INSPIRATION:

As an international student myself, I have been adjusting to new cultures and customs my whole life. One thing that I have noticed from being around other international students, talking to my American-Chinese friends about their parents, and when I go back home to Thailand is that there are some habits that are acceptable or even sometimes, welcomed, in our culture, but are looked down upon in other cultures. One of the most common habits that I have noticed is loud chewing, and just bad table manners in general, since in a lot of Asian cultures, enthusiastically eating your food (loudly) is viewed positively, and in some countries, it is rude not to slurp loudly:

"In fact, every culture has specific ways of showing appreciation of the meal. In Saudi Arabia, diners burp after eating to compliment the cook. In Hong Kong and Japan, loudly slurping your noodles demonstrates your enjoyment of the food; literally, that it is so delicious you cannot even wait until it cools off." - (https://cultureandfood.wordpress.com/2010/01/17/to-slurp-or-not-to-slurp/)

Some of these habits that are just embedded into one's culture makes it really hard for the more modern generation to get rid of. It is also uncomfortable for others to be around them or to attempt to make them aware of their bad habits, since that could be rude to mention.

From this starting point, I wanted to create some device that would send the user some kind of output reminder that would make them aware of their bad habits without it being obvious to others when dining outside of their home. 

PROBLEM:

Ever had a friend that was just too embarrassing to go to a fancy restaurant with? Or are you that friend? Or is it one of your family members? Some bad habits are just so hard to fix, especially when you have grown up in an environment where those actions were known to be normal, and not a bad thing. 

I have focused my problem space to being loud during meal times; placing your cutlery/plates down carelessly, trying to speak with food still in your mouth, arguing ... etc. This was so that I would be reaching out to a wider group of users, and not just targeting immigrants in the States or just people who are studying abroad. This problem would deal more with children with busy parents, or just anyone who is trying to grow out of their bad table manners so they are able to integrate better at more formal settings.