AIBU to think eating chips in a shop is uncouth?

[NestaFiesta]

Twice in a week now I have seen people eating bags of chips whilst walking round a supermarket and a charity shop. I love chips as much as the next person but I just think it's horrible to eat greasy food whilst in a shop. I mean, can't they wait? AND I saw a woman eating a pasty whilst she shopped for stationery. Yuk. AIBU?

I disagree. It is being flexible given the situations in which you find yourself, and it is small minded to judge another person if you do not know their situation. A person may need to eat because they are diabetic and DO feel faint or pregnant and need to have something to eat right then or indeed both; you do not know their circumstances.

If you do not want to eat on the move then do not; I would agree with you it is best avoided. However, judging other people when you do not know all the circumstances is, well, a bit vulgar and lower middle class I think

It is poor form to judge an individual. However, judging a behaviour is very different and it is accepted that eating in public is not polite.

I'm with you herecomesthsun. Generally I prefer not to eat on the street. When I was pregnant if I did not eat literally every hour or two I was very unwell (hospitalised twice)

Also I am a community nurse. Last weekend I started a shift at 12, so a bit early for a proper lunch before leaving home at 11am. Worked through until 7 (quick coffees in the office but no real meal break), then hoped to have my break but had an emergency call which lasted over 3 hours. Thankfully I was in my car and had a cereal bar but had I been in the street I would have eaten. i was then on call that night also, so if I had not managed to grab a yogurt and snack at home at 10.30pm, I may have had to eat in public again.

I have no excuse ,I'm just common and uncouth

accepted by whom? <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/09_02/charlesROTA1209_468x771.jpg&imgrefurl=www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-481422/Prince-Charles-Children-poisoned-food-additives.html&usg=__yoyvI6TKm77snYFpzcCx0uF2DEg=&h=771&w=468&sz=75&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=5r036Wa7lvAgHM:&tbnh=127&tbnw=85&ei=jxQWTpCfNaeCsgLBjOE0&prev=/search%3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">really? are you <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=blogs.reuters.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/grub300.jpg&imgrefurl=www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puzzles/Question700188.html&usg=__gGRQpQugpYF34kXxUkMD_wTG_Vc=&h=431&w=300&sz=45&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=p5D2mvcoy1ZsdM:&tbnh=127&tbnw=98&ei=jxQWTpCfNaeCsgLBjOE0&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dprince%2Bcharles%2Beating%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-GB:official%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D401%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=359&vpy=25&dur=4201&hovh=269&hovw=187&tx=149&ty=215&page=1&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">sure quite quite <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/03_01/PrinceCharlesPA_228x261.jpg&imgrefurl=www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-440103/Duchy-original-sins--Charles-range-spotlight.html&usg=__lyAvBV6SxtC0DhQFojmzegajnS0=&h=261&w=228&sz=20&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=58mNnfNMsf0p5M:&tbnh=127&tbnw=117&ei=jxQWTpCfNaeCsgLBjOE0&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dprince%2Bcharles%2Beating%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-GB:official%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D401%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=790&vpy=81&dur=65&hovh=208&hovw=182&tx=125&ty=124&page=1&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">sure

I mean, generally speaking one would have a sit down meal at home. But wandering around a street market sampling the wares, or grabbing a sandwich in a dire emergency are within the pale of reasonable behaviour.

I think one the most crucial rules of etiquette is that the rules can be broken if you really need to.

oh that was to catgirl

Everybody knows the Royal Family are as naff as it gets

And the most crucial rule of etiquette is to never pass comment on individuals breaches.

I had a bag of crisps while waiting for a bus today. In my defence, I seem to be needing all things salty to survive the day. Pregnancy hates me.

Anyway - the OP was talking about people eating in a shop. That is without question gross. Eating in the street is generally not polite but no one is going to lose any sleep over people doing it. Eating in a shop though is bleurgh

catgirl- true, I have no issue with tired and busy people needing to eat on the go. Not everyone can be at home and/or at a table at mealtimes and I wouldn't expect that. Also- my husband is severely diabetic and has never had to eat in a shop. (I sometimes eat mints etc. from my pocket whilst going round supermarkets however).

What I object to is people eating hot, greasy food near merchandise and not being able to wait until they've finished before going shopping. I just don't think the woman in the queue in the charity shop eating chips with her hands was so bloody busy she had to multi task eating chips whilst shopping in order to be back in the boardroom within five minutes.

Nobody is so busy they need to carry their chips into Tesco! Take time to eat, take time to shop, don't do an eat'n'shop combo! Not only is it just horrible, it also could get grease on the nice clean goods the eater then doesn't buy, they could drop food on the floor and damage a carpet or cause a slipping hazard and if it keeps up then everywhere is fair game. Kebabs in banks, chips in the supermarket, pasties in Rymans. It's just a bot uncivilised.

bit, not bot. Silly me.

Totally agree Nesta. Can't imagine a scenario where someone has to eat chips in a shop! Sure it might exist but I have yet to come across it. It's just

DH and I sat behind a couple eating fish and chips in a cinema a few months ago.......

Chips no, caviar sandwich yes.

tinker- you're posh!

and now I want chips with lots of vinegar - arh

I had chips with lashings of salt and vinegar whilst walking around Blackpool pleasure beach yesterday. Does that make me uncouth?

Anything that requires two hands to eat should not be eaten standing up, and certainly not while walking around shops.

I have had to scan with ladies (and more often their partners) munching on crisps throughout the scan...One chap ate a burger (noisily) during the scan...!

michglas- you are not uncouth. Chips were specifically designed to be eaten by the seaside. They taste their absolute best by the sea in the open air. Besides which Blackpool Pleasure Beach is an outdoor attraction by the sea so I am not a bit offended by that. In fact I am a bit jealous of you.

TheFalcon- quite right- not in a shop! Greasy fingers and the fact that people are so desperate to eat they can't even wait until they've finished shopping- uncouth!

toomany- that's terrible- how very rude and in a clinical environment too. Yuk.