President Obama Broke An Unwritten Chipotle Rule, According To Reddit

Unwritten rules exist in many walks of life, a sort of unspoken code of conduct or norms of societal behavior that people are expected to follow. Sometimes you learn them the hard way; other times people may shrug them off as silly and break them intentionally.

For instance, Major League Baseball is notorious for its plethora of unwritten rules, quite a few of which border on the ridiculous. If an opposing pitcher plunks your superstar hitter the very next at-bat after he swatted a home run, it is understood that your team's pitcher will reciprocate by hitting a player of equal or greater value at some point during that same game. It is also expected that this action (to defend an unwritten rule of retaliation) will result in an ejection. A pitcher must either willingly sacrifice themselves or face criticism for breaking a sacred unspoken covenant.

And when unwritten rules are broken, the backlash from purists can often be swift and unrelenting. No one is spared from these judgments, not even former U.S. presidents such as Barack Obama, who Redditors have scrutinized for breaking an unwritten rule of the fast food burrito chain Chipotle.

The unwritten rule that former President Barrack Obama violated at Chipotle involved leaning over the protective sneeze guard to point at the toppings that he wanted to be added to his Chipotle burrito. Reddit's r/Chipotle forum was not impressed, with user Jakeneb characterizing the transgression as criminal. "Right to jail, straight away," they wrote. A number of commenters expressed disapproval, noting that Obama should know better and that you can relay your order just fine by pointing from behind the glass and communicating with the employee.

Others, while respectful, just couldn't allow themselves to give Obama a pass, regardless of his past title as commander in chief. "Drives me crazy no matter who it is," stated kiralite713. "Sorry former Mr. President, but not okay..." 

Another Redditor, Faux_extrovert, felt it wasn't just that Obama breached the sneeze guard, thereby breaching an unwritten rule, but rather the extent of his body that is hanging over the supposed barrier that carried the biggest offense. "At this point, Mr. President, just grab it yourself."

One Redditor postulated that perhaps Obama's fast food faux pas was unintentional, a product of his unfamiliarity with casual dining situations as someone more accustomed to personal chefs and world-class restaurants. Either way, a line had been crossed, both literally and metaphorically, even if we now have more of an inkling into what Obama eats.