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.

The sandwiches on sale are made to look visually exciting by concentrating the contents in the centre and then cutting the bread diagonally. It’s a con. The reality is a sandwich that is not even half as good as a home made specially designed one.
True. But only if you properly invest in ingredients for your home-made ones. If its plain ham or cheese, or bland chicken - then you can't beat the higher end range

My packed lunches taste much better than the shit 'food' that is usually served in so-called restaurants in zoos, theme parks, airports, etc.

The food in Heathrow is not “shit” there’s a Leon and a Wagamama’s.

We always take a picnic on days out. My son is a picker and likes to have small amounts often. So much easier than trying to get him to eat his lunch in a cafe which he will only eat some of then an hour later he is looking for something else.

I like the freedom of being able to sit where we want aswell and not have to queue up.

We have probably saved hundreds over the years taking our own food everywhere. More money for days out

I don’t like the food you get at most theme park or zoo type places. It’s crap and over priced. I struggle to get the money together for many days out and if I had to add £20 for food every time we’d have less days out.
I also quite enjoy a picnic/packed lunch.
I eat out/ buy take aways at
Home if we want a treat.

My kids sometimes say they'd prefer to eat at services stations on longer car trips than have packed lunches. I tell them they're welcome to use their pocket money. Then packed lunches are good enough
Zoo and airport food is rank.

The sandwiches on sale are made to look visually exciting by concentrating the contents in the centre and then cutting the bread diagonally. It’s a con

Likewise for wraps. If you make your own wraps, you'll know that they will only roll up properly if you put hardly any filling in them.

Which is probably why there are so many for sale in supermarkets and sandwich shops. They must be one of the most profitable items, especially as they usually cost more than a 'normal' sandwich.

YANBU. Haven’t RTFT by my parents were the same. Our school used to take us to Alton Towers every year at the end of term and my parents always wanted me to take sandwiches rather than give me money (I think Burger King was the on-site place then). I don’t like sandwiches (apart from the odd one or two from M&S & Pret) and to take them on a 2 hour coach trip, then traipse round for 2-3 hours with them in a bag, no thanks.

I still now always eat out (or very occasionally buy the aforementioned sandwiches before travel) because I can. I’d hate eating stood up in a queue or outside on a bench (very rarely eat outside unless on holiday).

The selection of food available at many places is really not that attractive, it's expensive, unhealthy, often it's been sitting around in a food warmer for some time (like in Macdonald's etc), or it arrives cold, & you have to queue for ages, eat before you're actually ready, or risk leaving it too late & a lot of the options have sold out. I'd much rather take a packed lunch - DH, DD & I all choose what we want the day before (they have sandwiches, I have a salad), we take some fresh fruit & yoghurts. Cool brick in the bottom of each bag. Costs less than half as much as it would to buy it there, we get to eat more, it's healthier & we each get exactly what we want.

I always take sandwiches to eat in the airport the one time I didn't was very early morning and tne cheapest option for me and 1 child was 2 muffins and 2 drinks which cost a whopping £12 never again.

And rank, too! I'm a foodie, don't mind paying top whack for good grub, but do resent getting swizzed for shite food. One long-haul we take, we have to check in at 4am for the first leg of the journey that departs at 6. I bring my Aeropress so I can be assured of a decent cup of strong coffee.

pictish You'd be hard pressed to describe either SILs family or myself and DS as keen hikers ( will leave DH out of the equation as he's a mountain goat who - given the choice - would eat out for every single meal )! No it's more that BIL expects SIL or indeed anyone female to make up his pack lunch for him but as he likes sugary calorific cake he's happier to pay for that.

He has got some serious issues about eating out and each holiday usually involves some drama at a restaurant- last summer he stormed out (taking the car keys with him) because one of his adult DSs was thinking of having an expensive steak ( that he was planning to pay for himself). I try to stay out of it as much as possible but I'm not a fan of empty sugar calories which is all you can get at afternoon tea houses and would rather that DS didn't have excessive access to them either.

All of this thread is down to personal preference.

OP is very wrong to pity/scoff at those who bring their own food, but equally people seem quite happy to disparage anyone who does eat at an attraction. For me it's about having to think about what we're going to eat in advance and buy and prepare that - not something I particularly want to be doing on holiday.

Regarding the cost - yes bringing your own food is usually cheaper- but for those with the freshly baked crusty baguettes and goats cheese etc. that may not be the case.

The Wagamama in T5 was rank, the Giraffe in there a total swizz and even the Pret in there, it was like 'hunt the chicken' sandwich. Total con and rank.

It's not sad take a packed lunch on a day out a lot of people can't afford the day trip cost as well as eating out or they don't want to eat what's on offer at the place.

I don't take a packed lunch because I can't be bothered to make one and carry it about and then find a suitable spot to eat it at. However I'm sure if I tried harder I could do all of these things.

I agree that zoo food is horrible. But then I would stop off at a nice cafe or even m&s and get some lovely sandwiches and treats for the day out. I would find it sad to bring out foil lunches that we always eat at home.

What on earth is wrong with home-made sarnies? Probably much nicer than greasy fast food!

Ooh I love a picnic! Much better than the same (but double the price) old cardboard tasting fast food shit you tend to find in theme parks. I suppose it's different if it's two adults, but a nice picnic with the kids, followed by a a stop off at the chippy on the way home was all part of the fun of a good day out in my opinion.

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

Another here that doesn't equate 'joy' with fast food at a theme park

We're going to a farm festival thing tomorrow. We won't take lunch as I know there'll be really good food on offer to buy.

If I was going to somewhere with limited and pretty shit food choices, I'd take our own food.

My priority is always eating well. Queuing up and paying for food I don't really want to eat isn't 'joyful' for me!

...and this 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

Cheers for the sad head tilt, but you grab your chips and I'll stick with a nicely chilled bento box, soba noodles, grilled halloumi salad and other lovely things...

I won't leave a hot fresh doughnut unpurchased though. I'm only human.

Wow it appears I am very very very unreasonable! Fair enough haha.

I do realize my first post sounded a little snobbish but I didn't mean for it to be, so I apologise for that. I also recognize there are allergies, restrictions etc to take into account (although I myself am vegetarian).

I still don't like the idea of packed lunches but will be sure to remember how unreasonable I am next time I am at Thorpe Park!

You are being sooooo very u here it is unbelievable. Please take off your rose tinted glasses and step into the real world.
"If you can afford a day out then food on top should ve no big deal?" - its a bloody massive deal!
Eg. Local water park family of 4. Entrance price £64. Upgrade to the bigger rides/ access all areas type thing(not a que jump but allows you to enjoy all of the features) another £8 each.
Then food on top -
£2.50 minimum per drink (oh and the kids drinks are knock off fruit shoots!) Tea and coffee Is basic nescaf/pg tips in the smallest cup you can find. Cans /bottles are £2.50-3.00
1 portion of chips is 2.40
Burger/hot dog is £3.90
Or you can have a slice of frozen pizza for 4.50.
The portion sizes will barely fill a toddler let alone anyone with an appetite. They also do a kids box at £5 each which consists of half a sandwich on cheap white bread (ham or cheese) a petite filo size yoghurt, a mini muffin/ cupcake abd a fruit shoot.
Why on earth would i pay those prices.?

I enjoy eating in cafes and restaurants but in places like theme parks or zoos they are very expensive. Not everyone can afford and there's nothing wrong with packed lunch, quite nice to have a picnic. Don't judge others who do not spend on eating out, they may have had a struggle to pay the entrance fee to the venue.

I think that’s a weird view to have but probably stems from your childhood.. I was never forced to just have packed lunches and now I prefer them... I find it amusing to think you could be looking at me eating my packed lunch and finding me sad.

I genuinely can’t see what is exciting about overpriced, soggy convenience food eaten rammed into a “restaurant”

It just seems better than warm sandwiches or lugging a picnic. Then there is hope that the food is nice. But then I like junk food

I love making a packed lunch! I would hate to spend money on overpriced and often not terribly good food when I can make something much nicer for a fraction of the price and eat it when we want without the fuss of searching for somewhere to eat or having to queue.

Very graceful response OP

The other point about eating in the cafes and restaurants at these places is that they’re always heaving. So it’s loud and busy and you queue for ages. Eating a picnic outside is a much more pleasant experience most of the time!