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AIBU?

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Original poster

To be raging at shortbread instead of pastries?

208 replies

pinotnow · 12/06/2025 09:40

I am at a conference type event. As a teacher I rarely get to come on this type of thing. I've looked forward to the pastries on arrival throughout the two hour drive. I'm here and there are no pastries. It's biscuits of a shortbread type, which I don't like anyway and are not appropriate as a substitute for pastries. I haven't eaten so it's going to be a long morning until lunch, which I now have concerns about anyway.

Why is everything so relentlessly fucking shit now?

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 14/06/2025 01:24

Thoughts and prayers...

MixedBananas · 14/06/2025 00:18

Being a bit of a wet blanket aren't we..... 🙄

MrsHamlet · 14/06/2025 00:15

pinotnow · 13/06/2025 19:17

They must have read the thread 😉.

Just to make you froth a little more, @KaleQueen , there were no pastries this morning either. But I didn't mind as I had already had pancakes at the hotel I stayed at, paid for by, gasp, public money 😧.

(I think..not actually sure how it's funded in this case, but I'm sure I should be feeling bad and should have spent my free time marking/flogging myself/being grateful for the choc-chip shortbread).

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I thought that when the tea was out at lunch time! I still wanted a glacier fruit though.

Disturbia81 · 13/06/2025 23:59

KaleQueen · 13/06/2025 21:10

Wasn’t the weekend tho?
I mean - ‘sense of humour’ is subjective so maybe I don’t find pastry rage that funny, prefer something a bit more complex, but each to their own.

Edited
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Maybe just let the majority enjoy a laugh then, you’re taking it too seriously.

KaleQueen · 13/06/2025 21:10

JudgeJ · 13/06/2025 20:54

Validating my comment re sense of humour, wherever you keep it well hidden. If people are expected to give up weekends for nonsense, the least they can expect is a pastry!

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Wasn’t the weekend tho?
I mean - ‘sense of humour’ is subjective so maybe I don’t find pastry rage that funny, prefer something a bit more complex, but each to their own.

JudgeJ · 13/06/2025 20:54

KaleQueen · 13/06/2025 14:43

I’ve got a sense of humour thanks 😂 i keep it next to my social conscience. It takes up the space where my lack of entitlement sits. I attend lots of conferences too. And organise them. For a publicly-funded body. They cost thousands and thousands to run. Thousands of pounds of public money. Budgeting is always tricky. So is catering for dietary requirements, allergies, etc. And there’s always someone who uses the feedback form to moan about the fact it was a sandwich lunch or lack of endless teas and coffees or whatever. Makes me feel sad for them. Like this lady. She’s got a great job and food provided for free and raging about pastries 😬 oh sorry was her post meant to be funny? I mean, it’s not that funny is it? Really? It’s just a bit sad.

Edited
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Validating my comment re sense of humour, wherever you keep it well hidden. If people are expected to give up weekends for nonsense, the least they can expect is a pastry!

Confusedbylifeingeneral · 13/06/2025 20:33

SoScarletItWas · 12/06/2025 09:42

I’d storm the stage

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Do this! Gather a few like minded souls, scribble a sign and get up there…

Butchyrestingface · 13/06/2025 20:30

YABU.

I'd rather have shortbread than pastries any day of the week. 😋

pastapestoparmesan · 13/06/2025 20:29

MousePolice · 13/06/2025 18:54

Wow! That’s amazing. What type of conference was this?

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Music teaching

KaleQueen · 13/06/2025 19:31

pinotnow · 13/06/2025 19:17

They must have read the thread 😉.

Just to make you froth a little more, @KaleQueen , there were no pastries this morning either. But I didn't mind as I had already had pancakes at the hotel I stayed at, paid for by, gasp, public money 😧.

(I think..not actually sure how it's funded in this case, but I'm sure I should be feeling bad and should have spent my free time marking/flogging myself/being grateful for the choc-chip shortbread).

Show quote history

I’m not frothing in the slightest, I hope you enjoyed today. What a lucky life. Hotels paid for by public money. I do that too. Regularly. So would never whinge ever, I feel lucky.

Ponderingwindow · 13/06/2025 19:21

I would be so very happy to arrive to find shortbread.

I can never eat the pastries because 1) there is never an ingredient list and 2) they rarely worry about cross contamination in packaging to bring them in. even if some of the pastries are safe they probably came in a box touching the ones that are not.

Shortbread has so few ingredients that it is almost always a known entity in terms of safety,

CandyCane457 · 13/06/2025 19:19

Oh hell no I’d be furious too! Such a letdown!

Im a teacher too and go to a subject leader network course three times a year. It’s afternoon only. I USED to arrive to boxes filled with lovely fruit/jasmine/peppermint teas, and trays of home made cakes.
They seem to be cutting costs and now there’s just an urn of standard tea/coffee and shortbreads in packets. Devastating.

Original poster
pinotnow · 13/06/2025 19:17

MrsHamlet · 13/06/2025 17:01

There were hot drinks AND squash at lunch today.

They must have read the thread 😉.

Just to make you froth a little more, @KaleQueen , there were no pastries this morning either. But I didn't mind as I had already had pancakes at the hotel I stayed at, paid for by, gasp, public money 😧.

(I think..not actually sure how it's funded in this case, but I'm sure I should be feeling bad and should have spent my free time marking/flogging myself/being grateful for the choc-chip shortbread).

OP posts:
KaleQueen · 13/06/2025 19:09

MousePolice · 13/06/2025 18:57

It was a public health conference! Clearly coffee and apples was thought to be on message. At Birmingham New Street afterwards I had another ‘lunch’ alongs with many of the other attendees.

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Having organised one for public health before, I know weirdness of this. I had to arrange all vegan lunches too on that occasion. I do understand why that’s disappointing as It’s just not normal to have apples with coffee! It’s kind of pointless. But if it’s free, it’s ‘get what you’re given’ really. I think the point I was trying to make is it’s a bit entitled to expect a basket of freshly baked pastries and be ‘raging’ (even if it was a joke…it wasn’t a joke…she was raging 😂) when shortbread is offered instead.
PS the amount of conferences I’ve organised and catered for where people then just don’t turn up is the worst. So much food waste. Which is why publicly funded ones can tend to be conservative at times. It’s just wasted money.
PPS still think shortbread and coffee is a perfectly acceptable intro to an event and should not be rage-inducing in a person of normally balanced mind 😂

MousePolice · 13/06/2025 18:57

Navyslug · 13/06/2025 16:52

What! That is a hate crime!

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It was a public health conference! Clearly coffee and apples was thought to be on message. At Birmingham New Street afterwards I had another ‘lunch’ alongs with many of the other attendees.

MousePolice · 13/06/2025 18:54

pastapestoparmesan · 13/06/2025 17:07

No pastries at mine today (also a teacher) but Jude’s ice cream at lunch ftw!

Wow! That’s amazing. What type of conference was this?

Disturbia81 · 13/06/2025 18:25

Needacupofteaandcrackers · 12/06/2025 23:38

at school dinners there was chocolate shortcake….. mumsnet…it was legendary….. stuff of dreams …sadly .i have never been able to recreate it …… 🥲🥲🥲

I would love to try this.. two of my favourite things combined

MrsHamlet · 13/06/2025 17:49

pastapestoparmesan · 13/06/2025 17:07

No pastries at mine today (also a teacher) but Jude’s ice cream at lunch ftw!

That's amazing!

ButteredRadishes · 13/06/2025 17:33

CoffeeCantata · 13/06/2025 17:26

I'll tell you what IS shit, though - and that's pain au chocolat. Chocolate and croissant pastry...ugh.

It's only shit when there's not enough chocolate!

CoffeeCantata · 13/06/2025 17:26

I'll tell you what IS shit, though - and that's pain au chocolat. Chocolate and croissant pastry...ugh.

SardinesOnGingerbread · 13/06/2025 17:26

Pinkyplat · 12/06/2025 09:45

Shortbread is not a breakfast item. (Also, shortbread is shit.)

YANBU

Gasp of intake breath. On behalf of my fellow Scots, how very dare.

CoffeeCantata · 13/06/2025 17:25

Pinkyplat · 12/06/2025 09:45

Shortbread is not a breakfast item. (Also, shortbread is shit.)

YANBU

Shortbread is one of the most delicious things ever invented. I cannot be trusted in the same house as shortbread.

'Pastries', though - does OP mean croissants? Danish Pastries (or Danger Pastries as my son used to call them when he was 3)?

It depends what time of day. If it was coffee time, I'd say shortbread was the business. If it was 8 am, then fill your boots with pastries - if that's what you like!

FormerBoardingSchoolTeacher · 13/06/2025 17:24

I used to work in an independent school. All meals were free and good quality so I was not used to providing anything for myself during the (very long) school day.

I went to few meetings/conferences but one was held in an office building at least three hours travel time each way from door to door.

My stated dietary requirements were “gluten-free, no onions or peppers”. Whatever the biscuits/pastries at the morning or afternoon break were I don’t remember, as they were not gluten-free so there was nothing for me to eat then. The best bit was lunch, though. While everyone else got gluten-full sandwiches, little pies, etc, I got a special plate on which were nothing but raw onions and peppers.

Poonu · 13/06/2025 17:23

This sounds unhinged.

VickyEadieofThigh · 13/06/2025 17:18

DifferentChild · 12/06/2025 09:47

With you on that @pinotnow shortbread is a shit substitute for a good cinnamon whirl or chocolate croissant. Hope your day gets better😃

ALMOND croissants, please!