Table etiquette

Mouth noises have always been a pet peeve of mine. When I was younger, I would get up from the dinner table and turn on the stereo (or if it was already on, I would turn it up) to drown out the mouth noises of my family. And I should clarify here…they weren’t smacking their lips or slurping their food, it was actually just the sounds of chewing through closed lips that I couldn’t handle. And now that I find myself in a lip smacking, noodle slurping haven, I am doing everything I can to deal with this little issue of mine. BUT, I don’t think I am making much progress. I’ve actually resorted to plugging my ears or humming tunes while being stuck with a cacophony of slurps and smacks while in cramped quarters. There are always some cultural differences that you struggle to get past…and I suppose this is mine.