How should an impossibly rude co-worker be handled?

I work with, quite possibly, the rudest woman i have ever met. She makes no secret of the fact that she dislikes me, but hasn't come up with a reason for the dislike. When discussing lunch, she informed me that since she is 45 and I am 21 I couldn't possibly know as much about mexican food as her. (I have taken years of cooking classes, btw). She is afraid to set foot in our local taco stands, and will only eat at Taco Bell. This week, she butted into a discussion, where a co-worker and I were teasing eachother, I commented about his tie.
"Nathan, a bow tie again?"
(Uninvolved co-worker, loudly to a room of 40 people)
"Noelle, You are so RUDE!"

I have done everything in my power to be civil, but Im at the end of my rope. I am not a piece of gum she stepped in, but that is how she treats me. I work hard, I am professional, and she makes work miserable! How do i get her to back off?

We are not in the same department, but all the assistants get together for birthdays, company anything, etc. Her mom and I work together, so she frequents our office, whether she needs to or not. My boss is the definition of non-combative, I don't really think he would do anything except maybe say 'just let it go'. Can I address her? How can I confront her, to make her back off, without coming across as just as impossible as she is?

This is what I would do:

I would totally ignore the lady concerned, unless you have to communicate for work purposes. I would make a point of not speaking to her at break times etc. After a while, she will test you and try to engage you in some pointless discussion, as a way of seeing if your resolve will waver.

However, keep ignoring her for a couple of weeks and; she will either do something stupid, which will portray her in a bad light to other people, or she will see how much you despise her attitude. A cautionary note though, don't blow your top, or you may cause people to take sides, and possibly against you.

You can either take the issue to the supervisor or tell her privily that you do not appreciate her attitude and comments.

The safest thing to do is to bring attention to this fact to her supervisor so she can be coached on how to handle herself in the workplace. You should not attempt any casual or cordial conversation directed to her to invite her type of behavior either. Keep your opinion and ideals directed to her professional and business related and leave the rest for whomever you wish to maintain a warm relationship with.

You should let the manager know of your concerns. Also, document every rude thing she says and does and when you reported it. Management has a responsibility to keep it a non-hostile work environment.

Punch her in the teeth.

She's not only rude, she's a bully. With bullies, the direct approach often works well. I would have handled the "You are so rude!" comment with a "I wasn't talking to you, so that's not your decision to make!" and just walk away. Bullies often lose interest if they know they have no impact on a person, and since they usually have low self esteem they generally don't bother people who have a quick rebutal.

Try a few snappy comebacks. If you're not comfortable with snappy comebacks, perhaps you have a friend who is and who can provide you with a few all-purpose on-the-spot comments you can use against her when she's being mouthy.

Also, if she has a few subjects on which she is a know it all (such as Mexican food), find a few choice insults and beat her at her own game. "The fact that you consider Taco Bell to be fine Mexican cuisine clearly demonstrates your complete ignorance on the subject matter. Do you also consider MadDog to be a fine dessert wine and Velveeta to be the finest cheese or do you prefer something a little more subtle, like Kraft slices? Frankly, I see you more as a 'Laughing Cow' [deliberate pause] type of person" and then wink and smile sweetly.

She sounds like a real charmer, how awful to have to work with her. I would try as much as you possibly can to ignore her. Now I know what happens to bullies when they grow up. Like any other bully, they enjoy instilling pain and discomfort on their victims, don't give her the satisfaction.

It really ticks me off that she would pick on you who is so much younger than she. You may want to let your supervisor know of the antagonism just in case.

Actually, I would DEFINITELY tell my supervisor about her unprofessional behavior and abuse.

Best to you.....