particularly 1 second – just looking, 2 attracted, 3+ extremely attracted.

As men age they notice they start losing eye contact, one mentioned to me, that he felt like cellophane at the beach.

When I was young, I would challenge my shyness by trying not to break eye contact first – it was a game – Inside I would be counting seconds.

Any dating guide will then tell you to go break the ice. You don’t need a pick up line. You need to say something – like “hi”. And a smile.

If the body language is hostile, I would use a very different response.

(Monty Python “run away!”)

Another psych research study showed the truism that we are more likely to love or hate those nearest.

- I won’t go into details, but it generalizes to this realm.

Take social psych, sociology in college while you’re young. They’re fun, and you wont be sorry.

Always remember that in the Present Simple Tense, He She and It get an “S” – thus;

Someone keeps staring, does, etcetera.

Is it in a situation where you can invite them to join you?
Are they starved?
Or do they want to meet you perhaps?
Lots of reasons.
Or is it that you feel like that is what they are doing?