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 lot of food available isn't as nice as we would make 🤷 we're not short of money, but like nice food. If I know that the place we are going definitely does nice food, then fine.

Otherwise packed lunch and snacks, money for a treaty drink, ice cream etc.

We take a packed lunch on days out at theme parks. It means we don't waste hours queuing in restaurants or fast food outlets and instead we can eat our sandwiches whilst queuing for a ride. DC always loved it as we each carried our own lunch and they could eat theirs when they wanted it.

If it's another type of day out, we find it easier having the main bulk of our food on us so we're not beholden to the clock and having to be somewhere to eat at lunchtime. We usually end up in a cafe at some point in the afternoon where we have a coffee and a piece of cake.

So we just find it more convenient and less time-dependant having our own lunch on us.

We love picnics!
I have a cute picnic bag and accessories.
The kids ask for particular things each time. We can have nice fresh fruit, salads, baguettes etc whatever I've had time to put together. I always have a couple of ice packs in so it's cold.

We hate queuing! Especially in places like theme parks and the food there is usually awful anyway. Somewhere like Legoland you can have your picnic while watching the pirate show. It's also difficult to manage queuing with kids at theme parks.

as though people try and suck all enjoyment out of life.

Odd way to view a packed lunch.
Theme park food is often overpriced, low quality, greasy fast food. I would far rather have a picnic and have multiple cool bags/ice packs and flasks to keep our tasty lunch at its best.

I love eating out but the food in theme parks is awful. Unimaginative, fast-food style rubbish eaten in plasticky, crammed, noisy surroundings having queued for ages and paid a ridiculous price. All ultra processed food, high in calories and low in nutrients. It doesn't fill you up so kids and adults are hungry and cranky soon after. Oh and i have an unusual food allergy that people are not used to catering for. But the worst thing is that it doesn't even taste good. I don't think this is the optimal choice for me or my family so it's usually packed lunch for us.

Some of my best childhood memories are of warm sandwiches, Sandy sandwiches and being chased by wasps when trying to eat a picnic.

We take a picnic when we go out, food at these places tends to be really expensive and often poor quality. It costs enough to get into a theme park so the added cost of buying food just makes the day even more expensive. We did eat pizza at Lego land a few years ago and it ended up costing £50, would much rather have a picnic.

Oh those poor people eating lovely crusty bread,cheese and salad and home made cake weeps

Yabvu and bizarre.
You sound like your childhood has left you with a chip on your shoulders and you are a rather negative,glass half full type.
I remember eating home made cake after a swim at the beach wrapped in a towel
My DC loved the prep for a day out and what we were having in the picnic was my DS favorite topic 😂
Blergh reheated greasy junk !
No thanks

I don't think you are making your picnics right. The idea that the food at a theme park or zoo is a treat has blown my mind. It’s almost universally shite food that you queue up for with a tray like a prisoner then have to eat at too close together dirty tables in noisy rooms. A scone in the tea room of a stately home is one thing. Nuggets at the zoo is another. I don’t have money or allergy issues. I have tastebud issues.

Oh yes, overpriced atificial slop fom the theme park vendors always tastes so much better!

Do you work for a theme park operator OP?

I'm with you 100%! My mum was and still is obsessed with packed lunches! Ugh it's just SO BORING! Maybe we are more sensitive having grown up with it but I never got to go to a cafe, a restaurant, etc. It was always a packed lunch. Eating out is fun! Now I love it. But my mum still gets angry with me if I eat out - at the age of 30, she still tries to make me take a packed lunch. She's so controlling about it - we recently had a big fall out because I was meeting a friend for a coffee in town and she was so incensed by the idea of spending money on a cup of coffee out. But it's nice to! Should add she is VERY well off and could easily afford to eat out but is just stingy and tight with her money and hates spending a penny on stuff like this. Won't eat out or buy a cup of coffee (will take sandwich and a flask everywhere she goes) but will happily fork out for first class flights and stuff. I don't get it.

Maybe she's so well off because of all the money she saved taking flasks and sandwiches instead of buying them out 😂

I went to the zoo for a friends big birthday last year. The entrance fee was eye watering (not that I begrudge it, because animals cost a lot of money to keep) and we had all arranged to take a picnic. Numpty here forgot, and went in search of food - I paid a tenner for a jacket spud and drink, and queued forever. When I got to the picnic table, it was groaning with homemade scones, cakes, cheese straws, crudites, hummus, cheese and biscuits, grapes, strawberries and cream and I had major food envy! (They offered me to share but I have allergies). They definitely had the better meal and I paid over the odds for mine.

YABVU. Your friend was very thoughtful doing that and you sound ungrateful. Also the food at theme park is overpriced crap, very unhealthy. I'm guessing you don't have kids? As you soon find it is far more practical to bring food available if and when than queing at some greasy spoon for very unappetising food.

Well if you want to spend out on the greasy, salty, low quality, revolting expensive ‘food’ you find on those grubby outlets at most attractions, you can. We’ll be over there enjoying our delicious home made sandwiches and springing for an ice cream later.
To each their own.

PS - I do think there's a difference between a lovely picnic and a packed lunch. I love a day out with a picnic but equally half the fun sometimes is eating out!

We often take a picnic of we are going on a day trip. DS is 5 and absolutely loves a picnic! I find the food at theme park/zoo type places tebds to be poor quality and the eating areas are usually rammed and not the cleanest so I prefer not to eat there.

Last year on holiday, we did a steam train ride and then walk to a NT place. We took a picnic and it was lovely being able to sit on the grass in the sun eating a nice picnic. The alternative would have been that very busy, expensive and very stuffy cafe -no thanks!

It's each to their own but I don't think picnics suck the joy out of things!

If it was just me and a friend going then i agree with you - I’d just buy lunch out as I spent my childhood eating flat sandwiches and cheap lemonade out of a five litre bottle. We’d go to theme parks with an enormous cool box someone had to carry!! However I’m also one of five so totally get why my folks did that - It was far cheaper.

Just me and a mate or DH? We’d definitely have lunch there. I can cope with junk for one day.

I’m not someone who ever really does a packed lunch at work & do tend to enjoy a meal as part of a day out if going to the Science Museum etc. However if I was going to Legoland or similar I would always try to stop at M&S and get sandwiches & snacks. Theme parks sell shite food that’s overpriced!

oh & I love a bit of junk food, if it tastes nice though.

P.s We eat out plenty...but not at theme parks ffs. No thank you. Even the kids aren’t bothered for it. They know it’s slop.

It's quite sad that anyone could think you have to spend money on overpriced, not very nice food to enjoy an outing.

And it's better to show children that there are alternatives like picnics which they often enjoy more.

Rufflecrow what's the betting OP was trying to do some market research/promotional work?

I love eating out and am no fan of making extra work for myself but the food at these types of attractions is usually shit with long queues and dirty tables, not to mention overpriced. I much prefer to take a packed lunch and always regret it when I don't.

If I have nice stuff in and I'm organised, I make a picnic. Way tastier than crappy food that is overpriced. It save queuing and means we can eat whenever. I begrudge soending more money on shitty food than the cost of the entry!