I have personal space, respect it

[fma_fanatic]

Yesterday I ran some errands during my lunch break and by some miracle, I had enough time to stop by one of my favorite places for fast Chinese, Panda Express. I love the Orange Chicken there, and if the bottle of the sauce wasn't so danged expensive, I'd buy one.

I always get mine to go, and opted to use the coupon I have on the back of the receipt for a free item. The place wasn't even that busy and it was just past noon when I went in.

While I'm waiting my turn, I feel someone come up behind me. She was so close I swore I felt her bust. I turned and smiled and then turned back. Usually that works to get people to back off. She didn't take the hint so I had to use Plan B.

Me: Hi, could you back up? You're very close to my personal space and making me uncomfortable.

The woman backs up, and all is fine. Right? Well, if that was the case, I wouldn't be posting in Sightings, now would I?

No, she immediately gets close again. Okay, time for Plan C.

Me: Lady, you are too close. If I wanted a rectal exam, I'd go see my doctor.
Lady: *taken aback by my blatant statement*
Worker behind counter: *is trying not to laugh*
Lady: I just want to see what food is available.
Me: Then you wait your turn. Now back off.

She backs off. All is well, right? Uh..see previous statement about being in Sightings.

She's back again not even five seconds after I tell her to wait her turn.

Me: Lady, I already told you once. Back off.
Lady: I'm just looking.
Me: I'm serious. You are too close. *repeat a few more times and toss in the rectal exam comment for good measure.*
Lady: What a bitch! *storms off*

I looked to the worker behind the counter.

Me: Was I bitch?
Worker: Oh not at all *as she is still trying not to laugh*

The thing is, if she was trying to run off with my purse, she was on the wrong side of my body. I thought that might be what she was after. I just think she's one of those who has no sense of personal space and didn't get it at all.

And yes, the Orange Chicken and Broccoli Beef were yummy.

[Pixilated]

I sympathize with the lady in that sometimes it can be difficult to read the menus ... especially for those of who are *ahem* not so young anymore.

HOWEVER, the thing to do then is find an empty space that's not part of a line, get up to the counter, read the danged menu and then get back in line (or pick up a takeout menu and read IT).

NOT try to pretend you're a Siamese twin of the customer ahead of you!

Loved your responses, by the way!

[Hyndis]

If someone is standing that close to you they might be after your valuables. If someone is standing that close behind me, I'd think they are after my wallet, and would become accordingly annoyed with them.

[Zoom]

Things you could do:
•Pretend to faint and fall backwards
•Shift back and forth on your feet a lot
•Turn around and stare directly at her bust

[Kitten in the box]

You could have farted at her. Then said oops. Told you to back off.

I see this reg customer always hanging around at the store by my house. Fucking always. While not sucky per se, she had this habit of getting right ip on someone and spraying them with wads of crackers or whatever she's eating at the time to talk nonsense. Whenever I see her I literally run or wait until she leaves

[Raveni]

I sympathize with the lady in that sometimes it can be difficult to read the menus

Ah, that's one of the places where you look at the food through the sneeze-guard glass while the line wraps around. If there is a hold up at the cash register, there can be people waiting in front of some of the entrees that you might want to see if they are fresh or sitting for awhile.

Still, if that's the case, no one is getting their food any faster than it takes the cashier, so chill.

[fma_fanatic]

Ah, that's one of the places where you look at the food through the sneeze-guard glass while the line wraps around. If there is a hold up at the cash register, there can be people waiting in front of some of the entrees that you might want to see if they are fresh or sitting for awhile.

Still, if that's the case, no one is getting their food any faster than it takes the cashier, so chill.

Yup, that's exactly how Panda Express is. Amazingly it wasn't even that busy, which is odd for a Friday around noon, so I wonder if people were elsewhere or getting themselves prepared for the predicted storms that we had later that night.

Like I said, if she was looking for my valuables like my purse or wallet, she was on the complete wrong side of that. Then again, who knows, maybe she was. I just have this thing where I hate having people so close to me like that, other than DaDairyDruid and my family - and even then, I get a little weird if they're crowding me like that sometimes.

[ozcatbug]

A friend of mine had the perfect response to someone standing so close. She would drop something, then step back hard and bend down to pick it up. The times I saw her do it, she would "accidently" step on the personal space crowders foot. If anything was said she would say "sorry I didn't realise you were so close" then smile. Saw her do that three times once before one guy got the message. Usually once was enough.

Of course she never did it on purpose. That would be bad to step on someone's foot on purpose. And there's the whole thing the CS.com does not condone violence. Accidents on the other hand.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

My city is getting a Panda Express. It should open later this year.

We're also getting a Hardees. It's going up in place of a soon -to -be - demolished drive in, which was an interesting-looking building but served lousy food.

I live in Fast Food Valhalla.

[mharbourgirl]

If it was me, lady would have gotten an elbow in the gut *before* I realized anything at all. I don't do well with crowders.

In other news, I have a recipe for orange chicken that my husband is nuts for. It's easy, too. Could pass it on if you like.

[XCashier]

In other news, I have a recipe for orange chicken that my husband is nuts for. It's easy, too. Could pass it on if you like.

New recipes are always welcome here.

[mharbourgirl]

New recipes are always welcome here.

Well then, here ya go. This is for 2 people with a little leftover for someone's lunch the next day.

Mix together the following and set aside:

1/2 cup orange juice - I use not-from-concentrate, or you can squeeze it straight from oranges. Don't use juice from concentrate, it just doesn't taste good in this recipe.
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 t. nutmeg
2 T. sugar
1 T cornstarch
1 T fresh minced ginger - powdered stuff will NOT have a good result.

Cut up 2 chicken breasts into cubes and dust with a little flour, salt and pepper. Fry in some oil (I use corn oil, it browns the best IMO) and set aside.

In the same pan, pour in 1/2 cup chicken stock and bring it to a boil until reduced by half. Pour in sauce mix. Cook until thick and transparent. Stir in cooked chicken and turn off heat. Let sit for a few minutes. Serve with sides to your taste.

There ya go.

[MoonCat]

Yummm...that recipe sounds delicious.

I hate personal space crowders too. I always keep my purse close to me because they might be going for that. Or you never know...it could be something else.

Years ago when I was young and quite thin, I was checking out at a Waldenbooks when some old guy brushed past me. And ran his hand over my butt

It happened so fast I didn't almost didn't believe it was happening. By the time I turned around he was several feet away, and I kept thinking, "Did he really just....??"

So anybody that gets too close to me now gets told to back off. Might not be young and cute anymore but some people don't care.

[fma_fanatic]

Yummm...that recipe sounds delicious.

I hate personal space crowders too. I always keep my purse close to me because they might be going for that. Or you never know...it could be something else.

Years ago when I was young and quite thin, I was checking out at a Waldenbooks when some old guy brushed past me. And ran his hand over my butt

It happened so fast I didn't almost didn't believe it was happening. By the time I turned around he was several feet away, and I kept thinking, "Did he really just....??"

So anybody that gets too close to me now gets told to back off. Might not be young and cute anymore but some people don't care.

Many years ago, the ex and I were pricing out items for a house we were buying that the seller agreed to replace. We were at Home Depot and the ex was working on getting some items a couple of aisles over. For some reason he'd managed to piss me off and so I was a little mad at him.

While I was looking at shower doors, someone kept touching my ass. I told him to stop it, thinking it was him trying to make up and didn't look behind me. He did it again. I told him again to stop, but still didn't look behind me.

It happened a third time and I had enough and said something like "Dammit, I said knock it off!" only to see my ex standing there wondering what was going on with this dumbfounded look on his face. That look alone told me he wasn't the one doing it.

We never did figure out who did it, but if I'd thought about it, we would have had the store manager pull the tapes to see who it might have been.

[Merriweather]

Like I said, if she was looking for my valuables like my purse or wallet, she was on the complete wrong side of that. Then again, who knows, maybe she was. I just have this thing where I hate having people so close to me like that, other than DaDairyDruid and my family - and even then, I get a little weird if they're crowding me like that sometimes.

Reading this thread made me remember an article I read a while back. Quite a few years ago, London (or maybe it was all over the country, not sure) was having quite a lot of trouble with pickpockets. So they started an ad campaign, something like "do you know where your wallet is" or something similar about keeping track of your walled or purse. They put up large billboards all over the place with this message. Pretty much backfired. Seems all the pickpockets started hanging out around the signs - cause most men who saw the sign would automatically check their back pocket or jacket to make sure their wallet was ok - giving the observant pickpockets a nice clue as to where to reach......