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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

How much of these things do you consider a treat?

567 replies

LajesticVantrashell · 08/03/2020 16:57

Person A has done/given/bought her DC the following this weekend. Person B thinks this is excessive and that they're all treats which should be given rarely and sporadically.

  1. McDonald's
  2. Soft play
  3. Swimming
  4. A new book
  5. A small bag of jelly sweets
  6. A magazine

This is in between an afternoon in the park, a walk up a hill and some down time playing at home.

How often do your DCs do/have the above?

OP posts:
Stormyjupiter · 10/03/2020 11:35

Wow, like Barbara said up thread, Mc isn't the only thing that 's bad for health. Chinese with full of MSG, anyone? All those good looking cakes and treat from expensive places full of sugar?

Vintage2020 · 10/03/2020 11:37

@Morgan12 depends what u order. If you get a salad and water nothing. If you get an occasional small burger no prob. If you order a fizzy drink or milk shake or fancy coffee and a Big Mac plenty wrong (especially if that’s every week)

theschoolonthehill · 10/03/2020 11:43

The taste? I only ever liked the chicken nuggets but have not eaten them since watching Jamie’ Oliver’s programme about nuggets. A while ago I had one from somebody else’s box and thought it tasted horrible. I tried a McFlurry? a couple of years ago and it was soft ice cream which I don’t like. The fries were ok if I added a lot of salt but I wouldn’t go somewhere just to eat fries and they used always good cold very quickly too making them inedible. I’d sooner pick up a bag of crisps.

Butterwhy · 10/03/2020 11:44

Nothing, people get defensive when others say they choose not to go to McDonald's though. Why do so if you're happy going?

BarbaraofSeville · 10/03/2020 11:48

But why? One meal once a week is less than 5% of your food intake, surely it's your overall diet that matters and the odd fast food meal once a week isn't going to undo an overall healthy diet.

There's a man in the US who has eaten nothing but Big Macs (three times per day) for decades. He's not overweight and looks healthy. He probably has a better diet than someone who lives on cereal, toast and instant noodles.

I travel around for work and while McDonalds would never be my first choice, they're everywhere, cheapi for a hot meal, quick and you know what you're going to get.

Most of the time I don't have time to walk into a random cafe only to find it's one of those places that takes 20 minutes to produce any food. I don't like burgers but don't mind a fish fillet and fries, chicken wrap and fries or sausage bagel if it's breakfast time.

Sometimes I use supermarket cafes as well and last week I had scampi and chips in Morrisons and while the portion size was quite small (10 pieces of scampi, I counted, a handful of chips, most of which were undercooked, but I didn't have time to complain and wait for more to be cooked and a couple of tablespoons of mushy peas, the menu said it was nearly 1100 calories and I was still hungry afterwards.

If had my usual McDonalds order of fish filet, medium fries and a coke zero, that would have been around 650 calories and I would have been stuffed.

Butterwhy · 10/03/2020 11:49

@BarbaraofSeville some people choose not to take their children, just like many wouldn't give them fish or chips- it's just a personal choice, not sure why the need to defend it.

Stormyjupiter · 10/03/2020 11:50

If you need to add more salt to McDonald's fries, you have more problem then you have imagined, tbh. It's one of the most saltiest you can get.

LaurieMarlow · 10/03/2020 11:51

I'm not too concerned with salt and fat levels myself.

I just don't like it. I find it bland, one note, heavily processed and the texture is strange.

We have lots of better options (by which I mean better tasting, not so processed) so why would I bother?

I've no idea why you'd go there and get a salad as you'll get a much better salad elsewhere.

BarbaraofSeville · 10/03/2020 11:52

it's just a personal choice, not sure why the need to defend it

I'm just waiting for someone to come up with an objective reason why so many people single out McDonalds as the absolute worst place to buy food when there are so many other places selling food with similar nutritional quality that never get a mention.

LaurieMarlow · 10/03/2020 11:54

why so many people single out McDonalds as the absolute worst place to buy food

I'm not sure anyone's doing that. McDonalds was mentioned in the OP, that's why people are commenting on it.

theschoolonthehill · 10/03/2020 12:05

I’ve noticed that people who don’t go there don’t give two figs why people go there whereas the people who go there get very defensive towards those who don’t. There is an undercurrent of perceived snobbery perhaps. I doubt the people who don’t go to McD actually care one way or another about what others do.

Butterwhy · 10/03/2020 12:15

I'm just waiting for someone to come up with an objective reason why so many people single out McDonalds as the absolute worst place to buy food when there are so many other places selling food with similar nutritional quality that never get a mention

Because it was in the OP which is why people are mentioning it, they likely feel the same about other fast food outlets. MC Donald's also very overtly try and appeal to children, happy meals etc in a way that shop bought sarnies etc dont. They're not that bad, but not particularly good either; it just seems weird trying to fight a case for a multi billion pound food enterprise Confused.

formerbabe · 10/03/2020 12:16

I don't mind an occasional McDonald's....it's certainly not a favourite for me though my DC love it.

It's a convenience thing often. My ds used to play sport until late on a weeknight and we passed a McDonald's drive thru on the way home so I'd often grab him one. Or if we've had a long day out somewhere and are getting home late.

One day I'll be organised and batch cook!

Iminaglasscaseofemotion · 10/03/2020 12:25

I wouldn't say any of them were a treat. My kids might think a magazine was a treat, but that's because I never buy them. Complete waste of money.

Iminaglasscaseofemotion · 10/03/2020 12:27

I love a mcdonald's, had one for breakfast this morning. So many people on MN get their knickers in a twist about Mcdonalds and claim they very rarely/never go, yet mcdonald's is always pretty busy 🤔

GoodbyeRosie · 10/03/2020 12:28

1 McDonald’s is disgusting and unhealthy. Not a treat but an introduction to unhealthy lifestyle habits.

Go on, you go on your own and know one knows do they? spend £20 on the saver menu? I'll never tell...

Honestly this thread. I think it's amusing that someone has had a pop at me for being over top..since then I feel vindicated by the posters who obviously haven't RTFT fully and have since posted that ' softplay is hell on earth' ( an actual quote ). and that McDonalds is something to recoil from .

theschoolonthehill · 10/03/2020 12:43

In fairness soft play is awful. They are dirty, hot, smelly and loud. Very very loud and full of shrieking kids running around the tables which makes having a coffee hard work. There are ride on toys that are very loud. They are expensive at £7 a child for two hours. But on a wet day, they are somewhere to go occasionally. And they are great for small children’s birthday parties.

Nearly47 · 10/03/2020 12:47

The only thing that I'd limit when mine were little would be the sweets and trips to McD. The others would probably would be to help keep them happy and me sane in a winter weekend

goldenorbspider · 10/03/2020 12:57

why so many people single out McDonalds as the absolute worst place to buy food

Unless you never eat junk food there's no room to take shots at McDonald's

theschoolonthehill · 10/03/2020 13:01

Just to clarify when I referred to my dislike of softball, I may have crossfires. I was talking about the ones with a ball pit and tunnels tore of one. Places like KidZania where kids can interact and role play are terrific imo.

CuriousCapricorn · 10/03/2020 13:16

Mine love McDonalds. Ds is 17 and is massively into gym and fitness now as has been for the last 2 years but he still has a McDonalds every couple of weeks.

Dd and I don’t eat meat apart from chicken. She has never eaten a burger/hot dog etc in her life but loves Mc chicken nuggets. She probably eats there once a week or every 10 days or so with her dad when travelling of a weekend and always has done. She is 9.

Her best friend is a very very fussy eater and after a recent residential trip she was taken straight to McDonald’s after eating very little for 2/3 days. Her mum is a senior nurse. She goes a few times a week as is guaranteed to eat it.
It’s not as bad as some make out- at all. Sometimes it’s just pure snobbery and other times the dc genuinely don’t like it or the parents are much more conscious of their dc’s diet than I am. Entirely an individual decision and for now I’m ok with it.

NeckPainChairSearch · 10/03/2020 13:23

why so many people single out McDonalds as the absolute worst place to buy food

Well, on this thread, the OP was specific - McDonalds. Not opinions on junk food. Going to McDonalds.

Incredibly, some people think McDonalds sells crap, tasteless food. Predictably, the other half of the thread goes nuts about it. Not liking McDonalds is:

Snobby
Lying about it
Middle class
Uptight
Lying about it
"Pearl clutching" (when will that one die?)
No idea about nutrition (baffling, but there we go)
Other judgey crap

Some McDonalds fans cannot accept that some people Just. Don't. Like. McDonalds. I don't like pork pies or lemon meringue pie either, knock yourselves out. On the other hand, I don't give a single shit about what other people eat. They can mainline Mcnuggets every day, I just don't care.

There's nowt as defensive as a McDonalds fan on MN.

derxa · 10/03/2020 13:55

You raise your children your way and I will do the same with mine. Well mine are in their late twenties. An occasional McD hasn't stunted their growth or made them fat. Variety is the spice of life!

Ellisandra · 10/03/2020 14:00

Another vote for person A.
I don’t like children’s magazines so never really bought those. But you could substitute in something else I suppose. That could easily be a typical weekend for us.

theschoolonthehill · 10/03/2020 14:08

Well mine are in their late twenties.

Maybe you have hit the nail on the head. We more choice than ever before.

I honestly don’t care what you eat. I really don’t.

I’m sure McD are delighted with your support. However, McD are a very profitable company. They are managing fine without my business 😀

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