Was this acceptable cafe behaviour or a big faux pas??

[AHardDaysWrite]

We're having lunch in a busy cafe (me, DH, two dcs). We ordered a main meal each plus two sides of chips to share. All the chips were soon polished off. On the next table was a woman and her son. She ordered chips for him, but when they arrived he only ate a couple and refused the rest. They left soon afterwards. My DS wanted more chips, so I gave him the (largely untouched) portion from that table. DH was aghast but my reasoning was that the waiter was only going to bin them anyway - why waste food? Was I BU?

Totally allowed, and not unprofessional in the slightest.

Free food, perk of the job in my book.

TeaCupCrazy it's my word of the moment :)

op you are teaching your children that it is ok to be greedy, they had eaten and yet you thought it was ok for them to finish a strangers food that had been left because they wanted more. what happens when they see a child not finish their ice cream are they going to approach them asking if they can finish it

teach your own children about not wasting food not encourage them to finish off the food of others

Shame it wasn't free, brand new food though HM.

That's what I thought usual. You don't have to eat customer leftovers as a 'perk'.

I don't see the need for sad faces.

I once saw a work colleague drinking from someone else's left over beer bottle in a bar, she just lifted it off the table and started swigging, now that's disgusting. I did a double take thinking where on earth did she get that drink from as we had been dancing together for a while without going to the bar.

On the food issue I've seen people in the food court in manchesters arndale centre loitering until someone gets up and leaves food. I presume they are homeless or struggling for money so don't have an issue with it in that scenario but I personally wouldn't do it unless that was my own situation.

It's just manners, isn't it? Enjoy your own meal out, don't be greedy, consider other diners. That's all part of the experience for us, especially with the DSs, so taking food from another table doesn't exactly re-enforce those lessons. It's grabby.

I do HM. You described eating customer leftovers as a perk of the job. That's pretty sad if you think about it.

If you wanted more chips you should have bought more chips. Small businesses are struggling and they could probably have done with the extra business.

When you are out you pay for what you consume.

I wouldn't but I have a germ phobia!

Good on you, waste not, want not.

I'm not snooty about perfectly good food.

It's there, it's quality food that would otherwise be wasted.

Stupid to bin it if it's perfectly edible, all this hand wringing about 'brand new food' and 'leftovers' is laughable really.

Blimey. No, I'm 5'7" and 8st 11lb, not overweight. None of us are, actually.

For the record, the chips were small portions, and we had two between four of us. Not one each. DS had had a healthy main course (tuna salad). Obviously we don't make a habit of taking food from other tables. But it seemed daft to let perfectly good chips go to waste.

Sorry, I can't believe that was more of a threadworm risk than just being at nursery/school is and touching door handles etc.

I wouldn't but I get a bit ick touching other peoples food.

I just don't like other peoples bodily fluids, for the most part.

I see no problem with it though.

Oh no the thread has reached the 'handing out grips stage' already.

I'm not getting the 'waste' issue

He didn't eat them because they were going to be wasted, he ate them because after eating a tuna salad and chips he was still hungry.

So the subject of 'waste' is a red herring salad

They left, waste not want not and all tat. Yanbu at all! It's not like you grabbed them off the table when they were there. They were going to be binned anyway.

How much leftover food did you get through HM?

definitely skanky behaviour

Yes, we should be handing out little wooden chip forks, not grips

I guess everyone has majorly differing viewpoints here, really not something I would give a second thought to. Let alone get sad about. V strange IMO.

Anyhoo...

Thinking about it rationally there is nothing wrong with it

If I saw someone doing it I would think they were really skanky

If my DH or dc did it I would probably disown them

But I'm not sure why I find it so shudder inducing