Do people really consider it unreasonable to eat on the train?

[MyNewBearTotoro]

Reading another thread in which a poster mentioned eating on the train and I was really surprised by the responses calling her unreasonable/ antisocial for bringing food onto the train and the vitriol she was facing for this alone.

Do people really consider it unreasonable to eat on the train or is this just one of those 'only on Mumsnet' things?

I know it's not pleasant to be stuck next to someone eating smelly food, but equally lots of things are unpleasant on trains - being crammed in close to a stranger, oversized luggage, crying babies, other people's conversations, air-conditioning to high/low etc - but just because some people may find it unpleasant does that automatically make it unreasonable or anti-social?

In an ideal world people would not bring smelly food onto the train, but in an ideal world neither would people bring on crying babies/ noisy children etc but we are human and we need to eat, especially as many people will be making journeys over several hours long. Choices of food are usually limited by either what is available on board the train or what is available from the shops on/ around the station and sometimes hot or fast food is the only option available.

Obviously hot food is permitted on trains, my local train company has buffet carriages which sell hot food (including bacon rolls) and sandwiches (including tuna fish or egg mayo) for people to buy. So I'm not questioning whether it's allowed but I guess I'm curious as to whether people genuinely think it shouldn't be. And, considering it is allowed, are people who do eat on trains genuinely considered anti-social or unreasonable by some?

Of course it's normal.

It's only the MN Snowflakes that would even begin to think it isn't.

I'd even go so far as to call such people Pillocks.

So There...

half the world doesn't eat pork

I would wager that well over half of the UK does. Why else would the news that processed meats, like bacon, reduce your life expectancy meet with such outrage? The humble bacon sandwich is a staple food for most. Though I accept your point about religious beliefs.

I suppose most of my train experiences are long journeys - I live in rural Wales and used to make a 7+ hour train journey to and from uni. Of course I would need to eat. Sometimes I would buy a veggie burger from Burger King as it was the only place open near Cardiff station I could get to in the time between changing trains and I would then eat it on the train. Not ideal - I wouldn't normally eat there but it was Burger King or nowhere and after 5 hours on the first train and another 2.5 hours to go on the next train I was happy just to be able to get some food.

Crisps/ chocolate etc are fine for a short journeys but if you're faced with eating both lunch and dinner on the train I think it's reasonable to want to eat something more substantial.

And no of course I don't think children/ large luggage shouldn't be on trains - I have (and no doubt will again) travel with both. But it's undeniable children (even my own) can be annoying to other passengers in the same way hot food smells might be but I think both are reasonable as both can be necessary.

That said I am talking about long journeys, I don't really have any experience of commuter trains so perhaps the etiquette on a short journey of just an hour or two is different from very long journeys.

windy - damn it, I should have sprayed deodorant round sushi woman! I forgot to add, she was seated at the bus stop while we waited and we waited about 10 minutes so why she didn't eat that in the fresh air, I don't know.

the "snobby" thing never occurs to me but I don't think that way. I just think food on the Tube or bus, for a short journey, is unnecessary and unfair to others. The newer metro systems do seem to have banned it so I wonder why we don't.

Of course it's normal to eat on a train. All the seats have tables or pull down trays to facilitate it and most cross country trains have buffet cars. It's also normal to avoid strongly smelling, greasy or messy food to be considerate to others and I'm guessing most people want to avoid having sticky stinky hands afterwards. It really annoys me when people don't clear up after themselves.

I think short journeys on crowded tubes or buses are another thing. Not the place for hot drinks or eating anything that would mess up someone's clothes if dropped.

Where I live you are not allowed food or drink on public transport. It's largely adhered to. The trains and busses are really clean in comparison to the UK. I'm always surprised at how dirty the tube is and the last time I caught a bus in my home town, someone had dropped A MEAT PIE on the floor and it was all trodden down. Ewww

A friend was complaining recently about sitting across a bus aisle from a woman eating a cone of pickled onions. That's pretty criminal.

For many, diverse and irrelevant reasons I didn't go on trains for a long time. The last few times I travelled by train I was ASTONISHED at the way people carry on. One man sat on the tube with some vile food on his lap, a bag of crisps on the seat next to him from which he snatched handfuls without looking so crumbs went everywhere, people ate curries, proper dinners, drank shitloads. Then people putting on make up, doing their hair...just VILE and so weird.

TRAINS ARE NOT YOUR HOUSES, PEOPLE. WE CAN SEE YOU AND WE DON'T WANT TO.

I remember nut (pistachio?) sellers on trains in Southern Spain. Quite a non-offensive snack I thought!

Hullygully Not to mention feet on seats.

lorelei Missed opportunity. But at least you know the perfume trick for next time

By the way, I think breast feeding in public quite correct, so breastfed babies fine to be having their meal in train, bus, supermarket, wherever :-)

The only food i would ban on a train is oranges or orange squash. I often suffer from bad travel sickness although i am usually alright on a train and have commuted for 35 years but the one thing that will set me off is the smell of orange. Im fine any other time but not when travelling.

People who spray perfumes and wear heavily scented makeup or skin products on trains are worse than eaters. I get an allergic reaction to some artificial scents and it makes it difficult to breathe. Someone eating a sandwich is fine.

I commute and the train is full of people eating breakfast - toast wrapped in foil, pastries, cereal bars etc - as long as they don't leave their rubbish I really don't care

Bruffin i was going to say 'that's weird' but then remembered my dh and his reaction to bananas. He was traumatised by one as a child you see

Hully you did NOT just open the make up application on trains can of worms...

OK that sounded a bit sinister so I ought to explain. One went mouldy in his school bag and his mother refused to replace it. He was accompanied by the smell of banana wherever he went for a full school year. He's never forgiven his mum.

LittleLion That's hilarious. Sorry.
I can imaging your MIL on MN back in the day: 'What shall I do about my son never clearing out his school bag, there are bananas going off in there' Response: 'Let him do it himself, if he ends up smelling like a banana for the rest of his life, serves him right, it'll teach him personal responsibility'

I could technically go to a nice little cafe near kings cross and have a hot dinner (essential, apparently ) and then get the 6pm train but thay would mean me getting home quite late. So I'd rather rush to get the 4.30pm train grabbing a sandwich or sushi on the way, and eat on the train. That way I might just see the children before they go to sleep.

I haven't seen pistachio sellers but if others have it must be done in some places in southern spain. I would not mind too much people eating nuts unless they throw the shells on the floor and leave plastic wrap behind.

On another note some elderly ladies in southern spain don't eat in public transport but they do put the fruit, vegetable, pot plants and cut flowers they have bought at the markets on the seat next to them. If you dare ask them to remove so you can seat down they play deaf or make loud comments about you expecting to sit down.

Oh yes Windy his mum was/ is definitely a firm believer in the school of hard knocks and would have been a keen contributor to MN's more reactionary/ punitive school of thought. As his wife I am rather more sympathetic and only occasionally purposely leave banana skins lying around, sit back and await his reaction.

No smelly food, no messy food. Things like nuts or sweets are fine though - and probably best not to eat at all on crowded London at rush hour trains!

The only thing that keeps me awake on the "Pisshead Express" ride home is eating my Kebab, that and trying not to throw it all back up.....

Nuts? Are you on glue?! Have you seen what nut allergies can do?

This is just bizarre. A train is generally a place with shelter, seats and pull-down tables everywhere, that sells food. Saying it's rude to eat in one is like saying it's rude to eat icecream in a theatre.

Why are there station kiosks then selling yogurt muesli, sausage baps etc?

If I do buy a sausage bap I normally eat it quickly in the carriage and dispose of the plastic wrapping of it away soon after. I occasionally eat a pain au chocolat but that doesn't smell.

Sometimes I see kids eating fried chicken on the bus/train but generally they're upstairs or at the back of the bus and you can always open the windows if the smell is too much.

I did have someone complain when I ate potato wedges and pasty (after work before going out) and I just moved to the next carriage.

Must be a MN thing.

Superfly To make as much money as possible. It's the same reason alcohol is sold on trains even though a lot of people would agree that giving people the opportunity the get rat arsed when they are enclosed in fast moving a baked bean can with others who may in fact not wish to participate isn't a great idea.

OP of course on a 7 hour train journey it's ok to eat. Necessary even
It's healthy grown ups who can't wait half an hour to get home who baffle me and I'm one who loves food.