IMO, most food revulsions like this have to do with the fear of looking immature (like a baby playing with its food, for instance), incompetent, unclean, unintelligent, etc. It would make us feel inadequate if people saw us like that, so when we see other people acting in that way we tend to feel uncomfortable, even antagonistic. You're breaking the cultural rules about how professional, competent adults eat, and therefore you're also making those around you feel less than professional and adult by association.
For some reason, food is a huge trigger, more so than displays of affection or even grooming (to an extent).
There are societies where sopping up your gravy with bread is perfectly socially acceptable, but holding a utensil in your left hand is considered disturbing, even disgusting. Yes, these things are relative, but we ignore our culture's rules at our own peril. We are the ones who suffer by not following rules that have such importance to others.
However, it doesn't really matter why. The fact is, if doing something trivially unimportant (which is what sopping gravy up with bread is) makes other people uncomfortable, it's only good manners to not do it around other people. You can't reason people out of this kind of revulsion. |
