Eating on Trains

[likepebblesonabeach]

I travel on the train daily to work, 30 mins each way. I've just came back from a 3 hour train journey and was shocked that a family of 4 got on with fish and chips. The whole carriage was stinking of fish and chips and the majority of passengers were on the train the whole journey so had to put up with this for 3 hours.
AIBU that if you travel on public transport you should be aware of those around you?

Eating on trains is fine. Personally, we are thoughtful about what we take with us to eat on long journeys. Cheese and biscuits but not smelly brie or Camembert. I was on a train where someone was eating fish and chips. There was hardly anyone on the train. Someone started talking about it to her other half, person eating moved. The vocal person was more annoying that the fish and chips smell

Someone on a recent train pulled out tuna sandwiches and a Tupperware full of roast chicken that smelled really strong. No need

Isn't it bad manners and inconsiderate to want to deter people from eating relatively normal food on a long journey in an environment where food is generally allowed and even sold just because it would be a minor inconvenience for you?

Isn't it bad manners and inconsiderate to want to deter people from eating relatively normal food on a long journey in an environment where food is generally allowed and even sold just because it would be a minor inconvenience for you?

No. Because no one is detering people from eating food - at least I'm not. The bad manners is food that is intrusive due to strong smell in a closed environment. It's not that hard to find non-stinky food even hot food. In first class on some trains, the train actually serves some hot food - but guess what - it's not strongly odorous in the way that fish and chips or mussells or McDonalds are.

It's not about a minor inconvenience for one person. It's about stinking out a carriage - unpleasant for all except the consumer.

Manners are about courtesy to others and considering the many as against the few. It's pretty obvious that eating smelly food in a not very well ventilated environment is going to trouble more than it would not.

It's the same as painting your nails with a strong chemical smell.

Yes I would eat a McDonalds on a train because its not a particularly smelly food! I've travelled home on the bus with a McDonalds to eat at home too which would presumably smell even closed ...

People who hate McDonalds are not my people and I don't have respect for them, no, because they'd be judging me for being "unhealthy" with no knowledge of me.

Menues posted for train companies show foods like fish and curries being served in first class

I was reacting to the post which said, that even if people were just saying that they consider McDonald's smelly because they don't like it in general, it would be good manners to avoid it anyway.

Which food is too smelly is subjective. Some people consider McDonald's too smelly , some don't care. Someone added their experience that on the last train from London more people have McDonald's on board than don't. Does it mean that from your point of view is ok to have McDonald's on late train, but not on the day one?

This seems to be the case when a potentially small but loud minority is trying to invent a social norm which would suit them and is invoking "manners" as a way to get it.

Guess what, they serve fish and chips on trains!

🤷‍♀️

I'd hardly call a train any more a closed environment than a restaurant!

And McDonald's is not "stinky".

And McDonald's is not "stinky".

If you have burgers and chips, McDonalds is stinky. Fish and chips served on trains are reheated microwaved - so like other hot food served by the train itself - do not have the overwhelming permiating odour that freshly fat fried fish and chips do or McDonalds.

It's clear from the OP and others on this thread that a large number of people do find these smells unpleasant and intrusive. It is just shitty behaviour to eat food like that on a long journey.

I'd hardly call a train any more a closed environment than a restaurant!

LOL. If you need someone to explain to you why a train that has windows you can't open and you can't leave for most of the travel time except when its at a station and unlocked is not a closed environment compared to a restaurant, it's not really any great surprise that you think McDonalds is not stinky.

Here's a bit of a clue as to the extent that any train is a closed environment:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-65501041

God, I detest the smell of McDonalds / Burger King / KFC etc. I think it smells revolting - especially in an enclosed space like a train.

Is a train more enclosed than a restaurant?

McDonalds is not stinky...

I won't go into a super long missive like yours.

And trains I travel on do have opening windows lol

Yes a train is more enclosed than a restaurant. And you are sitting much closer to your neighbours too.

McDonalds reeks.

That’s a Tube, not a train!

McDonalds is super stinky though. I wouldn’t eat one on the train. Hot food like a Leon box, I’m less bothered by.

Tgabks @TheBossOfMe, I hadn't even opened that link! But a tube train is hardly the same as an overground train!

But a tube train is hardly the same as an overground train!

Obtuse. Tubes do actually run overground on lots of lines. Only the Victoria & Waterloo & City lines are wholly underground. The point I was making applies to both - it's closed environment and if it starts to fill with smoke and the doors are locked you can't get out. You can't open a window and you can't open the doors yourself if it isn't in a station with doors unlocked. If you think that's the same as a restaurant then ... tee hee hee!

I feel that 'barbarian' is underused these days. Needs a revival.

3 hour train journey 100% would eat on train. I would want to rob their food off them. 😂

What about the northern line??

A very small section is overground.

Shall I go through every tube map?

And you call me obtuse

Does fish and chips and McDonald's produce smoke?

I love Glasgow. I'm still eternally grateful to the kind man who gave up his seat for me and my newborn son, our destination was 2 hours away. I'd just had my 2nd c-section.

🙄 in the past when I’ve been in London I’d regularly grab a Burger King in Euston for tea. If I’m getting a train at say 6:30-7 I’m not home till gone 10 and that’s my main meal for the day. Plenty of people buy coffee on or before the train, what if you don’t like the smell of coffee?

What about the northern line??
A very small section is overground.
Shall I go through every tube map?
And you call me obtuse

You are obtuse and digging deeper. I'm enjoying this enormously because it's hilarious.

So what about the northern line? I said in answer to your (wrong and stupid) point that a tube is 'hardly the same as an overground train', that many tubes run over ground and only Waterloo & C & Victoria are wholly underground. 'A small section overground' = not wholly underground. I was right.

If you are interested someone has done that job for you. TfL says only 45% of the tube network is underground. This research suggests in fact it's only 21% but even the official figure is more is above ground than underground.

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/this-interactive-tube-map-shows-which-bits-are-actually-underground-052118

This is all a bit off point now because the basic point is that a train (whether tube train or standard 'overground' train) it is a closed environment and not like a restaurant and making other people sit having to endure unpleasant intrusive smells that permeate a space (coffee in a cup doesn't permeate a whole carriage in the way that hot freshly fried/cooked food does) in a closed space is selfish and ill mannered.

Sadly, the way of the modern world is that people will just crack on doing their own thing to suit themselves with no consideration for other people - justifying it by whatever childish self-centred means that suits them (waaaaaaaaah! it doesn't smell. waaaaaaaah! I'm hungry. waaaaaaaaaaaaah! other people do it. Waaaaaaaaaah! the train serves hot food. Waaaaaaaaaah! I'm a wery thspecial toddler that wanths my McDonalds and I want it now! Waaaaaaaah! Waaah!).