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.

I would actually pay not to eat the food at most theme parks. Went to Lego Land without a packed lunch once. I found all the cafes and restaurants so yucky that the only thing I could bring myself to eat was a packet of crisps.

Yanbu I do get what you are saying. It's cheap and such a damper on a day out.
I also grew up with packing lunch and eating out was such a treat. Unless it's something amazing, I would be disappointed to go on a lovely day out and just eat boring everyday sandwiches

I think the food available at zoos, etc terrible (stale old sandwiches or greasy fast food). I'd much prefer bringing a pack lunch than pay for that!

We sometimes take packed lunches but having read op she has a point! They are abit sad. A necessity if you somewhere rural but perched on a bench in a city or theme park is with your soggy sandwiches rather than cafe is abit of a fun suck

Yabu. The food at theme parks is both crap and overpriced, I for one would prefer to take my own. I imagine for families with a couple of dc it would add an extra fifty quid on to the bill for some poor quality burgers.

A picnic dosent have to be boring sandwiches. Mine certainly arnt.

YABU, I'm yet to find any food at a theme park or Zoo that is edible. Or that you've had to queue for at least 20 odd minutes for. By that time we could be most of the way through our picnic food and on to the next ride/attraction. I'd rather take my own food any day. My parents always took picnics bit after trying the food at these places I realised why.

Affordability doesn't make anyone who can't sad, you can't buy class.

On a side note I think your friend sounds lovely l, she should find herself a new friend if you are not going to appreciate the effort she went to.

We're members of chester zoo. Have you seen the food prices?!!!

The food is lovely but to eat lunch there for a family of 4 is going to cost around 30-40 quid at least. Plus I do begrudge paying for food that costs a lot more than it should due to zoo or theme park mark ups.

DH used to be a chef. His packed lunches are amazeballs and in chilled bags. Please don't feel sorry for us. We love sitting on the grass eating our food not having to fight for a free table in a noisy hot restaurant. And we always have spare cash for an ice cream

TBH I kind of get what you mean. A holiday (day out) would ideally be luxury/fuss free/effortless from start to finish instead of the boring bits - making packed lunches, using up leftovers and whatever. (This does not include people for whom using up leftovers etc is a necessity to afford the actual trip - I'm talking in terms of ideals not reality).

However, we are lucky in that we could probably afford to have lunch at the cafes and not take a packed lunch - but we still do take packed lunches. Not just because of the money, but because cafe food is often not that great, it's overpriced, the DCs won't eat half of the pre-packed sandwich boxes that they do so it's wasteful, DCs won't like the hot food on offer because it's not quite the same as at home/the cafe have run out of baked potatoes or whatever; the queues, the waiting, the noise, the planning around where the cafe is on the way round to coincide with lunch time which is often when everyone else fancies stopping for lunch too.

Whereas a home made picnic means you can pack exactly what everyone will definitely eat, you can stop and start at any time, no queues so more time to enjoy the fun things. I know parents who make a quick stop to the supermarkets on the way and get a meal deal each so they don't have spend time and effort doing the preparing of packed lunches, they buy ready made which is more expensive than home made but less expensive than the cafe on site. So that's somewhere in between and job done.

I prefer to take a packed lunch as I get far more value and food for my money and can guarantee ds1 who is autistic will eat it plus the food will be off a decent standard but I do put lots of nice strawberries etc on it. Why would I pay a ridiculous amount of money to eat queue in a busy restaurant which I may not even be able to get a seat in then to eat sub standard food? I could take my kids out on another day trip for the same money.

You have a totally different perspective to me. I see theme park food outlets as a rip-off, a way they make extra money on folk who forgot or couldn't bring a bite to eat. I've never felt envious of the people who are having to eat bought food.

Some of my best childhood memories are related to eating squashed sandwiches, homemade cake and drinking warm squash in a place that wasn't home. Ice creams and extra treats I do buy, they add to the enjoyment.

Yes YABU.

Ugh yes...old oil. Those places invariably honk of old oil.

Queuing, expense, the smell, the slop, no seats, overflowing bins, spillages, dirty napkins, the noise.
Just...why would you? Surely it’s not a case of the packed lunch being the less desirable option...but these places being a port in a storm when you haven’t organised one?

I'm wondering if the OP is a reverse?

I like eating out. But only if the food is decent quality and fairly priced and that is almost never the case at attractions in the UK. I don't want to pay a tenner a head for a burger or beige chips and coke or nearly that for a sad sliced bread sandwich with all the flavour refridgerated out of it, that I've had to queue 20 minutes to obtain.

I do wonder why people don't take picnics. Do they like the food. Do they like queuing? Well they've gone to a theme park so maybe they do, and it is often said that it is the British national sport. Do they have so much money that £40 for terrible food for a family lunch doesn't make them vow never again.

I've always seen 'having' to eat food like that as a punishment for not thinking to take a picnic. Oh, you couldn't be arsed to bring lunch? Well you'll have to eat this shit and pay the penalty for doing so.

You are ungrateful and unreasonable.

Yabu 🙄

One of the most exciting moments of my life was buying a backpack with picnic equipment for our holiday in Northumberland where the thing was used every day for visits to NT properties, beaches and riverside walks. Clearly I am a very, very sad person indeed. As are my kids, who loved it

I don't see how its 'sad'. The food there is always either fast food crap or poor quality. I'd rather bring my own (with ice packs).

For those saying it takes time to make a picnicpicnic nd not be bothered. It takes longer to queue and find a seat, that's after spending time locating somewhere to eat. It takes me 5 mins tops to prepare a picnic.

I've never met a kid that doesn't love a picnic.
My usual group of friends to do days out with, we are all from different cultures so joining all our food together makes an epic picnic.

I definitely would rather be on the non packed lunch side. Life’s too short it’s boring making them and boring eating them. You get to feel smug you’ve saved £30 I guess

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.

I can understand your perspective with this as your background. Reading all the responses so far, I’m sure you’ve gathered that not everyone with a picnic is a joyless penny pincher though.

Sometimes a picnic is the best option and sometimes not. It’s up to you to decide what will suit each occasion.

Theme park food is shit but I also spent my childhood eating sandwiches under a tree in the rain or even in the car while it seemed all other families got a scone and jam in a warm dry NT cafe. We never ever ever were allowed in an NT cafe 😢
Now we do a mixture. Picnic if the weathers nice and it’s easy to carry a good picnic but if it’s cold or wet we eat in the warm cafe with fresh hot tea and coffee.

Also, as a kid of the 70s I grew up on packed lunches - my parents wouldn't have dreamed of buying food out and paying cafe prices - but they were very bland/basic packed lunches as it was all no frills in the 70s whereas I bring some treats and it a make a much nicer packed lunch for the DCs. When you're not paying cafe prices you can put a few treats in! Also I'd buy the DCs ice creams when out.

I quite like treating myself to food out but in a day out with kids:
Massive queues with whining children.

Cafes that serve nothing but greasy junk food and stink of cooking oil.

Sky high prices for food and drink that turns out to be a bit meh.

Sometimes it's best to pack your own, choose a few nice treats and have the freedom that gives you. You can always compromise by getting cakes or ice creams in the afternoon.

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.

See, 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 in a noisy canteen eating (luke warm?) burgers and greasy fries wrapped in sweaty paper with a fruit shoot. Knowing too that, they’ve queued for ages and fought to share the corner of a dirty table.