to think eating products before you pay for them at the till is uncouth?

[lastfanjoinparis]

OH and I disagree. He thinks eating a packet of crisps then handing the empty packet over at checkout to scan is perfectly acceptable but I think this is a no-no.

Where do you guys sit on this matter?

Uncouth is exactly the word my mother uses to describe it!

I was never allowed to as a child and I don't ever allow it.

I also have real issue with children roaming and eating. I'm so old fashioned but I firmly believe that eating is a "stop and sit down" affair. My god the amount of people mindlessly eating, eating for a distraction or because they're bored. It's the slow descent into Wall.E!!!

You're welcome any time, McColonel
You'll find I'm remarkably normal, as are my dc, despite not feeling the need to stuff our faces in public.
You'll also find I've had a far from sheltered life

If the cap fits, MrsDeV
My manners are pretty good thanks. Which is probably why I have a problem with people stuffing their faces sorry eating in the street or in the supermarket.

PunkrockerGirl - surely having a fundamental issue with eating in public constitutes an eating disorder?

And being unable to bear seeing someone else eating in public constitutes a form of OCD?

There are many situations in which you might find someone eating on the street Or in public. A commuter on his way to catch his train eating a sandwich he's just bought from a deli stand at the station for example. Or a child having bought some candy floss at a fun fair. Or a shopper having stopped at a hot dog stand in a street. Do all these situations shock and disgust you?

It depends on what you think manners are for - whether you regard them as useful at putting others at ease and making their lives more pleasant, or whether you secretly feel that manners are really a sort of signalling system, primarily for demarcating class lines.

If your notion of manners allows you to regard other people as lesser than yourself because they behave in a lawful way that you dislike, then other people will judge you for that.

Personally, I don't let my older child eat things before paying in shops because I am trying to teach him not to touch them at all or to fiddle with things he's not paid for, and it would undermine that. And I don't do it myself, because I was brought up to think it was rude, yes. But other people were brought up differently to me, and what baffles me in this thread is rigid certainty that our own individual upbringing is, or at least should be, the universal gold standard of behaviour. Why does it matter what others do in this trivial instance? Why the interest or concern? It's not theft, it's not smelly or loud or obscene in any way. It's just other people living a very little differently, with slightly altered perceptions of what it is to be mannerly. Why is that grounds for such judgement? And to attack people for that in such personal and nasty terms, and all in the name of being polite and well-mannered! I mean, seriously?

I think those who provide snacks for very tiny children and babies, so they don't cause annoyance to others, are being thoughtful and considerate, which is the very essence of politeness. And to those who say snacks should be brought into the shop from home... has it never occurred that people buy food from the same place, and that it may put a poor cashier in the awkward position of challenging non-payment for such a previously purchased item, and a parent in the position of explaining that scenario and hoping it doesn't sound like a lie? Instead of just buying the damn thing there and then?

And anyway, how are you all so certain that the snacks thus offending you haven't been brought from home? How do you know? Have you asked?

Arf at eating disorder
Get a grip MrsdeV. I never said I couldn't 'bear' seeing anyone eating in public, just that I dislike it.
What shocks and disgusts me is your assumptions about my mental health status. Quit the armchair psychology, it's not clever or impressive.

PunkrockerGirl - it was me that said that, not MrsDeVere.

Ok, dislike rather than not be able to bear. Do you dislike the examples i gave?

Why on earth are you having a pop at MrsDeVere, PunkrockerGirl?

Apologies MrsdeV. Totally mis typed, the post was obviously directed at McColonel. Sincere apologies.

Wombat all those things you listed i would happily do. In fact i have opened a toy in beals for ds and i let him open posh soaps and smell them and hold them before i have paid.

i also happily give him mini packs of biscuits/chocolates and let him wander round the house eating them. He usually likes to put them in his trucks and wheel them around a bit and then line them up on the sofa. He often actually forgets to eat, or loses most of them. Doesn't bother us. We are really relaxed about food.

Well comparing a child eating camouflage at a fair to an adult eating in the street is obviously ridiculous so I didn't deem it worthy of a reply.
More interestingly, McColonel is what makes you think you're qualified to label the mental health status of a random internet poster you've never met. Just interested in what makes you think you're qualified to judge.

Punkrockergirl - do you dislike seeing these examples of eating in public?

A commuter on his way to catch his train eating a sandwich he's just bought from a deli stand at the station. Or a child having bought some candy floss at a fun fair. Or a shopper having stopped at a hot dog stand in a street.

Sorry, cross posted

Camouflage? Sorry candyfloss

Punkrockergirl - I'm confused. Saying a child eating candy floss isn't compareable to an adult eating in the street doesn't answer anything. Are you saying the candyfloss example is acceptable but the sandwich and hot dog examples aren't? Why is this not worthy of a reply? It's a genuine straightforward question.

In my opinion, someone that dislikes seeing another person eating has some sort of disorder.

Please don't get upset. Remember this is a friendly internet discussion about a very trivial topic.

And "qualified to judge" eh? Have you not judged me for eating a samosa from the deli counter as i do my shopping?

Judging or armchair diagnosing someone with a mental health 'disorder' is hardly the same as judging you for eating a samosa
Believe me I'm not upset, you'd job if I was
I just think you need to be careful about chucking comments about eating disorders and OCD into the equation.

Sorry posted too soon. These are very real and distressing conditions for many people on here and shouldn't be talked about lightly.

Well, in my personal unqualified opinion, disliking seeing people eat in public or disliking eating in public yourself represents some sort of issue.

This is an informal internet forum. I am not claiming to be offering a medical diagnosis. Lighten up.

Well, what about someone with self confidence issues or low self esteem who is now under the impression that they're a disgusting social outcast because they were seen eating a twix while walking down the street?

Stop preaching and get off your high horse.

Have you thought of an answer to the questions about the sandwich and the hot dog yet?

Clearly then, I'm a medical professional with ishoos
I think if you read back over your last few posts, you'll be questioning your own need to lighten up!
I have to sleep, got to be up at 6.

And God help then it they eat in front of me. ...

X post. Couldn't give a fuck about the sandwich and the hot dog.
You're the one clearly unable to let it go. As you keep pointing out, it's a lighthearted thread. Then why are you getting so het up about it?
Good night, sleep well.