Are lunchables really that bad?!

[Myusernameismud]

I know, they're not great everyday. And honestly, the DCs have probably had them a handful of times in their whole lives (they're now 12 and 10). But we were driving home from seeing family on Sunday and got caught in the most horrific traffic imaginable. What should have been a 2 hour drive took us 6 hours 15 minutes!
We managed to stop at a petrol station 4 hours in and as DCs were desperately hungry I took them in and let them choose something. It was slim pickings and choices were lunchables, those hideous chicken bite things or a sausage roll. In my mind, lunchables were the best of a bad bunch. There was a woman with a little boy behind us, and he pointed to the lunchables and asked for them too, and his mum piped up 'no sweetie, you don't want to eat those yukky things. I don't know why anybody would buy those for children' and then picked up a sausage roll for him . FWIW, we also bought carrot sticks and houmous each, plus a pack of mango and melon fingers (for the fabulous price of £10 all in, bloody daylight robbery) but AIBU to think that actually, despite the general consensus, they are not in fact the snack choice of the devil? I'll say again, I know they're not a great food for every day, but did I deserve that snarky remark? (because it was very obviously directed at me!)

I hope you have her a dirty look back! I'd have been tempted to have mentioned to my kids all the bits of meat that they put in a sausage roll. Ear trimmings in pastry. Delish.

Not the best but, protein, calcium and carbs. Surely a much better choice than a sausage roll?

I mean, from what I remember it's pretty processed stuff but considering you had limited choice and stuck in traffic for ages!!!! you didnt deserve the remark at all.

Some people just like to make themselves feel better by putting others down.

FWIW the sausage roll would have seemed dodgier to me than the lunchable. I'd have gone for them too.

It’s ham, cheese and crackers. There’s a lot worse options out there! The sausage roll will have been much higher in calories, fat and salt.

his mum piped up 'no sweetie, you don't want to eat those yukky things. I don't know why anybody would buy those for children'

Anyone who speaks this way this is a prick. I guarantee she didn't buy Lunchables because she didn't want her DC to know that they are a delicious snack sent from God to make lives happier.

So long as their diet is mostly good, it's fine for children to eat some crap. I don't beat myself up over the junk they eat because I know the rest of the time they eat well and are healthy and active.

I’d also go for lunchables over a sausage roll in that scenario. She sounds v rude.

God people are rude. Think that, but saying it loud in a queue?
I don’t even know what they are but on the odd shit trafficky journey I have given in to McDonalds (the horror!). Kids are still walking around?
I honestly wouldn’t give this more thought. Her need to publicly shame you says more about her than you.

I resolutely refused them to my now adult dc.
However my favourite tea is cheese and biscuits with chicken and salad so massively hypocritical and I still don't know why they're bad

literally anything is acceptable when you've been stuck in traffic that long. me, DH and 4 year old DD got stuck for 3 hours once and ate a whole packet of rich tea fingers between us as that's all we had. my DD still talks about it 😂

They're salty but fine every now and then. that woman needs to keep her remarks to herself.

Absolutely loads more salt and saturated fat in a sausage roll I would think?

Lunchables, whilst not a salad, are designed for children! Some people are just dicks tho and being right won't change it.

Op , you picked what you could and what you picked was fine. I work in a school and some children have lunchables in their lunch boxes everyday. I would pick lunchables over a sausage roll.

I think you should have replied 'sorry kids we better put the lunchables back and get that 12 pack of Krispy Kremes instead'.

FGS, this sounds like a bit of a one off situation and I would choose the lunchables over a sausage roll every time. Don’t dwell on the silly woman’s comments. Bask in the glow of superiority that she will be picking up sausage roll pastry flakes from her car for many months to come

What's so bad about luchables? Any port in a storm.

And sausage rolls are definitely made from the sweepings up of the meat factory floor.

Hahaha can't believe she thinks a sausage roll is any better.

We got stuck in traffic yesterday eve after being on the road with 20 month old DD since 10am. There was plenty bribery!

We, as adults, don’t eat ideally all the time - sometimes we snack, take shortcuts, eat unhealthy things. I apply the same principle to DD. Otherwise you take a crap, difficult situation and make it worse by stressing about one instance of food intake in a huge number of meals.

Glad I'm NBU! I hate sausage rolls with a passion because they give me heartburn and my vegetarian Dsis likes to tell people they've got pigs eyelashes in . Again, if you're stuck and it's the only option then fine, whatever you can get your hands on to placate grumpy, hungry kids, but don't be bloody judgy to someone who's clearly in the same situation!

You don't need to justify yourself OP. Don't give this any more head-space.

What is a lunchable, please?

My son had lunchables for his packed lunch every day for 2 years! He has Aspergers and it was literally the only thing he would eat-he doesn't do vegetables, fruit, bread, any "spreads", the only meat he eats is ham, chicken and bacon-there is precious little he will eat! It was pretty much luck that he decided lunchables were OK!
Thankfully we've moved on a little now but if anyone had commented on the number of Lunchables in my shopping trolley each week, I would have told them where to go!

Of course they’re not.

There’s no such thing as “bad” food.

She was rude.

It's an expensive way of buying some slightly crappy ham, cheese and crackers, but needs must in certain circumstances.

Probably less crappy than a petrol station sausage roll, and probably nutritionally more or less the same as normal ham, cheese and crackers, which almost no-one judges, even on here.

Nothing wrong with lunchables - but I also think sausage rolls, when you're travelling, hungry and tired, and it's all warm and lush, can be manna from heaven.

cheddar they were the cold hard ones in packets. I totally agree about warm sausage rolls, but cold ones just don't do it for me!

Arf at the idea that a petrol station sausage roll is going to be all warm and lush. More likely that it's refridgerated within an inch of it's life, ruining the pastry and devoid of flavour.

Say what you will about Greggs, but at least they usually have something that is freshly baked and still warm and hence ten times more edible, while reasonably priced too. Same for McDonalds. On the road catering is usually disgusting in this country, especially considering the high mark up, thus illustrated by Greggs and McDonalds often being as good as it gets.