When it comes to bad airplane seatmates, I thought I’d sat next to them all—drunkards, space invaders, restless leg-jigglers, shrieking babies, tantruming executives, loudmouths, and the dreaded unbathed. But in all my time on airplanes, I’ve never had to endure the gross-out horror of sitting next to someone dipping tobacco until this past Friday when I flew from Dallas to San Francisco.
It started right at boarding time. I’d already taken my window seat, and there he was getting on the plane, baseball cap on, looking to all the world like a nice-enough, normal-enough guy. He sat down next to me and immediately flagged the flight attendant, with an unusual request. He wanted a cup. Empty. She gave him a look, but then went and got him the cup, no questions asked.
He then took out a tin of snuff and pulled out a big wad that he put in his mouth, inside his lower lip. For the entirety of the flight, he would periodically spit out dark, brown, disgustingness into that cup, which he alternated between perching on his tray table, holding between his legs, putting on the floor, and even--for a time--in the seat pocket in front of him.
Now smoking, obviously, is prohibited on airplanes these days and for good reason, but dipping tobacco, apparently, isn’t. It’s not on the prohibited list for TSA, so therefore, it’s allowed. And technically, it’s not harming anyone else’s health. But seriously, it did harm my well-being for that entire flight.
Every time he spit, I cringed. Every time he set the cup back down, or we hit a spot of turbulence, I worried about spillage. I imagined I could smell it, and could see the brown juice along the cup’s lip. Not only was it revolting, but it had to be unsanitary, too. To me, it was akin to sitting next to someone who was spitting in public, over and over and over again, a completely vulgar act that’s totally inappropriate in the tight, confined space of the airplane.
It’s very possible that in the absence of his tobacco he would have gone into some sort of equally unpleasant nic fit. But then couldn’t he have just used the patch, something much less outright and offensive?
Honestly, I probably should have said something, but I didn’t. What would you have done?
Comments
Nov 04, 2009
I have an almost uncontrollable rage against smokeless tobacco. Even the merest sniff of it makes me want to throw up -- I cannot stand that smell. I was once sitting behind someone at the movie theatre who was doing exactly what your seatmate on the plane was doing and I could barely concentrate on the film.
That said, I don't know if it would be possible to ban it from public places like airplanes. I mean, TECHNICALLY it's not harming anyone. But boy, I'm with you in that it sure is gross.
Nov 04, 2009
That is gross. I just threw up in my mouth! Really though, I think smelly food should be banned from flights so I definitely think "chew" as I think it was referred to in college should be outlawed in enclosed spaces.
Nov 04, 2009
You all should grow a set of balls. We can't smoke on the flight and some of us would prefer to dip then smell like a ashtray. I dip on plans but I bring a bottle to spit in so that it can be closed and don't have to worry about spilling it. And I bring gum to so after I get done with a dip I can make my dreath smell better. I try to keep it very low profile. If you had asked I am sure the man would have stoped. I would if you had asked me. No problem. But first you would have to grow them ball I talked about before.
Nov 04, 2009
I've heard of chawing tobacco and snuff, but this one I had to look up! While it seems like a nasty habit, it would bother me far less than say, chronic flatulence or someone who felt it was cool to wake me up to chat. In your situation, I would wish that I could be less restrained and/or channel my inner-4-yr-old and ask him ridiculous questions. Like, "Don't you worry about gum cancer?"
I am old enough to remember and have flown on flights with smoking. They used to consider the row just in front of the smokers as a non-smoking section. Some folks seated in the non-smoking section would slip back to the smoking section to grab a quick puff, so the section was generally dreadful. I recall having to threaten to puke if I wasn't moved further away and wishing that I had a can of hair spray to do my "do" in the general direction of the smoking section. (For non-pyromaniacs, the effect of hairspray on a lit cigarette is quite alarming.) So, really, I'm so grateful that there's a complete ban these days!
Nov 06, 2009
That flight sounds like a horror movie. Unless every seat was taken, you could have left your seat, found a flight attendant, explained your problem and I'm sure they would be able to find another seat. Lots of things on planes to dread - but I never thought of spitting tobacco.
Nov 10, 2009
If you had said something, he would probably have gone into a fit as well. No point lecturing him on the hazards of smoking, smokers have all heard this until they are numb.
Nov 24, 2009
Yes it is a disgusting habit but so is looking at somebody with body piercings. People that smell, fat overweight people, how about the folks with smelly fruit flavored gum, or rank perfume and those people that blow their noses in public and those that smack when they eat damn why dont we just nuke this place and start over or just stay inside our houses and never leave all you people do is bitch you would probably bitch if you were hung with a new rope