Chewing

I am part of a family of six. There is lots of commotion around the dinner table when we have a meal together, and there are lots of choices on what to talk about or what to eat. Sometimes, we get into deep and entertaining conversations at the dinner table, but other times, a word isn’t spoken between grace and dessert. For those occasions that conversing is not the main attraction, it is the loud chewing! Most of the time, all I hear is the sound of the carrots being chopped up, the steak being ground up by the molars, or the chicken being mixed with the gravy and mashed potatoes using the tongue and making the worst possible sound while I am trying to enjoy my very own delicious meal that is in front of me and losing my appetite.
The loud chewing has to stop. It is rude and disgusting. I do not need to know where your food is through echolocation. No one does. No one cares if your food is tasting so good that you need to gasp for air in between the up and down motions of your jaw. The obnoxious noises are disturbing the peace and is getting in the way of me and others enjoying our food. Some foods are louder than others, or are harder to eat when you have a cold, but it is no excuse for being lazy and not being considerate of others.
The solution for the loud chewing is that the culprits should take smaller bites and be aware that you are making a loud sound when you are biting off that carrot or beating down the medium rare piece of steak. If your mouth can’t close around it, don’t eat it. If your nose is blocked from a cold, the most common excuse for such a thing, then eat some soup. I am begging you to respect others when you chew their food and make a conscious attack on defeating this way of eating. It is destroying family meals as we know it.