Would you say this was a red flag on a date?

[Margaretbaxter]

I'm so out of the loop so I have no idea.

We'd eaten in a café, I couldn't finish my food as I was full so I got the sandwich to take away.

A couple of hours later we were walking around and I got hungry again so took out my sandwich. He said let's find somewhere to sit down whilst you eat.

I said, thanks, but I'm ok honestly I don't mind walking around with it. He said, no I insist you sit down. I said again that I was honestly ok walking with it but he was absolutely adamant that we sat down.

There was just something that felt a bit off about him not taking no for an answer, am I reading into this?

If it were the other way round i would've not asked again after the first no.

I don’t see eating and walking favourably but I do think it might be a potential issue that he couldn’t take your answer. It could just be that he saw it as rude and that’s why he was insistent and there might not be other issues that would come up with. If you like him I’d still go on other dates.

Maybe your standards are too far adrift.

In my view walking and eating is grim, but I can understand that you must have felt very forced into sitting down by him, which isn’t a good sign.

You are ill-mannered and he's been considerate enough not to point this out to you. Don't worry about red flags. He's seen one and is unlikely to be available to school you in future.

Why is it I'll mannered? No-one has actually explained why it's an offensive action?
Also no-one explains why ice cream is magically exempt

Sometimes manners are just social conventions and the reasons can vary in cultures. In some it’s seen as rushing food and not appreciating it. There’s also the sloppiness of it and how you’re more likely to make a mess if you’re eating while doing something else. You could drop some food or get it on yourself.
Ice cream in a cone doesn’t fit a sit down meal as well so maybe that’s why things like that get more of a pass, but personally I wouldn’t like to eat it on the go either.

@Margaretbaxter just got notified of the poll results and very surprised indeed. I came to make a last supportive statement YANBU! All the best 🙂

So Your mother is a hypocrite; who eats (ice cream) in the street but tells you it’s impolite and bad mannered to eat when out & about.

The only standards I’m seeing are double standards HTH

Whatever you say champ👍

The only standards I’m seeing are double standards HTH

I'm also seeing quite a few chips on shoulders on this thread and defensiveness

funny how 'eating' always turns into stuffing/guzzling/shoving/jamming etc

Several posters have explained why they feel that way without insulting the OP (or anyone else)

So did you sit in the end? Next time he orders you around, say no and stick to it - how he reacts will be your answer.

Will add that the thing about eating and walking is the other person doesn't get to see you much, simply because you are a passer-by, and it is in the open air.

Compare that to being on a train, and a person or family sit down and get out their stinking fast food and prepare to devour it at their leisure, and you can't escape or stop them doing it... yet in theory this is polite behaviour compared to walking along a street sipping a Diet Pepsi or eating a sandwich.

🥱 don’t remember asking!

Thanks for proving my point @JoeSikoraTommysStory