Shamed for going to Pizza Express

[Pizzaexpressshame]

This has been on my mind for a few days. Newish friend and I met up one time and I told her how I was in the same area just a week ago with a friend and we had lunch at pizza express. We planned to meet but not much else, so when we got there we were hungry and PE was just the next thing we walked by.

She pulled a face, saying why pizza express, she knows better places, why did you go there etc. A couple weeks later I met her again at a place she chose and had been to before, which also did pizza and pasta. After we ate she said to me 'So what do you think of this place? I find it much better than Pizza Express'. I just said the food was nice but nothing I hadn't had before.

I felt so looked down upon as if I needed to be shown a better place to have lunch at. I find this friend generally exhausting, as in every conversation, every topic, she needs to come out on top. She had also made some racist remarks a few months ago, which I let slide.

Anyway, I have decided I let go of things friend and know how I am going to do it if she wants to meet up again. I won't ghost her. It was on my mind all week, but I feel really good about myself now. Putting myself first and being assertive. I'll find myself another new friend as I don't feel great around her.

I'm laughing b/c I remember as a teen Pizza Express was the posh place to eat with your family for birthday tea's etc., compared to say Pizza Hut.

What has Prince Andrew done to poor Pizza Express?! lol

I don't live in the UK anymore. When I visit I always want a pizza express and this thread is making me homesick.

Same here!

Ha PE is my favourite!
she sounds a bit exhausting, I don’t ghost people as I generally find that bad manners, but civil and near avoid is more my thing.

I like Pizza Express, and they have a great app now which gives freebies!😄
Sounds like you’re wise to ditch this friend, as she doesn’t make you feel good about yourself in general and that’s not a friend worth having.

Is anyone else old enough to remember when Pizza Express used to be quite posh? Cheap almost exotic food (the Neptune!) for the upper middle classes? This would have been about 1988 or so.

Your friend sounds like a dick. Don't be friends with people who are racist.

@hopsalong I've been eating in PE for at least three decades and yes, it used to be considered a step above quite a few places! I've eaten at PE in lots of uni towns, and never ever had a bad meal, ever. I love their pizzas, just the right size for me, not too flat/big, love the Fiorentina, and the desserts have been great throughout those decades too. I think they started to appeal more to families and do a children's menu about 10-15 years ago and perhaps they changed in tone, but business-wise that made sense. I still love PE and would never feel shamed for going there!

I don't think it is fair to defriend someone because they have more sophisticated food tastes than yourself.

There’s sophistication and there’s snobbery. There’s nothing sophisticated about looking down on the taste of others.

This

@hattyhathat @Oli83 Nope. Everyone is allowed to like or not like something and it is out of question that it should get accepted.

What is problematic is the shaming...why did you go there, omg, I know much better places etc. This is not a response that shows acceptance. Nor does it show acceptance when someone thinks they need to go on a mission to show you something better. Something better to PE after a PE meal they weren't even at. This is was judging someone else's choice. It is a reaction that says 'there is something wrong with your choice'.