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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To find "food talk" the most boring, irritating conversational topic in the world??

61 replies

Schizophonic · 05/02/2012 20:54

Kind of inspired by another thread but CHRIST does this piss me off. Why are women so OBSESSED with food? I've recently changed jobs but at my last job a woman I used to work closely with used to bang on and on and on about food daily.
"hmm what to have for lunch?" / "what's everyone having for dinner?" / "I'm wondering what to make for dinner tomorrow" / "what did everyone have for breakfast?" / "where shall we go for lunch?" / "has anyone tried those things from asda?"
She was supposedly on a diet so would bring little boxes of shit bird food which she would nibble on all day and bottles of water with some kind of seed floating around but would then eat a mars bar on the way home and devour a massive curry in the evening. But the topics remained the same - food - diets - dinner - lunch - breakfast - chocolate - bird food - atkins - weightwatchers - gone up 2lbs - gone down half a pound ......

Anyway I recently changed jobs and in the staff room I again find myself surrounded with this ridiculous food obsession! "oo what are you eating Mags? how many points is that? how much have you lost this week? ooo look only 200 calories in this, oooo I LOVE fruit I could shag the fuck out of an apple right now, oooo you shouldn't be eating cereal bars, oooo did you know bread is actually REALLY bad for you? even the brown bread?"

ffs sad bastards. Why are people so obsessed??? I can't escape it? wanna lose weight? burn off more calories than you eat. It really is that simple.

OP posts:
troisgarcons · 05/02/2012 20:56

I agree.

KittyFane · 05/02/2012 20:57

It's a sign of boredom.
YANBU

GetOrfMoiiLand · 05/02/2012 21:00

I could talk about food until the cows come home, but you are right, talking about diet food with your colleagues is tiresome.

SenoritaViva · 05/02/2012 21:02

I love food talk but that is not diet talk. They are totally different in my book. I would not be interested in talking about anything related to points, weight loss etc. but a good recipe or somewhere new to eat would be fine... (or a dinner party cock up etc.)

If it is the diet aspect that bothers you then I agree totally.

Birthdaybump2012 · 05/02/2012 21:04

Not bu.
In the school where I used to work it's all anyone would talk about and they had a yearly pattern where they would start September trying to lose weight, spend Xmas planning how to cook all the food. January on a diet, and the end of the summer pigging out on ice cream cause it was close to the holidays.
Drove me insane. Does it really matter? just Arrrgh

Original poster
Schizophonic · 05/02/2012 21:04

Yes purely the diet aspect. I love a good recipe - as long as it doesn't come with "points" attached. I mean ffs how unnatural is it to appoint "points" to food?? it's so stupid.

OP posts:
GetOrfMoiiLand · 05/02/2012 21:06

I agree points is madness, and is a mechanism for making women feel 'guilty' about food.

Worse is the Slimming World syns. Syns! ffs.

SenoritaViva · 05/02/2012 21:06

aah yes, now I am with you. I used to work with someone who used to say 'I can't think why I am large, it isn't my fault, I eat normally'. I thought after 4 months of having lunch where our food was weighed to work out the payment she would realise she did... Even when I was pregnant and eating massive amounts her bill was ALWAYS double mine. You do the maths, you eat double what I do, you're probably going to be double the size (note I have no problem with this, just the complaining attached to it).

Very dull indeed.

piellabakewell · 05/02/2012 21:07

YANBU but I would rather listen to that than whichever soap/tv programme someone is raving about.

holly47 · 05/02/2012 21:07

I totally agree. Women can be so self critical and hard on themselves. For all their faults (and there are many!!) you never hear men going on like that.

Hathall · 05/02/2012 21:12

Its not just women!
There are two guys who sit at on a bank of desks behind me at work and they talk about food all the time. Their conversation would irritate you more as it often involves phoning up the wife, asking whats for dinner then sharing the info with the colleague.
Every morning they discuss how the previous evening meal was and at 11, they discuss what they're having for lunch.
It is the dullest conversation to listen to.

Original poster
Schizophonic · 05/02/2012 21:12

Infact women just irritate me in general, they're so bloody boring!

Last week an argument erupted in the staff room and was so severe and caused so much bitching and back stabbing that a staff meeting was called - you know what it was about? it was about one department using the other departments tea bags.

So if the conversation in the staff room isn't centred around tea-bag-gate it's regarding eastenders or corrie or some other drivel on the tv which occasionally gives us light relief from the diet talk.

No I don't have many friends. I do however enjoy my own company, which is a good thing really.

OP posts:
TheThingUpstairs · 05/02/2012 21:14

I love food talk, but diet talk is v dull.

pleasethanks · 05/02/2012 21:15

Oh I love talking about food and enjoy a good blether about what we had for dinner the previous night or where we went out for dinner. Different strokes for different folks

troisgarcons · 05/02/2012 21:17

@ Birthdaybump

In the school where I used to work it's all anyone would talk about and they had a yearly pattern where they would start September trying to lose weight, spend Xmas planning how to cook all the food. January on a diet, and the end of the summer pigging out on ice cream cause it was close to the holidays.

Oh god, you work where I work ... incessant shakes and bars.... binge eating and yo-yo dieting - and these people stand in front of a class, promoting helathy eating ...... yeah

ivykaty44 · 05/02/2012 21:18

surely though you could change the subject?

I would just interject with - oh ann summers sell lovely chocolate in a tube

then watch to see how they cope with that statement

troisgarcons · 05/02/2012 21:18

So if the conversation in the staff room isn't centred around tea-bag-gate it's regarding eastenders or corrie or some other drivel on the tv which occasionally gives us light relief from the diet talk.

this all so horribly familiar - the misappropriation of teabags. Teachers are awfully anal - probably because none of them have ever worked in the real world.

lashingsofbingeinghere · 05/02/2012 21:19

Yeh. My pet hate is anyone who describes food as "naughty". Like your bag of crisps runs around sticking its tongue out. Grow up!

Original poster
Schizophonic · 05/02/2012 21:22

I would quite happily work through my lunch hour in order to avoid this mindless shit, I really would.

And yeah the "naughty" food pisses me right off. "Oooo I was naughty last night, I ate a packet of crisps after dinner!" oh did you? well arnt you the rebel of 2012.

I eat crisps whenever I want. I'm not "naughty", I'm normal.

OP posts:
Laquitar · 05/02/2012 21:23

I thought you mean talking about food of around the world and recipes etc and i was going to say YABU because i love food.

But after reading the op, yes i agree thats VERY boring and irritates me too. And the 'oh you are being naughty' when they see you having chocolate or something.

YANBU Grin

Original poster
Schizophonic · 05/02/2012 21:25

yeah using a twix for sexual pleasure is naughty. Eating the fucker is normal. It's a food, it's there to be eaten. That's the whole point of it. How the hell could it be "naughty" to eat it??

OP posts:
IUseTooMuchKitchenRoll · 05/02/2012 21:26

YANBU, but all food talk irritates me, not just the diet stuff.

It just seems really gluttonous to salivate over recipes and what so and so had when they went to that new restaurant etc. It all makes me cringe.

SardineQueen · 05/02/2012 21:27

I was going to say YABU as I love talking about food.
But YANBU that sort of thing you are talking about is tedious in the extreme.

I wonder about this view of yours though "Infact women just irritate me in general, they're so bloody boring!" what on earth you are doing on mumsnet?

vezzie · 05/02/2012 21:34

YANBU.
What I hate is when people at work stick their noses as far as possible into what I am eating for lunch, and if it is soup or salad or fruit (it often is) go, "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO that's very healthy!" and look me up and down while the thought-bubble over their head plainly reads, "I wonder why she isn't skinny?" and I feel as if I have to explain that while I eat "good" (AAAAGH) food, unfortunately I like everything and do eat a lot, and it all adds up, and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH why are you infecting my brain with this GO AWAY GO AWAY AND EAT YOUR 99CALS A BAG FRENCH FRIES AND LET ME EAT MY LUNCH IN PEACE WITHOUT YOUR VOICE IN MY HEAD

deliciousdevilwoman · 05/02/2012 21:50

I love thinking about, talking about (with like-minded others') planning, ordering and cooking food. I have been known to go into a semi orgasmic state in M&S food hall!
I abhor the monotomy of "diet talk" though. . I also loathe bad table manners, but enjoy being around people who enjoy their food unselfconsciously and eat with appreciation and gusto.
In fact, I find people who aren't into food (or music) in whatever form, a bit soulless, usually.