Would you say this was a red flag on a date?

Some people are raised never to eat while walking. I was never told this (nor was I ever given food to eat on the move so I suppose we didn't need to be told as it never happened) I was quite surprised the first time I heard it was considered rude. But it really is, by some people. He's just as likely to think it a red flag about your manners.

Personally, I'd be put off by any man who insisted I do anything unless it was for safety reasons. He'd have every right to say he found it rude or tasteless, but not to dictate how you behave.

I do eat walking sometimes but only because I’m starving and either there’s nowhere to sit or I’m walking to the train station to go home. I don’t personally choose to walk and eat if there’s a seat close by.

If you are on a date with them, yes!

Ffs some ridiculous responses on here, I regularly eat whilst walking between appointments as I don't always have time to sit

OP I get what you’re saying. But you’ve asked peoples opinions and they have disagreed. That’s how aibu works? Did you just want everyone to say he’s an abusive dickhead or something? 😂

Would you have preferred it would if he’d only suggested it once and then ended the date when you said you didn’t want to sit down to it?

Sorry, I was brought up to think it was bad manners to walk and eat.
My children with snacks in the push chair was fine when they were small but I would cringe if they ate a sandwich walking along now and I certainly have never done it.

Well only you know what his overall vibe was. You’ll have to decide if it was a red flag or just a bit irritating (but not necessarily a deal breaker).

I can’t believe the amount of people that won’t eat while walking along. It’s like I’ve gone back in time! I’ve never heard anyone under 80 say this.
I'm with you OP. Eat your sarny wherever you like, it’s not like it’s a full roast dinner!
Convenience birthed the sandwich.

If I insisted that my wife sat down to eat, or looked down on her for noshing a butty while walking, she'd tell me to fuck off. I don't think three dates in is the time to start "raising you up". How about never doing that, and just letting you be you?

It’s not very comfortable walking and eating at the same time. It’s also not very enjoyable. Your date was wrong to keep on at you but he should have respected your decision. What else is he going to badger you about?

I said, thanks, but I'm ok honestly I don't mind walking around with it. He said, no I insist you sit down. I said again that I was honestly ok walking with it but he was absolutely adamant that we sat down.

I'm conflicted on this because I don't know where it took place - there are some places in the world where you would have been absolutely reasonable to walk around eating a sandwich and his objection would have been odd, and some where walking around eating a sandwich would have been clearly unacceptable.

I'd normally think: if it WERE clearly unacceptable, how would you not know, unless perhaps you were new in the country/area? But you have said that you are out of the loop so I have no idea. So do you think that he has a much better idea than you about what is acceptable in some very rigid society? If you think that he is much more likely than you to be right - not because he has a penis but because he is much more familiar with contemporary local culture - then I'd maybe put away the sandwich, but also ask him to explain his logic to me so I don't make the same mistake again.

I’d have no issue with you eating and walking while alone, but for me the fact that you got out your leftovers and ate them while he had nothing would have seemed a bit odd. It would seem odd to me if you were sitting on a bench too.

I also wouldn’t order food to eat if nobody else was ordering anything, unless it was something shareable - just brought up to find it a bit antisocial if you are in a group.

This is a double whammy of ill-manneredness - eating on the street while walking (sloppy etc), and eating in the presence of someone who is not eating. The origin of good manners is making others feel comfortable. Your date felt uncomfortable.

I also think people are missing the point (and I was brought up to think eating and walking was common).

The date had no right to insist OP did something she didn’t want to do.

Would the responses be the same if OP had ordered a pint and her date insisted she have a wine instead?

I think it maybe was seen as bad manners years ago but surely not now with street food being widely acceptable! Keep an eye out OP and if you feel that he's making you uncomfortable then don't continue to date him.

No wonder there are so many single people looking for love if walking and eating constitutes a red flag.

How does one guzzle a sandwich?
Does not sitting down while eating mean you have to ram the full sandwich in your gob or something? 😂

It's clearly not "outdated" though, is it? Plenty of people on MN/this thread agree that they wouldn't do it and don't like it.

He was embarrassed by your lack of manners. How hungry were you that you needed to be walking along guzzling a sandwich?

Genuinely amused at how many people think walking and eating is bad manners. Why? It doesn't impact on anyone else, as long as any litter goes in a bin, then there's no problem.

This exactly. It's just a bit grim. Like someone said further back, chomping on food when you're walking along, (especially when someone's trying to talk to you,) is awful etiquette! Food falling on the floor, looking for something to wipe your mouth with, and talking with food in your mouth... It's all just terribly tacky and ill-mannered... And these people who do this ALWAYS having something stuck in their teeth afterwards!

Just ewwww. 😖

I saw a man munching a burger when I was at the beach last week, (he was with a woman who was not eating anything.) He had a full beard, and had mustard, tomato ketchup, breadcrumbs, and lettuce all over his beard, literally covered in it all. I don't care if this makes me sound dramatic, I felt physically sick and wished I hadn't glanced over at him. 🤢 THIS is the reason why many women despise beards on men.

But yeah, JMO, but if I see someone walking along pushing hot food into their face (not eating an ice cream or a bit of fruit, but an actual burger or chips or sausage roll etc,) I would be pretty certain that they've been raised with bad manners. It's grim and looks tacky af.

Some posters on here have clearly been raised with different standards to some others!