to think that you shouldn't eat smelly food on a flight?!

[BabooshkaKate]

I am on a plane waiting for take off. A woman next to me is eating a large pot of pasta with very smelly sauce. No idea how she got it on board but it stinks and she's eating it with her hands with full-on slurping and finger licking. I have been awake since 5amand hhonestly think I might throw up.

Since when is this kind of thing acceptable?! [Sick]

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Pricey, but you can at least choose your own company or have the aircraft to yourself.

OP I was agreeing with you. I hate anyone eating in public. I can't stand the noise or the smells. It makes me feel sick. I was saying calm down because I was expecting an onslaught of criticism.

Once again, what does special needs have to do with basic manners? I know several people with fairly severe disabilities and several people with diabetes and they would never do such a thing in the close quarters of a plane.

The people I am acquainted with who have blood sugar issues can and do solve short-term problems with orange juice, an energy bar or even a boiled sweet. They don't need a heaping helping of sauced pasta eaten with the bare hands. And anticipating the limitations of a plane flight they manage their blood sugar accordingly.

Not aware of any other disabilities that would urgently require a large helping of pasta, either. Would be interested to know what they are.

Expecting adherence to customary basic public manners is not discrimination in any way, shape or form, legally or morally. In fact I would argue that having lower standards of decorum for certain categories of people is the true discrimination.

She sounds like a total minger. I'd have been temptedto say 'would you like me to ask the stewardess for some cutlery to enhance your very obvious enjoyment of your delicious smelling snack?'

No wonder people with disabilities or special needs are discriminated against so often with this attitude

I know several people with physical and hidden disabilities, my brother being one of them and he manages to eat with consideration. I don't think it's helpful to put antisocial behaviour down to disabilities. It does nothing to help people like my brother who try so hard to learn appropriate behaviour; some people, like this woman, are just selfish and self absorbed.

I was on a 7 hour flight once and was sat next to a lady eating dried fish heads! The smell was so over powering! I spent the whole 7 hours with my head under a blanket!

I know several people with physical and hidden disabilities, my brother being one of them

Yet you still come out with this statement

woman who looked perfectly normal

Clearly you do not understand the concept of hidden disabilities

Ok, fine, she was a diabetic with sensory issues who could only eat pasta Bolognese and it HAD to be on the plane and not the departure lounge where everyone else ate, & her hidden disability was severe enough that she thought it was ok to eat sith her hands, slurp and wipe her hands on her legs, but NOT severe enough to require a companion or a carer.

Gotcha.

Happy Friday

Meh. This wouldn't have bothered me.

My MIL is Indian and she eats all meals with her hands at home, has to slurp and yes licks fingers when done (only eats with right hand by the way, cleanliness issue). Have to say she does eat with cutlery when in public. I was a bit shocked at first but it is common there and I respect that

her hidden disability was severe enough that she thought it was ok to eat sith her hands, slurp and wipe her hands on her legs, but NOT severe enough to require a companion or a carer

Still struggling with understanding hidden disabilities?

Still struggling with being a professional victim with no responsibility for consideration toward others??

Couldn't agree more. I spend a lot of time encouraging my dc to eat noiselessly with knives and forks. I don't like watching or listening to people eat. I love cookery programmes but avoid the competitions where we are treated to close ups of judges shovelling food into their mouths. As for eating on planes - should be banned unless medically necessary. Let's be honest how many people do you know who wouldn't benefit from a few hours of abstinence from food!

'Let's be honest how many people do you know who wouldn't benefit from a few hours of abstinence from food!'

Quite a few, actually.

As for eating on planes - should be banned unless medically necessary

A challenge on a long haul flight.

grumpysquash I always used to take a bottle of wine in my Wimbledon picnic, although haven't been since 2007 coz of dcs. Have they changed the policy... that's just rude not letting you take a nice bottle in!

Bleurgh.

I recently sat opposite a woman on the Eurostar who munched her way through a massive bag of crisps and licked and sucked her fingers.

To say I wanted to bludgeon her to death would be an understatement.

It wouldnt have bothered me the slurping and finger licking but the smell would have - i'd have got a perfume or body spray out and sprayed - here enjoy your stinky food with a top layer of perfumey goodness!

Worst flight I ever had was coming back from the usa.

This rude woman asked to be moved as she was sat next to a woman and a toddler she was quite loud so the stewardess gave her the window seat - I had the aisle and there was a bloke in the middle. We had a reallly bad flight with the seatbelt signs on the whole flight and the poor guy in the middle had a stoma bag - because of the seatbelt sign being on the guy couldnt change it and there was deffo an unpleasant whiff about half way into the flight - he was very apologetic but not his fault - and I added to the situation by throwing up (into the little thoughtfully provided baggies)

The woman by the window was horrified - bet she wished she had stayed next to the woman and the toddler who after the first hour fell asleep and was pretty much good as gold til the landing

'customary basic public manners' - yes, but what is customary? Or has it become like clothes - T shirts and jeans being pretty universal - and it is what is OK in, say, California? And if so, might that include a God given right to do what the hell you please so long as no-one else dies?

On a flight in the Soviet Union long long ago we shared the passenger cabin with caged chickens, some on the laps of their owners. On a Tube journey recently I watched a woman eat a bowl of noodles with chopsticks. Without spilling anything. And I cannot count the number of times people on the Tube leave their (not always empty) takeaway coffee cups on the floor to be knocked over by someone unwittingly.

We should all act with consideration for others, but there will never be agreement on exactly what consideration means, and when it it is trumped by some other imperative like hunger.

I was drilled as a child never ever to eat or drink in the street. While I do now, sometimes, carefully, discreetly, I always feel guilty!

Broaden your minds. Lots of cultures use hands to eat. They find our fear of touching food weird and our use of left hand for eating hand held foods disgusting. I assume she hasn't used your hand to eat with. Live and let live! Or stay home nice and safe and only meet others like yourself

sunshine generally in the country where you live, work, travel to etc you follow their customs to be polite.

The person who OP sat next to would be expected to know and surely knows about our customs. She chose to ignore them.

SuperFly - Especially if she was a Pole or Latvian or in some way not obviously proper English ...?

We all dislike or are nervous of ways and customs different from our own (to adapt Rocky Horror) but to my mind it comes down to two points: (I) hygiene - I doubt I can be convinced (for example) that spitting in public is acceptable, be it Beijing or Hackney; (ii) politeness/respect for those around you: that rules out (I think) smelly food on the Tube, but not necessarily in a train (for example), and is a more culturally nuanced point. in that respect I agree with Superfly, that visitors (wherever to) should have some awareness of local customs so as to avoid (from a self preservation viewpoint) offending them. In London we might sneer and post on Mumsnet; in Iran ...?

Oh, and I love the right hand business about eating food. What if you are left handed, or (as it was one called) sinister?

Galdos what are you on about re especially Pole or Latvian or some way not proper English?!

I meant and read my post again that if you live/work etc in UK then you follow our customs from whatever country you're from especially when you're in public, following your post this means if you're Polish or Latvian too (both of whom I know do NOT eat with their hands.

I think the rules re smelly food apply everywhere - on some tubes/buses etc it says not to eat smelly food, but generally when you are in this country in public you use cutlery and NOT your hands - unless you're eating eg crackers, crisps, sandwiches etc.

also it's not a self preservation point to observe these rules it is a matter of common courtesy and politeness and observing the rules of the country you live in whether you are FROM there or visiting there.