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?

Trains serve hot food from their catering window.
The difference in the past was that there was a dining carriage to consume hot food. This was cut to reduce costs.

Cold and non smelly food seems ok. Fish and chips is really inconsiderate.

There is one in Dubai & Amsterdam off top of my head. Definitely also seen them in the US though I don’t recall which airports

I think there's a difference between a hot meal served on a long journey and a family getting on a commuter train with greasy fish and chips wrapped in paper.

I do think the latter is quite antisocial.

There might be a difference, but where are the train operators supposed to draw the line?

You can take on hot food if your journey is longer than... ?

You can take on this hot food but not that?

How would you propose they manage this?

It wouldn’t bother me. People eat in trains.

@SunriseSunsets not expecting a private service without other people around eating or talking just a bit of consideration but sounds like that’s not high on your priority list, congratulations.

@tobee I don’t think anyone is setting a standard, it’s just standard politeness to be aware of behaviour causing an issue for other people. You know, just being thoughtful and not thinking what you want to do trumps other people’s wishes - it’s not that hard.

Well that's not complicated.

You can buy hot food on the train if it's a long enough journey for them to serve it, but you don't bring it on. The same as on a plane.

Are you suggesting they search bags before you get on?

I don't think they're staffed up for that

I hope the family had a lovely day, do you think they'd been to the beach at all?

I find it hilarious that you call someone else judgemental!
It's fish and chips not a smelly wound. Just food!

You can take hot food on some planes. Pretty sure Ryanair, as an example, let you take on hot food but not hot drinks. And on planes you pass buy people at a few points where they would be able to intervene. Who would be doing that on a train? I reckon the operators would be more interested in making sure everyone has tickets than ensuring they aren't carrying the wrong type of food.

Obviously not 🙄

Various type of public transport might have no fast food/ no smoking/ no alcohol signs, despite the fact that you might be able to buy some of these things once on board.

This isn't a difficult or complicated thing.

does a ham sandwich smell ?

I don't know, are there many beaches in Birmingham?

Why wouldn’t you eat a sandwich near a stranger? I don’t get it. Genuinely.

You are right. It's easy to say you can't do something.

Not so easy to get people to comply. If it were that easy, courts and prisons wouldn't need to exist.

I agree, it's pretty gross, just eat a sandwich ffs

Your 30 minute journey to work clearly isn't as a commuter in London. People eat all sorts on my trains. Late night trains are a positive fun of McDonald's and alcohol.

Of course. But we accept that things are not 100% enforced across society all the time. It's illegal to speed, we still have speed limit signs up everywhere. Signs are still helpful.

You’ve never been on the last train home from Liverpool Street! It’s mandatory to have a macdonalds!

People always eat on the train, I wouldn't think anything of it.

I painted my nails once on the train and some woman a few seats down had a massive passive aggressive rant at her companion about it, saying 'it's giving me a headache, it stinks'. In the 5 minutes it took me to do it?? Lol.

3 hour train last night didn't serve food because it was a small train... the whole journey could have been over 5 hours if I went from the ultimate A to Ultimate B. Would have had food if it been the train before. Same train could have had people on for 5 hours or 20 minutes. The trolley coming around could have been at any point. Travelling from Birmingham to London, the what was Virgin trains would have a food carriage most of the time. Didn't have to be on there for a specific length of time to buy food. How would it be judged if your journey warranted food?

And I wouldn't take Fish and Chips because fish is widely considered smelly but wouldn't consider a burger offensive however someone just said it was worse... see where problems arise?

I love eating on the train, it feels like a real treat for some reason!

When trains are packed out and people leave their bags on the few empty seats, I make sure to loudly comment on it as I walk through the carriage.