AIBU to still be really annoyed by this absolute rankness

[recreationalcalpol]

My colleague kindly offered to go out to get me lunch today. He’s very big on environmental protection, for which I applaud him. However, he sometimes takes it a bit far IMO e.g. he washes out the cardboard food container that his lunch is served in and takes it back to the shop to use again. I’m a bit of a neat freak and I find this absolutely disgusting (how do you clean cardboard properly in a work sink with lukewarm water), but it’s his life and he’s hurting no one, so whatever.

Anyway, today I specifically asked him to get me a fresh container and not reuse one of his for my lunch. He agreed, and came back with two lunches. I ate most of mine and then he told me that mine was in the reused cardboard container. He hadn’t realised in the shop but did realise when he got back to work but decided not to tell me until after I’d finished eating.

I still feel icky about it now, and told him that he’d behaved in a paternalistic and patriarchal way by imposing his own views on me without my agreement. He got a bit huffy that I was ‘bringing gender into it’ as apparently he’d do the same to a man.

AIBU to think this was rank and to still be a bit annoyed?

What kind of container was it exactly?

we’re both dicks

Top frotting!

He washed it what do you thinks going to happen?

Do you think the tiny tiny amount of saliva from the tips of his fork are going to remain and give you plague?

I have never seen these cardboard containers! I'm surprised you needed any lunch after you swallowed that dictionary.

queen like one of those cardboard boxes you might get mushrooms in

lemon - not really the point though. If I’d said no to the container it’s not on to get me to eat from it on the sly. I’m not a toddler. That’s where I think it’s paternalistic

You deserved it for speaking like a wanker.

But the wanker speak came after?!

See there wasn't any need to tell you he had done that if he had made a mistake. He wanted you to know he ignored what you had asked for. That is the sign of a dickhead, a proper flick of the Vs.

gamerchick has made my point more eloquently than I possibly could

I'm not understanding the logistics of this....what kind of food establishment sells a cardboard food container, then accepts it back 'washed' to be resold to someone else?
Is this the equivalent of taking your rubbish back to McDonald's for them to repack fries in???

Thsi was gross and he did something that he KNEW would annoy you.

Next time you will end having lunch like this together, whether he proposes or someone else does, I would make a point to refuse to have him take the food for me and say exactly why, loud and clear.

Btw he was he behaved was patriarcal, the ‘I know better than you’ type of attitude that stinks tbh.

snork - I’ve no idea why the shop lets him do this, but he never seems to have an issue. It’s in central London so I expect they have a few characters amongst their customer base. It’s a family run place that does a salad bar and then a meat, veggie or vegan hot dish, which changes every week. Really lovely food, I just don’t want it sullied with my mate’s lunch from yesterday!

amaretto, yes, you have summed up how I feel exactly

Oh, snork I see what you mean. No, it’s a container that he got from there one lunchtime that he washes himself at work and asks them to reuse for his lunch (or mine as it turns out) when he goes back. They don’t resell his used containers

You're more likely to get ill from the food from a salad bar to be honest! Watchdog once tested salad bar ingredients and it was all riddled with bacteria! Presumably from people coughing over it etc. It has only been out 30 mins too. I've always remembered that

Why on earth doesn't he just being in a tupperware?? Surely you can only wash cardboard once or twice before it falls apart?

broken I’ll bear that in mind thanks! I was trying for a low carb lunch but I think I’ll stick with lovely lovely rice from now on

jesus I expect he only gives it the lightest of washes

Feeling quite sick, tbh. Glad we just sstick to Greg's out here in the provinces..

Yeah so he's still using the cardboard, when he could just bring a reusable,washable hygienic Tupperware in from home. I don't think he's as serious about saving the planet as he pretends to be.

There seems such an underlying tension here between you and your colleague. Do you fancy each other?
And how long before his cardboard container becomes too flaccid for purpose?

I actually think he could have been teasing you, perhaps because you've expressed your disdain previously for this habit of reusing his box?
You'd probably notice if your lunch was in a washed out frequently used container.

I've never gotten mushrooms in a cardboard box, but I imagine it's a take out food container which is 'cardboard' but plastic lined (as cardboard would just turn soggy when wet)? If so I don't really see the problem, as long as the plastic is intact and they are rinsed. He could have realised after he bought it, and didn't want to ruin your lunch. Reduce, reuse and all that. People are precious about too much though tbh. If I was him I'd steer clear of getting you any more lunches incase you give him anymore verbal bashings.

But he has a penis therefore he did it on purpose, is gaslighting and mysoginistic or whatever MN buzzwords are kicking around this week.

It was very disrespectful certainly, but in terms of shark jumps, I could see the dorsal fin heading for the shore when you introduced paternalism and patriarchy.

Still, in future I doubt he’ll be offering to get lunch again so problem sorted. 👍

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