My son's reaction to the phrase "picky bits".

[SquirrelsAreGo]

My son is having a weekend of birthday moments ahead of the day on Tuesday. He is turning 17, and we've been teasing him about how he needs to know the dark side of being an adult (for some context, he is ND, funny, and plays along beautifully, adding his own roasts about how his older brother not adulting properly). He really enjoys word play, and learning British phrases that haven't made it to Oz where we now live.

We were discussing what he wanted for lunch, making suggestions for picnic type foods. At the time I was grasping for the word "picnic" so said "if we were in the UK, some people would describe them as 'picky bits'. He looked me straight in the eye and said " Why? Why would you do that to me? Is this what comes with being an adult?? Gdammit!"

Fascinating that, even without me giving any idea of how I feel about the phrase, his reaction was the same as mine. I sat him down and explained that this is what we meant by having to get used to the adult world, and that I was sorry we had to ramp it up so hard, but we only had until Tuesday to get him educated.

And then I remembered the word picnic and the world tilted back onto its axis.

I agree it’s a vile phrase!

In our house, it is called 'nibbles'. I agree with the folk who see bits of flaking skin and scabs, bogies and worse with the phrase 'picky bits'.

'Light bites' is horrid. We have always had picky tea. It means you pick what you want from an array of portable food. I don't see why the name is vile. 'Picky bits' OTOH does now make me think of toe nail clippings.

Ok, haven't rtft but picky bits is a thing in my house aka a carpet picnic (thanks Julia Robert's 😉)

The phrase is just a marketing gentrification of older original phrases. Nonsense that hopefully dies off, glad he rightly sees it as nonsense.

OMG, I have to tell him now that he shares a birthday week with National Picky Bits Day

I have just come back to this and don't think I've ever had so many responses to something on here!

In no particular order -

• It may be used in Australia, but I got it from MN at some point in the past 20 years.
• @HappiestSleeping - I'm so sorry! Also mid-50s, and obviously even immigrating didn't removed from my mind. You are doomed.
• @SixAndJuliet - no 17th is not a big thing here, it's just that my youngest doens't ever ask for anything, require anything material, and has what, compared to other teenagers is an extremely secluded life. he likes it like that, but he also likes being made a fuss of for a couple of days over the week. When the absolute highlight of your year is new pair of $40 headphones, a new tshirt, or a favourite take away, I'm happy to do all of it, for several days!
• also first time I've ever been accused (even if in jest) of trolling, so quite pleased with that. The timing is bizarre. Last time I even thought of M&S was in January. when I was in the UK.
• @Mystifyingly - I see what you mean. until this thread, I hadn't made the connection with picking at skin/toenails etc, but you're absolutely right that it is already a loaded word!
• Although I grew up in London (in a very naice area), my entire extended family is Sheffield, Lincolnshire etc, and never heared it from anywhere else. I suppose to me it sounds silly? affected (or do I mean effected?! I've been away from the workplace way too long, some bits of my brain have fallen off)?!

Anyway, thank you for all the replies, and the chance to chortle. I will share with eve-of 17 son. He has no friends his age at the moment, but that's on his list for the coming year, so that's my challenge for the year. Finding things to get him speaking to others. At the moment his first request is a blacksmithing workshop! We're pretty excited. I'm sad that I celebrate with M&S pork pies, and mini choc covered swiss rolls. I have managed to source Percy pigs though - he really loves those, and they are now sold in a supermarket chain here!

Thanks again, and sorry for burbling. As maybe obvious, not a lot of adult/female engagement in my current life as a parent and carer!

I'm so sorry, it was entirely... omg my vocab has completely disappeared... ironic? Sarcastic? obviously doesn't work in the written word. I also hear Galaxy chocolate type voice.

That's really good - DS calls it "stuff, you know"

I'm so glad I missed most of those by living the other side of the world. there had to be an upside (don't get Oz knickers in a twist, I don't hate everything, I just had an unreasonably strong attachment to my home country, and it's never died away. Apparently it's not suprising now we know about ND etc. Also, I didn't choose to be here).

Love sausage should be illegal, isn't it? I'm astonished.

And what, pray, is the meaning of D in bread? I don't understand?

Wow, only just noticed this. Well, as someone who doesn't have any family to family chat with, and sometimes, just sometimes, wants to feel as if she's not in a silent void, I really appreciate the responses. I'm sorry you didn't feel you could just move past it.

I could post an anecdote a day, most of them actually funny, and run out of days. This immediately made me think of MN, which I haven't been on properly for years. I don't insta, I don't do anything else, because I worry about his anonymity, but this has genuinely given me the feeling I am not entirely invisible. F you for feeling you need to keep me in check.

Hope your DS has a great birthday with lots of wonderful birthday moments OP.

He sounds a lot like a ND relative of mine, who's the same age. The 'thing' that's finally got him interested in 'stuff' and getting out and talking to people and making friends is Warhammer. The internet tells me that's available in Australia. I don't know much about it apart from his parents are happy to indulge, taking him to the shop to paint the models and play the games. The next step for him will be to be able to go there by himself, which will be a good, but manageable achievement.

But if it's me who you took to be accusing you of trolling, I meant the marketing person at M&S who's always celebrating picky bits, much to Mumsnet's horror.

I too have no idea about the D in bread but it's probably something that should be googled with caution.

Yes, I had no idea about ‘putting the D in bread’ but I read an article about how M&S were causing merriment with their advert. According to young people, ‘D’ means dick, and while M&S were trying to show off about putting vitamin D in their bread, people were reading as some kind of bread-shagging, or something 🤷🏼‍♀️

ETA I have no idea how I’ve quoted the wrong post, sorry!

Scraps in my house
from when I was little and went into school and said I had scraps for tea
the phone call to my parents later revealed it was an M&S buffet…

Agreed, sounds like picking ears, nose and belly button. 🤢

It's picky bits day on Saturday.

I do like M&S but their 'National Picky Bits Day' campaign is enough to make me not want to shop there ever again.

I am not the sort of person who wants to 'treat myself and the hubby to some bubbles before we go on holibobs', which is clearly the type of person M&S want shopping in their stores.

Back to Waitrose for my weekly steak, smoked salmon and sourdough top up shop then.

Honestly, I'm raging about this, which I know is unreasonable, but WTF.

When I was a child a neighbour told me she was going to a wedding and a running buffet was going to beset up. For quite a long time I thought the guests would have to run round to get their buffet.!