To ask why people that take half put the other half back

[AlwaysPrettyOnTheInside]

Inspired by a comment on the crumpet thread.

I understand why people might take half a biscuit/doughnut/cake/pie, whatever. They are teeny tiny and can only manage a few bites. We all get that.

BUT why do they think it's acceptable to touch said item and put it back like someone else will want it?

If you do this, why do you do it?

Why don't you take the other half for yourself another time?

Why do you think someone else will want to eat half a squashed iced doughnut with your fingerprints in it?

Even more disgusting are the people that don't even pretend at hygiene and don't even get a knife, they just tear it in half with their hands and put the other half back

Yabu - it's fine for people to touch up food items with their dirty fingers and leave them for others.
Yanbu - these people are disgusting.

And I'm talking more in office spaces etc than your home, but still, homes count if you have people other than your immediate family there.

Not everyone feels the same way about hygiene.

I’ve not seen anyone do this, I agree it’s grim though!

Never come across anybody that takes half a biscuit or donought. Who are these people, is it in your family or at work where you are seeing this?

I've never seen anyone do that. Where do you live and work? maybe it's a local thing.

Only seen this with a knife and an offer to share with someone actually there!

I’ve never, ever seen this happen but in my work we’d probably just break it in half and hand it to someone else in the office as we’re all very close.

Never seen anyone do this.

The only time I’ve done this is when a colleague knows I’m on a diet and yet still keeps shoving cakes and biscuits at me and won’t take no for an answer. The last time I snapped and farted off a quarter of a biscuit and left the remainder in the pack just to get them off my back.

The only time this is ok is if someone asks if anyone wants half and splits it there and then, leaving a half munched cake/biscuit that nobody knows where it’s come from is minging.

Because taking the half is a performance of how virtuous and birdlike they are. Not keeping on about it and leaving the evidence of the remaining half would defeat the object of people knowing they are so much more restrained and delicate.

I sometimes have only half, I say 'thank you' and take a whole one, and eat what I want. Because no one else cares what I eat.

I've worked in offices in London and seen this loads of times.

Usually with a bit of a performance about how little thet can eat but that's not the point of the thread.

Central london/city I mean.

I would think that was rude though, unless there was way more food than the group could eat. If it’s sharing food you should only take what you’re going to eat, unless you’re saving it for later of course.

No touching though - use utensils. We actually have a cake slice at work for this purpose!

I used to see this all the time. Often it would be the last donut, presumably because they didn't want to be greedy and take all the remaining.

But plenty of people would just take half a donut as a regular thing.

Depends what it is. Cutting with a knife is fine, bending a giant cookie in half is fine. Squashed things or fingerprints are not.

i never bother to have anything from a shared bowl in the office. i’ll have a biscuit if it’s in the separate packs and newly opened. I trust the hygiene of my immediate family so i don’t mind eating from the same packet/bowl as them

I am mystified that so many people can eat an entire donut! One glazed donut is 190 calories! And who has a stomach that big?!

I will admit that I could stuff myself with half a donut, but I am admittedly a greedy guts.

My coworker and I sometimes can't resist and will split a half a donut between us. Of course we use a knife and I suppose it's not too bad, so long as its only on the rare occasion.

I'm not virtuous or birdlike but often by the time the doughnuts come out I've already had my snacks so only fancy half. As other people might be the same, I would cut it with a knife and leave the other half rather than chucking it out.

Eurgh, touchy-food people are morally wrong.

The worst is when there is one doughnut left. Then it disappears gradually in bits.

9 times out of 10 its probably the same person cutting bits off each time they walk past but who would think it's acceptable to leave that there and who would see 3/4 of a doughnut and think ill cut a bit off that half eaten doughnut and leave the rest.

It's just disgusting every way you look at it.

Crikey lots of germ phones on here. I would absolutely take the left over half of a donut if there was one sitting there, especially if it had been tidily ur with a knife. And if you took half and threw the other half away I'd think you were wasteful.

I do it (with a knife or clean hands) but only because I've had one already 😅

Why does it matter if they're using a knife? It's not like they're nibbling bits off

Op you do seem a bit fastidious/germ-phobic

I'm happy to eat their other half- don't care if they have touched it.

Do you also use a fork? Because otherwise you have touched it with your fingers to cut it.

Why do you think someone would want that?