You may find more of it at a romantic outdoor cafe in North Beach than in the yuppie confines of the Marina District, where public intimacy is usually between people and their cell phones. Public affection shocks us. Each side should be sensitive to the other. Just move away from it. They may be telling the world they're free to do what they want, or they may find the actual setting erotic.
Some lovers do it when they're in that goofy love stage, where restraint seems pointless.
Others dabble in it as teenagers. Trying to seem more mature, they reach for a body part instead of a cigarette. We hold hands. But I like it more than he does. Her boyfriend, J.M., doesn't want to say his last name any more than he wants to get too affectionate in public.