SCENARIO: Your dinner companion's cell rings, and he/she starts jabbering

[UdoKier]

SCENARIO: Your dinner companion's cell rings, and he/she starts jabbering during the meal. What do you do?


It seems that some people find this behavior perfectly normal and acceptable. I think it's unbelievably rude.

[cheezus]

1. I actually have a real-world solution for this

I just whip out my phone and call them. They get the beep, look at the callerid, get embarrased and end their call.

[Hugin]

21. LOL... Great solution. n/t

[DireStrike]

2. Other:

Pissed, quietly bear it while attempting to convey annoyance through blatant body language (finger tapping, head shaking, eye rolling...)

Then they can either apologize or argue. Or ignore me. That way I learn more about them.

[WildClarySage]

24. That's too passive aggressive for me.

I like the response above abotu whipping out your own phone to call them.

[Worst Username Ever]

3. It depends on who the companion is.

First date? I would leave. Is it my wife? I'd say something. In-law? Smile politely.

[UdoKier]

4. It's deliberately vague. Could be anyone.

And personally, I wouldn't tolerate that shit from anyone.

[bloom]

7. An old friend I hadn't seen in years

got a call and talked so loud the whole restaurant could hear.

I tried to act like it was nothing.

She probably thinks I'm rude for some other reason. Some of these things sort of even out.



Though I don't blame someone for bringing it up - you might be doing them a favor.

[expatriot]

5. You're an ass! Having first dates while married?!? Shame on you, sir!

Just kidding, I realize it's a hypothetical.

[Worst Username Ever]

lol

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

10. Good answer for the first two.

But I wouldn't put up with that from an in-law either. Rudeness is rudeness. I give respect and I expect it in return. It's not a very difficult thing to do.

Emergency situation, of course, excluded. If the call HAS to be taken, that's fine, I understand, although such an expected call should be announced before dinner. I say before, because there's no reason to even check your cell if you don't expect an important call during dinner.

[UdoKier]

17. If I thought I might get an emergency call...

I would put my phone on "vibrate", then answer it in the bathroom. I don't even think answering the damn things at the table is appropriate. Excuse yourself.

If the damn thing is constantly ringing, then turn it off.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

20. I think it really depends on the situation, regarding emergencies.

Expected medical/family related emergency, I don't have any problem making a concession to answering as soon as possible.

Business related, your option works.

[UdoKier]

23. It takes no time at all to walk to the bathroom.

I don't see what the difference is.

There is no way of knowing it's an emergency before you pick it up. Odds are it won't be, and if it is, they will wait the extra 3 seconds it takes to walk to the bathroom.

[RiDuvessa]

6. Take out

My handy-dandy cell phone jammer and end their call for them.

[Worst Username Ever]

13. They make those?

[Warpy]

8. That would get me to say "excuse me"

grab my purse and head for the loo, take a quick turn at the door, slip out the kitchen, hail a cab and go home. And no, I would not slip the wait person a few bucks on my way out to pay for the meal, although I would slip him/her a fiver for what s/he was about to have to deal with as the rude prick realized I was gone.

The only exception to this would be if my companion had children, and the call involved an emergency with them.

[lapislzi]

9. Leave the restaurant

If the person cannot give me his undivided attention for the duration of a single meal, then that person is probably someone I don't care to know.

Taking telephone calls during a meal signals to your companion that his/her time is not as important as your time. Why would I want to hang out with someone who doesn't value my time or my company?

The only exception I would make is for a doctor or emergency worker responding to a "9-1-1" page.

[UdoKier]

11. Good answer. I added it.

nt

[bleedingheart]

12. I visited a friend, after traveling for some time to get there, and she

kept taking phone calls from other people while I was visiting and having lengthy conversations with these people ...meanwhile I had traveled to see her and spent most of the time reading during my visit because she was so rude.

[SmokingJacket]

16. yeah, you should have saved your money and called instead! nt

[iconoclastNYC]

14. OMG! This happened last nite!

First date even! I was so mad....i barely said anything to my date after the call was concluded. I ended the date right after dinner.

I think it is about the worst thing you can do on a first date, and its always rude no matter who you are with.

[Inland]

19. I have to ask....what was the call about/from? And how

was the date going up until that point?

[iconoclastNYC]

29. The date was kinda a blind date

And I didn't feel a connection but i was being polite.

The call was from my date's boss who was fired the day previously.

I dont know how long it takes to say, 'hey i'm at dinner, let me call you later tonite'

I ate my whole plate by the time the phone was hung up.

It's really rude. If the date had been goign better i would have just sucked it up and moved on but as it was it provided a good reason to cut the date short.

[SmokingJacket]

15. Ever see a couple of people walking down the street, one on the phone?

I find it very interesting to look at the face of the snubbed companion. They have an expression of nervous tolerance or embarrassment, never a pissed off look.

Weird!

[amazona]

18. I think it is rude but.....

...the dinner companion most guilty of this doesn't have an office, so his cell phone is his office. So I tolerate it and indeed I am even guilty of eavesdropping on the call and asking snoopy questions afterward.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

22. Isn't that why they make voice mail?

[Ellen Forradalom]

32. I don't have friends who do this

Thank goodness. If my cell phone rings at inopportune moments, I apologize profusely, because it means I forgot to turn the ringer off. If I absolutely must answer it, I apologize again ("It's my husband, the house might be on fire") and step away to a corner.

[eyesroll]

25. It depends.

If we're in a fast-food place or Denny's or something, I've pretty much stopped caring.

Anywhere else?
If my companions *must* have their phones on during dinner, I would hope they'd excuse themselves to take the call.

"Must" is a pretty narrow range, too -- parents whose kids are home with the babysitter; people whose partners are due to give birth any day; caretakers of elderly or sick people; etc. If it's something like someone waiting for a response on a job interview or something, I appreciate a warning -- "oh, if I get a call from so-and-so, I have to take it..."

In any case -- PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE excuse yourself to a more appropriate to make or take a call.

[CornField]

26. Depends who is phoning

If it is a social call, I'd be offended if my dinner companion didn't hang up and continue to be social with me. LOL!!

If it was family, work, etc. I wouldn't be bothered by it -- especially if the person quickly explained and excused him/herself from the table.

[kcwayne]

27. Call the waiter over, order a $1,000 bottle of wine, and leave.

[northzax]

28. other: put my phone on speaker

and call the local date line for a chat.

in reality, it all depends on the situation.

[DrZeeLit]

30. My date did that ... was the beginning of the end. But........

But that was cool. Because on that date and during that phone call, I met the man I eventually married. He talked to me while my date was otherwise occupied.

Sooo, while the phone call was rude, the outcome worked.

Still together after 8 years.... go figure!

[progmom]

31. When I am out on business dinners

I put my phone on vibrate, and only answer it if it's my husband calling (we have a toddler at home). And when that happens, I get up from the table and head to the foyer or outdoors before I talk.

[Ganja Ninja]

33. It all depends on whether it's social or a business dinner.

If I was out on a date I would consider it rude but if it's a first date I wouldn't say anything. If it were someone I was seeing regularly and it was a constant annoyance I would say something.

If a sales person is taking me to lunch and their phone rings it's no big deal.

[SOteric]

34. I guess it depends on the definition of 'jabbering.'

If my dinner companion is having a social conversation of some sort, then yes, it's amazingly rude and I'd probably say as much.

If my dinner companion is a doctor dealing with an emergency, or perhaps a parent dealing with typical responsibilities, etc... then I'd give them a little bit of slack based on the frequency, nature and duration of the calls. Obviously, if this companion is taking a call from the hospital or the kids every five minutes, I'd be likely to suggest that they were needed elsewhere and another night might be a better choice for a visit.

[SarahB]

40. Perfect answer.

[SW FL Dem]

35. It depends

I'm a parent so I take a call from my teenager who is home alone, but I keep it as short as possible. He knows not to call me just to chat. Any other calls I let go to voicemail.

[Bertha Venation]

36. the mood i'm in, if that happened to me, s/he'd be wearing dinner

and looking at me in stunned silence AS I walked out. :eyes:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

37. Ask them to hang up or go outside

[Kellanved]

38. I'd ask in the Lounge for the best thing to do

, using my smartphone.
:shrug:

[CanuckAmok]

39. Other.

Scream "It's for you!" at the top of my lungs, then hit them with a medieval mace.