My wife’s noisy eating is driving me up the wall

In some ways it's not really about the chewing, Philippa Perry suggests

The question My wife's eating habits drive me crazy. What can I do? We've been married for 30 years and we are a good team together. But she doesn't seem able to eat with her mouth closed. Sitting beside me even now, she's noisily crunching her way through a bunch of cheese crackers and an apple. When we're out with friends, she's by far the noisiest eater at the table.

I love her energy, strength and, if it's not a mealtime, her presence, but we're eating together more as we head into retirement and I find it difficult to stay in the room with her.