“oomis – tacky. i would never say something like that. you just don’t look and make sure to NEVER eat out with that person again! “
And here I thought I was being sensitive to the idea of subtly making the other person conscious of his own eating habits, without actually calling attention to his poor manners. And what if that person is someone with whom you WANT to go out again, and the manners are the only problem? BTW, for your information, my method is not only NOT tacky, it is the recommended practice for getting an unpleasant point across to someone whose feelings are important to you. By making a personal comment but directing it impersonally to someone else, usually hamyvin yavin. When someone in your office has bad body odor, do you tell them and risk embarrassing them, or do you talk about a variety of things, like your recent shopping excursion and mention a few bargains that you found INCLUDING a really nice smelling deodorant that you see really works so well for you. You hope the person will take the hint, but keep his/her dignity intact. In any case, not all people are in a position to “not look” at the person with whom they are dining.