Packed lunch is sad

[Ribrabrob]

I went to a theme park with a friend recently, fully prepared to buy lunch when I was there however arrived to pick her up and there she was with a bag full of homemade sandwiches and packet of crips each I was grateful, of course, for the time effort and money on her part but I couldn't help feeling a little dissapointed - what's the harm in buying food out?

Its always been the case that I can't help but feel a little sad when I see families on a day out at a theme park, zoo for example, sat on a bench eating (warm?) sandwhcihes wrapped in foil with a fruit shoot.

I had the type of childhood where this was common place - packed lunch for every occasion, no need to eat out becaus there was 'food at home' or it was 'too expensive' (despite no money worries) etc so I suppose it's kind of stuck with me and I don't want that kind of life.

Aibu to think that if you can afford a day at the zoo etc, then spending a little bit extra on some food is no big deal? Aibu to think that life is too short to spend time making a sand which/salad to take on a day out, when really you can just spend a bit of extra money and have the hassle taken away? It just seems so strange to me and as though people try and suck all enjoyment out of life.

A picnic out of doors at a time you choose, with food you like, without having to traipse around checking out the cafes and standing in a queue for ages for overpriced, often substandard and less than healthy food, is a far better option IMO. Unless the weather is awful.

Theme park food is rubbish. I’d rather bring a picnic and then treat everyone to pizza after.

Doesn't anyone else find it a PITA to cart it around all day with you?

YABU. Because the the food at theme parks, zoos etc is shit.

More often than not, it’s cheap ingredients made into a greasy, over priced, sloppy looking mess (n chips)

You have to queue for eternity for the privilege of the delights on offer once you’ve paid the equivalent of a months mortgage payment for it, you then have to run an obstacle course and carry it on a wobbly, damp, plastic tray to a dirty, uncleared table, (if you’re lucky and there’s actually a table free) through a packed room.

You may or may not get the appropriate cutlery, or you may have to eat your tepid lasagna (n chips) with a teaspoon.

Give me a picnic any day.

You obviously don’t have allergies, intolerances or any kind of food restrictions OP. Also the food (especially geared at kids) at these places is both crap and extortionate. £5.50 for a kids picnic bag in the cafe, or £5.50 for a nice picnic for the whole family? hmmm.

I probably used to think like you if I’m honest. But now I do take a packed lunch where possible because of money reasons and it also stops me resenting £5 for a child’s bowl of generic red pasta.
I went through a phase of taking my then toddler to London Zoo on the bus every week as we had an annual membership. So if I’d also eaten out, it wouldn’t have been manageable.
If I’m going with someone else though, I do discuss it in advance and am happy to suck it up with the red pasta money.

It’s nice to eat out as a treat but I prefer to do it in places where I’m not limited in what I’ll be eating. So once you’re in the theme park you kind of have to eat whatever’s been sold.
With a packed lunch (and ice packs!) you can make your favourite sandwiches or a quiche or whatever else you love.

Always doing one or the other would probably become dull, but mixing it up occasionally between making own and buying keeps it interesting.

When I was a kid we took sandwiches to days out but if we hadn’t, with 6 of us it would have cost my poor parents a fortune, we would never have had a day out at all. Plus after a hotdog we’d have been moaning half an hour later that we were still hungry. As a parent to a constantly ravenous growing toddler, I now sympathise with them!

This post has encouraged me to take MORE picnic lunches out with us now! Thanks OP!

We have annual passes to a big family attraction near us, so go maybe 20 + times a year as a family (not to do the whole thing, sometimes just pop in for a few hours, let the kids blast round the adventure playground or see some animals in the farm or safari bits). DH (SAHD) also sometimes takes the kids there mid week for an hour or two.

We could afford lunch out each time if we wanted I guess, but that might limit the number of times we go, so we typically take a picnic. As you would to the park, and which my kids really love. And then I don’t feel at all bad if we also want to stop for a nice hot drink in one of the cafes or get ice cream if it’s hot. Plus we can go out to eat another time, at a restaurant or cafe we really fancy rather than a theme park or attraction one, as a treat in itself. Basically that is how we can afford to do lovely “treat” things with the kids pretty much every weekend.

I guess you are coming at this from the day out as a special treat “one off” perspective (and then it might be nice to buy lunch) whereas a number of those families you are seeing will be local, will have annual passes, and will be seeing their trip as more of a glorified trip to the park.

I would rather spend £60 on Ocado to buy nice picnic bits then £60 at a theme park for tepid nuggets and a fizzy drink to eat on a dirty table in a loud canteen.

yabu !

What an odd attitude !
I do understand if your friend hadn’t said ‘how about a picnic’ then it was odd to assume. I get that.
To extrapolate and cast same view on strangers is odd. To describe it as sucking enjoyment out of life is way over the top. I love seeing picnics - think how organised, their food will be better than this overpriced junk rubbish etc. Would never assume that’s all they do and they never eat out. Might be cost/allergy factors too. Frankly I don’t think anything of it but if I did that’s what might occur to me. Never ever ‘sucking enjoyment out of life’.

heron totally agree.

round right, a few packs of chorizo or whatever, some cheese, a few nice rolls each and a yoghurt and fruit - it would cost 50 quid or less and would actually be nice and filling.

Most of the food at these places is over priced and often not that nice.

We tend to do a mixed approach. We take sandwiches and drinks but then usually buy something like a cake or an ice cream depending on what we fancy.

The variety is often limited so unless we have been before and know it's nice we assume it will be a bit disappointing and take our own. Places like London zoo have lots of nice salads and soups as well as the usual stuff so there we just take our own flasks of tea to sit and drink around the place but then have something in their restaurant.

Also, you can eat your packed lunch in the queue, outside in the sunshine etc, not rammed into a crowded, often filthy, noisy dining area.

Aibu to think that if you can afford a day at the zoo etc, then spending a little bit extra on some food is no big deal?

It's nice for you that you don't have to budget, but buying overpriced, often poor quality food and drink at these places can often double the cost.

For those of us who can afford the odd treat but nevertheless have to be very careful with money, it's a simple case of prioritising how you spend what you do have. You don't have access to your own lions and elephants or roller coasters and log flumes at home, but you DO have plenty of sensibly-priced bread, cheese, fruit, salad, crisps and drinks which you can easily bring with you with very minimal effort.

If anything is going to have you shitting through the eye of a needle for three weeks straight, it's food bought out.

Judging others for home made sandwiches is bizarre. You might be lucky that you have never had to think down to the last penny OP. Good for you! Some people can afford the Zoo but not the lunch and take the option to enjoy the day at the zoo under those circumstances. Better that than then not being able to afford the council tax by a tenner at the end of the month surely. Fucks sake.

I make brilliant sarnies anyway :)

We always had packed lunches as kids when we had days out. I remember watching others eat out while we were eating our soggy sandwiches. However there were 5 of us so eating out would of been expensive. Looking back we had little money so it was a stretch to probably even go out.
I look back on those memories very fondly even the soggy sandwiches. And as an adult I quite like a picnic even though I can afford the eating out side!

I understand your point OP. It was a treat to eat out as a kid, especially as part of a day out. But the virtuous MNers must have their picnics.

We always done it growing up - but we called it a picnic ! It was nice because eating sandwiches and crisps were not a common thing when I was growing up ! Only eaten on a picnic ! So we loved the novelty !

Also, you can eat your packed lunch in the queue, outside in the sunshine etc, not rammed into a crowded, often filthy, noisy dining area.

This.

I hate it when the restaurants are clearly poorly managed that you have to clear away trays of used plates to be able to sit down.

Often zoos etc have tables and benches around the site where you can sit and watch the animals whilst having your lunch. In decent weather it's much more pleasant to do that then be forced to eat in a canteen style building.

In stately homes at least the restaurants are nicer but they are usually very expensive for what you get and dingy as often put in the basement

"But the virtuous MNers must have their picnics."

Virtuous or skint.

Theme park/zoo food is always crap anyway. Even as a kid, I recognised that.

I can't understand your thinking at all. Eating at a theme park is something I would dread rather than look forward to. I would only not take my own food if I was having a disorganised morning.

I once had to eat at Splash Landings at Alton Towers and it was horrible. Like being in a noisy school canteen.

Maybe people have enough money for the tickets, but none leftover in the budget to buy lunch? It’s not rocket science.
I rarely take packed lunches because to be honest I’m lazy. However one of my friends has to budget quite strictly and wouldn’t be able to afford the zoo if she was forking out for food too, so if we go out with her we take a packed lunch. No big deal.

The food at those type of places does tend to be crap though.

It just seems so strange to me and as though people try and suck all enjoyment out of life

Now that's an odd attitude, don't like packed lunches faurveniugh but where in earth is the connection to "sucking the joy out of life"? Because eating overpriced theme park cafe crap is so joyful?
Packing food into a cool bag with ice blocks means it not warm, and a picnic doesnt mean just sandwiches either, one of my favourite picnics we had was on the grass in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. So unjoyful.

But the virtuous MNers must have their picnics.

What an odd thing to say! Ordinary MNers simply have a different opinion to you.