Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Crisp gate

147 replies

SteveTheHair · 16/10/2026 16:48

On way back from seeing family with dp. Dp driving. He is quite particular about his car, won’t let me or anyone eat in it etc. we stopped at a services to get coffee and some
shopping because we are in a bit of a rush to get home. I was starving and wanted a burger, dp said no time. And he wouldn’t let me eat it in the car. So I picked up a pack of crisps and ate a few while we walked back to the car. I knew he wouldn’t want me to finish them in the car so I folded over the bag and put it in the bag with the rest of the shopping.
dp gets really narky and said he can smell the crisps and now his car stinks of crisps why couldn’t I have just waited an hour to eat till we got home
hes now in a bad mood
Who is bu!

OP posts:
Spirallingdownwards · 16/10/2026 18:37

PistachioTiramisu · 16/10/2026 18:35

I agree with him - nobody eats in my car - couldn't you just wait until you got home?

Couldn't he just have let her eat the burger she suggested before getting in the car.

Nofeckingway · 16/10/2026 18:36

I would hate the smell of cheese and onion crisps . And I would hate burger and onion smelly too . Or chips with vinegar . How far from home where you ? Really, nobody is that starving for a bag of crisps . Constant snacking and eating are a new thing especially in cars . Never growing up ever ate snacks in the car .
But I probably would have to compromise.

Spirallingdownwards · 16/10/2026 18:36

hagchic · 16/10/2026 17:44

I don't think either of you are being unreasonable, but I'm with him.

I have a stupidly strong sense of smell, it makes life difficult at times - like people who struggle with other people being loud. I deal with it myself because it is my issue.

I also don't allow people to eat in my car - because it's my car and there is not a situation that I have been in where someone has needed urgently to eat before they have a medical episode. I acknowledge if someone was Type1diabetic I might make an exception. I never eat in other people's cars and indeed try to avoid them - because they are often really smelly.

Was there no time in the whole day where food was available to you? I know you were hungry but a few crisps would not have made any difference to that hunger.

You knew he was not going to like it, but you decided to do it anyway - he's going to feel a certain way about that.

It just feels like you pushed because you thought he was wrong and you were right.

Yes there was time in the day to let her just have the burger before they got into the car like she suggested. Therefore HE was being unreasonable and controlling to prevent her from being able to do so

fivepastmidnight · 16/10/2026 18:36

Bumcake · 16/10/2026 18:30

Unless they’re scampi niknaks he’s being a bellend.

scampi niknaks are not crisps - I know that wasn't your point but we can't have these type of snacks lumped in with delicious crisps. This is how civilization breaks down .They are corn snacks.

PistachioTiramisu · 16/10/2026 18:35

I agree with him - nobody eats in my car - couldn't you just wait until you got home?

Fgfgfg · 16/10/2026 18:33

You're not being unreasonable at all but then only yesterday I found a slice of beetroot under the clutch pedal.

LancashireButterPie · 16/10/2026 18:33

What a prick.
He'd be wearing the crisps.

PhilosophicalCheeseSandwich · 16/10/2026 18:31

Bumcake · 16/10/2026 18:30

Unless they’re scampi niknaks he’s being a bellend.

Fair point. Nobody's wiping their fishy fingers on my upholstery.

fivepastmidnight · 16/10/2026 18:30

There is no greater gift to the universe than crisps. I'd have sooner paid a small fortune for a taxi and eat the crisps in peace. Any man who tried to come between me and my crisps would not remain in my life and quite possibly would not remain in his! This would actually be a hill I'd be prepared to die on.

Bumcake · 16/10/2026 18:30

Unless they’re scampi niknaks he’s being a bellend.

Limepickleontoast · 16/10/2026 18:27

I would have farted in the car to spite him. Knobhead

GeminiGiggles · 16/10/2026 18:26

Important info required...

  1. What car is it?
  2. Were the crisps pickled onion monster munch?

Regardless you should be able to eat when you want whilst respecting the no eating in the car rule. Why should you have wait an hour if he won't wait the length of time it takes to eat crisps or even a burger?

PhilosophicalCheeseSandwich · 16/10/2026 18:26

But do crisps even make a lingering smell in cars?

No, not even pickled onion flavour. I'm somewhat of an expert on the matter.

BillieWiper · 16/10/2026 18:23

I don't have a car, but if it was new and it did make it smell then I can kinda see him being a bit peeved. If he specifically said please no eating and open/smelly food in there. But do crisps even make a lingering smell in cars?

If it's not especially new he should calm down. I'm guessing he can't be like this only about his car? Which might mean you're not compatible.

Isobel201 · 16/10/2026 18:15

I would have walked around outside the car eating the crisps as slowly as possible just to make the point.

Thepeopleversuswork · 16/10/2026 18:11

Anyone who values the tidiness of their car's interior more than the comfort of their partner is a twat. It's an absolutely foolproof litmus test. Generations of dickheads who are anal about their car's interiors: I'm surprised they haven't been bred out.

LTB.

GoldMoon · 16/10/2026 18:08

He's a prat and also sounds quite controlling .

Sally2791 · 16/10/2026 18:07

Fucking weirdo. Sadly there are many out there. FGS live your life!!

tripleginandtonic · 16/10/2026 18:07

If there was no time for a burger I'd have finished the crisps rather than bring the smelly packet inside. Our rule is the driver gets to dictate the conditions in the car. Next time.e do the driving OP.

LunarMarmalade · 16/10/2026 18:06

This sounds like it isn't really about the crisps. I'd be interested to hear more about day.

Neuronimo · 16/10/2026 18:06

YANBU, unless he is neuro diverse. Even then its questionably unreasonable. I have banned Dh from eating cooured food in the study because he has stained my beautiful desk badly, either with red wine or roasted vegetables!. 😂

Lomonald · 16/10/2026 18:05

He sounds bloody hard work what was the rush that you couldn't have a burger ? I get not eating in the car but to rush out and go on about a "smell of crisps" bothering him would tip me over the edge, is he like that in the house or just the car ?

PhilosophicalCheeseSandwich · 16/10/2026 18:02

Please let the car be a Kia Picanto

AlwaysExtraHot · 16/10/2026 18:01

He's a tit. he can smell the crisps? What is he, a sniffer dog?

GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut · 16/10/2026 17:59

hagchic · 16/10/2026 17:44

I don't think either of you are being unreasonable, but I'm with him.

I have a stupidly strong sense of smell, it makes life difficult at times - like people who struggle with other people being loud. I deal with it myself because it is my issue.

I also don't allow people to eat in my car - because it's my car and there is not a situation that I have been in where someone has needed urgently to eat before they have a medical episode. I acknowledge if someone was Type1diabetic I might make an exception. I never eat in other people's cars and indeed try to avoid them - because they are often really smelly.

Was there no time in the whole day where food was available to you? I know you were hungry but a few crisps would not have made any difference to that hunger.

You knew he was not going to like it, but you decided to do it anyway - he's going to feel a certain way about that.

It just feels like you pushed because you thought he was wrong and you were right.

Sounds like OP would have liked to have eaten more than a few crisps, but he wouldn't allow the time to do so!

Fine if you don't want people eating in your car, it's your car, you can do what you like. But the only reason there was an open bag of crisps in the car, is because he wouldn't let OP finish the bloody things.

He sounds a complete twat, why does he think it's reasonable for OP to wait an hour to eat, when he wouldn't even wait 10 minutes?!