Spitting

P

Purple

Registered User
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All over the country on streets and country roads, from cars and vans and on foot Irish people (mainly men) think it’s OK to spit great big gobs of phlegm onto the ground. I think it is disgusting, as do any visitors from other countries that I have talked to about it. Why does anyone who walks upright think that it’s OK?
 
Even reading your post makes me shudder - Its such a disgusting, filthy habit. I often go for a walk in the evening and its just one more obstacle to be avoided on our paths. Horrible!!!
 
Purple said:
From what I hear the Chinese (in China) are worse.
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I referred to China because in most cases, the Chinese find it socially acceptable to spit, practically anywhere. Therefore, they would be unlikely to find any issue with it here should they be visiting this country.
 
Purple said:
From what I hear the Chinese (in China) are worse.
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The problem in Ireland is nothing compared to China - we lived there for a year and it just about turned my stomach every day - not just the spitting, but the clearing of the throat and nasal cavities prior to the spitting was the worst!

The worst incident we witnessed was in a hotel elevator where a man did all his throat and nose clearing and then spat into the elevator ashtray!

We couldn't even get away from him and were nearly sick. My husband shouted at him and he couldn't understand why we were so upset - it is accepted there, just like sneezing or coughing.
 
I think footballers started the trend about 10 years ago. Previously in the 50s there were campaigns to eliminate spitting as it was a great way for TB to get around. There used to be signs up in the District Court I used to frequent ...ah, the good old days....nostalgia.... Anyway the sign hung inside to courtroom "No Spitting". And we laughed at it, because nobody spat then in the 70s.
 
delgirl said:
My husband shouted at him and he couldn't understand why we were so upset - it is accepted there, just like sneezing or coughing.
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He probably thought that you were a rude, decadent and uncouth westerner for objecting!
 
ClubMan said:
He probably thought that you were a rude, decadent and uncouth westerner for objecting!
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We got a few choice words in Cantonese flung in our direction - the only one we understood was Gweilo - a derogatory term for westerners meaning something akin to 'white ghost'!

The only way to deal with the spitting was the same way we dealt with the seriously disturbing live animal markets was to try and avoid them at all costs. As soon as we heard the telltale 'cavity clearing' starting, we headed in the opposite direction.
 
I agree. Spitting and the nasal hocking leading up to it are so disgusting. I have noticed when on holidays in our hotel at breakfast time seems to be the worst time of all. Both men and women. Quite often the serviette is used and left for the waitress to clear away.
Last year on holidays with a group we had to share a table with another couple. The loathsome man would clean his nose after his meal with his serviette, using his fingers to have a good old root around. Then leave the tissue on the table beside us. Then have a good clean of his teeth with the toothpick. His wife it would appear has never pulled him up on this practice because she did not seem to notice. He was an extremely superior and arrogant individual. We moved to another table the next day and sat with our backs to them. They never acknowledged our existence again......yippee!!
 
I was in Thailand a few years ago with my ex and one day we went for a look around a local market (can't remember where it was). As we were looking at a few stalls we both became very aware of women spitting. Not just spitting, it was more like bringing up a lung! We were both feeling a bit queasy and just when we thought it couldn't get any worse one of them held a mug in her hand and spit right into it. We found the nearest exit and ran!!
 
As an energetic cyclist around Dublin, I can tell you that regular hocking & spitting is simply a sheer physiological necessity, just like exhaling CO2. I would always double-check that I don't have another cyclist on my tail before letting go, and I would choose my moment to avoid cars/pedestrians where possible. If you're cycling between heavy traffic and a line of parked cars, it is not really possible to avoid hitting something, I'm afraid.
 
Thats the funniest thing, I was browsing the non-financial section of a chinese financial forum just the other day and someone had posted about these 2 occidentals who started giving out to him in a lift while he was practicing the most non-offensive local tradition of spitting. He was most put out. Most of the other posts backed him up and said how dare they do that.
 
RainyDay said:
As an energetic cyclist around Dublin, I can tell you that regular hocking & spitting is simply a sheer physiological necessity, just like exhaling CO2.
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Am also an energetic cyclist. However, as I'm female, I've never felt the need to spit. Maybe there is something wrong with the hydrochloric acid in your stomach/your throat that you cannot swallow?
 
Gordanus said:
Am also an energetic cyclist. However, as I'm female, I've never felt the need to spit. Maybe there is something wrong with the hydrochloric acid in your stomach/your throat that you cannot swallow?
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Maybe its a men/Mars, women/Venus thing. I haven't seen any females who sweat like I do either. But I can assure that the sheer volume of liquid being produced makes swallowing an impossible option.
 
RainyDay said:
I haven't seen any females who sweat like I do either. But I can assure that the sheer volume of liquid being produced makes swallowing an impossible option.
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I hope you're not trying to swallow your sweat!
Maybe you should go to a gym to see if women sweat equally. Don't think that one of the sex differences is to do with volume of sweat produced. Certainly I've been literally wet on my front and back while exercising during the humid days this last week.
Thought for the day: If exercise caused welling up of saliva, wouldn't gyms have spittoons? (Yeeerk - perish the thought!)
 
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