Called “greedy” at work

Just say, yes I'm starving! The person calling you greedy is just projecting their own anxieties on to you.

It’s not that relevant whether you think OP was being greedy or not. I mean personally I would say she isn’t, and also think it’s worth pointing out someone may graze all afternoon but then have a very light dinner if at all. You’re only getting a snapshot of their eating habits.

But as I’ve said whether you agree she is greedy is neither here nor there. The main point here is that it was a massively inappropriate way to talk to a work colleague.

You can’t just go around calling them greedy - even if they are - and who they are to decide it all goes back to people with kids?

It’s all very well bleating on about the CoL but that’s also hit single people too. So should all the single men and women with or without kids have got priority then? End of the day the point of leftovers is to take what is left over.

And if they’re struggling to feed their kids maybe budget more or check out a food bank. I really don’t think leftovers from the office buffet is going to make a sustainable difference.

Yes!!!

Is this a joke response?? I like to get 3 to 5 plates of food, but only eat a bit of each one and waste the rest.

My first ever on mumsnet LTB

Leave the buffet 😋

Imo, if you don't pile your plate high multiple times at a buffet you're doing it wrong 😂

OP you're fine. Buffets are made to be eaten.

i can’t say that I would want to give my children left over food that’s been sitting out of the fridge for hours, and possibly touched by several people 🤢

You went back THREE times after lunch and got more sandwichES????? That sounds like an awful lot of food… sorry op, I do think that sounds greedy.

yes

Agree, what a bunch of morons.

Who eats a buffet lunch then another two plates of food throughout the afternoon then still more? I'm sorry but it does sound excessive and I can understand someone thinking "bloody hell, she's after more?!?"

So the ones who got decent food won't get anything back and the cheapskates that contributed a packet of bourbons get to keep them! Not fair. A buffet is for everyone to eat as little or as much as they like, and who admits to taking home leftovers from work to feed their kids!!!

Are you a dietician?

Anyone else really fancying some buffet food now? I wish I’d never typed the words “cocktail sausage”.

Weirdly there was the same scenario I. My office this week. A load of parent split up the food that was left from a work lunch to take home and feed their children.

Why on earth would people factor children in re the office food? How ridiculous. Horrible that they made you feel bad op. They're nasty.

How really rude and nasty that person was.
Yanbu to be upset.
How dare they.

This may be one person being a bit of a bitch or you may have a bit of a reputation for always having more than your fair share and someone finally felt moved to say something.

Agree that an agreement that people with kids take it home is not reasonable (unless happily agreed to by everyone) if everyone is bringing it in. But I don’t think that’s the crux of the issue here. You went back a lot. You took a lot. A few sandwiches and some cake each of FOUR times after lunch is a lot of food and I would think a lot more than most people take. If you do this sort of thing all the time people are going to notice and probably get a bit resentful unless you’re always bringing in far more than most people.

I agree. When I host my renowned Air Buffets, where nothing but the freshest and purest air is served, everyone is stuffed after seconds.

I'm so sorry they made you feel bad for doing something entirely normal. A buffet being out is an invitation to eat it surely? Yes only take a medium plate full on the first round but the food tastes best fresh so I would assume second and third rounds etc during the afternoon are just fine. Also it is incredibly rude to comment on the amount a person eats. Then they had some strange secret agreement that they didn't share with you that kids that don't work at the office get a share of the food. Then you were told off for something you could not have known was "wrong" because you didn't have that information.

I have kids and if there are a couple of cakes left over from a meeting I might take them for the kids at 5pm but not if a colleague wants to eat them there and then. The kids won't know!

I'm sorry OP this sounds like bullying. Have they done anything else to make you feel this way?

'No need to be greedy with it' and '"Well no, you won’t have” and rolled their eyes could be construed as bullying, or at least a step towards it; I agree with the person who says to take a note of what was said and when, just in case.
And the thing about those with kids getting to take home the rest just sounds like guilt-tripping to me.

Did you eat more than what you brought (roughly)? If yes, that would be greedy, especially going back that many times for several
items each time.
Maybe some people only had food once and were planning to get a second helping on their way out?

When someone is very rude to you in a workplace context, such as calling you 'greedy', I find a suitable response is 'do not speak to me like that.' Hard stare. Continue with what you were doing. It is totally unreasonable for people with kids to think that the rest of the office needs to make sure there is enough lunch left for them to take home. I would be minded to follow up with an email to whoever was rude telling them the way they spoke to you was inappropriate, and I'd also make a note in case it becomes 'a thing'.

Sort of agree. Isn't eating food, not because you are hungry but just because it is there and may be thrown out-- a bit greedy?

Oh, you're not. Mind, I'm equally amused by the number of Mumsnetters who would drop dead of food poisoning if they ate a sarnie that was more than five minutes. Fuck knows how the human race has managed to last for several thousand years, most of that with artificial means of freezing or refrigeration. By rights we should have died out millenia ago.