McDonald’s in a hospital waiting room

[Schuyler]

AIBU to think I don’t care how hungry you are, you don’t eat McDonald’s in a hospital waiting room? There are 2 adults eating it, so surely one can pop out and then they swap.

P.S. do you think I can ask for a chip?

I do understand it's annoying having people eating smelly food around you but sometimes there is no choice. A few weeks ago DP and I ate a subway in a hospital waiting room; I had been there since 9am and was starving. It got to 2pm and the only way I wouldn't miss a scan (after waiting to see 2 different consultants) and then having to go back to another waiting room meant I had no choice... what was I supposed to do?

9am to 2pm ffs! 5 hours

Eat before you get there and wait to eat again until you leave.

RANK. Lotta selfish arseholes out there.

Who cares.

Well McDonalds is vile anyway, but yes it’s inconsiderate and a bit trashy.

People just don’t care anymore & only think of themselves.

And seeing as they are sat in a&e, they wouldn't be sitting there to eat it if low sugar that required an urgent maccyds. Staff would be dealing with the person.

Afraid not, in our extensive experience every week for 10 years! Typical scenario for us was DD1 went into status epilepticus around 5 pm. We’d have to call 999, as the emergency drugs no longer worked. The paramedic used to arrive in 5 minutes, but the ambulance took an hour, and they’d have to do their stuff. Take the history, etc. Possibly get to A & E at 7 pm. DD1 is getting hungry; it’s half an hour past her dinnertime - which in itself was enough to cause status epilepticus, because hunger was the number one trigger for her seizures.

We used to tell the A & E staff DD1 needed to eat, but they only had sandwiches! DD1 won’t eat bread, and the hospital cafe only open until 8.30 pm, did baguettes, crisps and cakes. I don’t see crisps and cake as an adequate dinner, for a large teenager! DH or I would have to go to McDonalds to get her something to eat - after a hard days’s work!

Even though, she was blue lighted in, sometimes we had to wait 4 hours on hard plastic chairs in A & E to go up to the paediatric assessment unit, where we could be with her waiting until 4 am, to see a paediatric registrar.

The lady in the bed next to me after I had my first DC was brought a McDonalds. She waited till her family had gone and then asked the midwives to microwave it for her as it had gone cold. (not envy). They didn't and she spent ages on the phone whining how awful they were for not doing it, while eating it.

Eating in public (except for a cafe / restaurant or sat in park with a picnic) is gross. I would never eg eat a packet of crisps whilst walking down the road. I don't let me children eat walking along either.

Only on mumsnet do people get horrified at the fact others sometimes get hungry. Noses like bloodhounds than can smell tuna from miles away. Sometimes foods a bit smelly sometimes people get hungry and don’t have a bland non smelly snack

People seem to thing they can’t function without eating for a few hours these days. Hence all the fatties waddling around with their costa cups, sausage rolls etc.

God forbid people eat anywhere other than in private, that’ll keep them skinny.

"People seem to thing they can’t function without eating for a few hours these days. Hence all the fatties waddling around with their costa cups, sausage rolls etc."

Oh piss off.

Only a few years ago there was a Burger King inside my local hospital. Now there isn't even a vending machine.

My daughter was hospitalised last year and wouldn't eat. We were on day five and she wanted a kebab. Yes, it stank, but all of the children on the ward gladly tucked into the chips. Sometimes, you just got to eat!

I never used to eat in public until I got type 1 diabetes diagnosis. Now I carry food with me where ever I go. Not because I want to but because of medical need. From experience with diffrent types of insulin, there were times I needed a full meal at set time to avoid getting low sugar. Full disclosure I did end up crying to my nurse that I couldn't keep up with eating at a set time, so she got a doctor to write a me a prescription for a new insulin. I got more freedom but at that newly diagnosed stage I hated eating in public spaces and till I got over it I loved people eating with me in solidarity. Maybe that is what was happening? A man showing another man solidarity.
Disclaimer I have never eaten macd in hospital waiting room. But, fizzy drinks, jucie, biscuits, sweets, a small range of sandwiches and chocolates bars I'm guilty of. A fast acting carbohydrate followed by a slow releasing carbohydrate snack to prevent blood glucose dropping down again.

With some regular medication you can't take them on an empty stomach. So you eat wherever you are if you want to take your medication on time.

Why is your want of not smelling food more important than those who either want or need to eat?

There are ridiculous over-reactions... and frankly nasty, spiteful comments on here (aimed at people who enjoy mcdonalds - and take-out food in general.)

Some people are very rude and mean-spirited.

Only on mumsnet do people get horrified at the fact others sometimes get hungry.

translation: I am so up my own .. backside that I never considered other people might have a different opinion or just never considered other people, full stop.
There's always one...

@moobar I took the tea and toast 3 times and vomited it back 3 times I declined the fourth time, no way I could eat pizza 🍕 urgh. I work on a children’s ward and parents bring McDonald’s/kfc all the time as we have one either side. Shame for kids nbm to smell them but the dinner trolley is just as smelly sometimes. Was very fishy yesterday and lingered all day

So rude! I’m with you OP.

@clutchingon

Eating in public (except for a cafe / restaurant or sat in park with a picnic) is gross. I would never eg eat a packet of crisps whilst walking down the road. I don't let me children eat walking along either.

PMSL! You're serious aren't you???

All the LOLz at your username. Clutchington those pearls!

Don’t see the big deal personally.

Wouldn't bother me either. It's noise that would annoy me.

Christ that is rude. I was once in A&E for 6 hours with a broken arm at the age of 11 and didn't get food til after we left. You won't starve to death by going a few hours without food, you can get afterwards. Did the same again years later with a broken leg.

YANBU to object to smelly fast food in a hospital waiting room.

In some big hospitals, you can also find staff out of uniform grabbing a quick bite to eat. They probably do it in uniform as well.

Seen quite a few staff grabbing a bite in places you wouldn't expect them to see. They need food and a few minutes away from being asked questions from colleagues and patients. Sometimes there isn't time to go from the 17th floor down to the canteen and back up to the 15th. UCHL, I have spent a lot of time wandering around over the years as an inpatient. Staff sitting on the walkway. Staff grabbing something from the vending machine on the ground floor because their lunch is a couple of floors away. There's a bit of a lull in a&e. and very space to sit.

Might irritate you, or you think it's rude, or whatever. But people have busy lives. You say you would never do it now, but when you've gone hours with no food, and that's a chance to get some food. Don't begrudge them.

Ok, it's 2 pm on a Thursday afternoon. They should have had breakfast, but what if they could"t? When I attended clinics as an inpatient, unless I was in a wheelchair, you wouldn't know other than looking ill, that I was ill.

Sometimes that's when I could eat. Same with other patients, who also wore clothes. Not to irritate others. But because the NIL has finally been lifted that was set just before breakfast. Or been in surgery and now got that hunger after the metallic taste goes, you want food.

People are being really weird and hyperbolic from “can smell tuna from 6 miles away” when actually it was 6 metres away (and I wanted some chips!) to “people who eat McDonald’s are trashy and unhealthy”.

To balance out my McDonald’s complaint, early this tear, I was in a ward opposite a woman who had a different takeaway every evening for 2 weeks. It was a non issue because the ward was a reasonable temperature and we weren’t squashed in like sardines. I was a bit envious of her Nando’s though.

No I'm actually pretty chilled out. But the sight of other people stuffing fast food in their gobs makes me want to heave. So I choose not to inflict it on others. I can't bear noisy eaters either.