Rude behaviour at buffets

[ChopstickNovice]

We are in Gran Canaria and it's been LOVELY. Not actually encountered any cheeky fuckery at all until this morning.

I was at the hot drink machine (one of 3 in a row) dispensing hot water into a teapot. A man came up beside me, paused my hot water, made himself a cappuccino and then walked off! Not a word. Didn't even look at me.

I mention that he was very old only because it maybe explains that he didn't realise I was there? But he was aware enough to stop the hot water, so....? Also there were two free machines right there!

I was so surprised I didn't say anything.

Please tell me your stories of buffet (all inclusive or otherwise) cheeky fuckery!

Why does a fun light-hearted thread descend into this?

makes me quite sad

Nor was her last sentence 😂

Boooo where are my silly stories about gluttons at buffets???

100% agree. I would have said something.

Nor is my comment, but here we are.

Very strange! Who just stands there mute?!?

Quite often it is clearly not there for everybody.

Salads and so on, made for everyone - fine. But when there's things like chicken legs and sausage rolls aplenty, and then a small plate of quiche or cheese & onion rolls, it's clear the latter is meant for the vegetarians.

Really buffets should have very few meat options. Maybe 10% of the dishes.

Recently stayed at all inclusive in tenerife and a couple were at the lunch buffet at the bar by the pool and piled their plates full of salad and sliced meat etc. They then turned the corner to where the burgers and chips etc were and said 'oh no I don't want this' and literally hurled both (paper) plates into the bin and started again. Half the salad missed the bin and they just left it on the floor and went to get burgers!!

I swear these buffets bring out the absolute worst in people!

We stopped going to Bulgaria on holiday because of the Russians' behaviour. Not xenophobic in the slightest. But very considerate of other people so when they are:

Literally elbowing you or your DC out of the way to get stuff
Running to get in an already full lift, tripping and throwing their hot coffee all over you
Having arguments with other nationalities in English (with neither native speakers but me a captive audience delighted to be able to understand what's going on) about sun beds and parasols
Leaving a hat on the best table for the entertainment and effing off until halfway through the show
Sitting in front of the kids row of chairs with their child on their lap

Then you tend to categorise a nation as poorly mannered.

My buffet story is (edited bloody MN posted too soon)

when a Russian boy (8/9?) just kept putting through every different type of pastry through the conveyor belt toaster despite picture signs and all language signs saying don't. I took them off and pointed to the sign. He put them back on. I repeatedly took them off and pointed to the sign said no and did the universal hand sign and head shake. He just kept putting them on. Once my stuff was done I left him to it. DC came back a while later commenting on the cremated remains piled up at the back of the now off toaster. Parents no where to be seen and couldn't give a flying f.

You are completely right. Russians are known for this: " I paid for this so I can do whatever I want" attitude.

Not xenophobic neither and my husband is half Russian:)

Not a silly story but at least I'm not pointlessly arguing with anyone. Back in the days when work provided a buffet for training events or important meetings I was one of those poor veggies who suffered at the hands of the samosa thieves. There would always be an excellent tray of samosas and pakoras for the veggies and Muslim staff which, of course, we never got to see because of the greedy carnivores clearing the tray before moving on to the meat stuff. We regularly asked Sandra if she could order double so we might at least get a sniff of a samosa but because she was a power crazed loon she never did. One day my manager asked me if I wouldn't mind sorting out the catering because Sandra was off sick. Drunk on Sandra's power (and having access to the catering codes) I ordered falafels, salads, dips, hummus and carrot wraps, samosas, pakoras, veggie spring rolls, vegan cakes, fruit salad cups and no meat. It was amazing but the meat eaters complained that there was nothing for them and I wasn't allowed the catering codes ever again.

Nah this is an awesome story you're good.

My mental image of your feast is awesome!

maybe we could hack the catering codes to relive the glory

If you think Russians are bad try going on a cruise with a load of Americans . Unbelievable greed, huge amounts of food on plates and terrible attitude towards the mostly Asian or Filipino servers . Bet they wouldn't behave like that in the US where they would be expected to tip . And would be subtly punished if they were stingy or rude.

That's as much the hotel management's fault as the selfish Russians, their behaviour is well known in the hotel world and the hotel should be taking steps to stop them.

Doesn't every light hearted thread descend like this on MN? So many have had the humour by-pass.

Ha. Same. My DC had waited ages for fries and a giant Russian guy snatched the tongs out of her hand. I marched ovet sooo quick and took them off him with the biggest glare. He looked so shocked.

Not quite a buffet CF but we had a family meal at a pub for MIL birthday.

As pubs go we pre ordered a meat main dish which they served nicely presented on a plate. Vegetables were served on separate dishes to share... I sat beside DH nephew (23) and he basically took a veg dish and tipped the whole lot onto his plate. I made sure that was all he got!!

because...that's not how conversations work?

I'm starting to think you're being deliberately obtuse now, surely in real life you don't expect normal human interaction to be along the lines of:

You: A funny thing happened at my brother's wedding last week
Friend 1: I went to a wedding in the summer
Friend 2: My sister's wedding is next month
Friend 3: I have also been to a wedding previously

But instead:
You: A funny thing happened at my brother's wedding last week
Friend 1: Oh yeah, what?
Followed by further questions along the lines of what happened next, I've also seen/done that specific thing, I like/dislike that specific thing, I agree/disagree with what happened, tell me more about x,y, or z, ask a further question related to the topic 'what's his wife like,' 'what did you wear,' 'did you enjoy it,' blah blah blah.

Otherwise what on earth is the point in everyone just taking their turn to repeat their own experiences, which they already all know about because they were the ones there, so gain absolutely nothing from the experience? Surely the point of an interactive chat forum is to, you know, INTERACT, i.e. read OTHER people's experiences and engage with them.

And what on earth are you on about? I didn't 'tick you off' (are you an Enid Blyton character?) about how you posted, I criticised your actions at your brother's wedding! YOU were the one who decided to monitor what direction the thread is/isn't allowed to take and what it should be "about!"

I went to Gran Canaria last month and I couldn’t get over the rudeness too, and mostly from the English guests! Just typical etiquette if having to wait for someone to go past, no thank you! Or barging past when the buffet was so crowded.
What tickled me was one night you had to queue for a drink in the dining area of an evening so I was waiting to be served, a man picked up an empty glass and looked like he was going to pour himself a water out of the self serve machine, no… he leant his glass behind the wine pouring part and served himself! The waitress behind the bar soon put him in his place.

Pretty much everyone else on this thread seems to understand that it's about sharing anecdotes.

I'm just going to read those posts and enjoy them, if that's ok by you. Sorry if that's not highbrow or conversational enough for you! Some of us just want to have a quick grin at stories about rude Russians or whatever.

I will always invite any vegetarians up first if there’s a buffet.

Of course meat eaters aren’t expected to eat only meat, but it’s best to let the veggies get a chance at those protein based items they can eat first of all.

There have been lots of these threads but the consensus is always that it is not fair play and that vegetarians should be invited up first to prevent this.

They don’t end with posters agreeing it’s all fair in love and buffets and that vegetarians can be left with nothing to eat if omnivores “fancy” the vegetarian option.

Yes they can have some but only once the vegetarians have been served.

Going on holiday next week. This is a good reminder to pack food bags and a few plastic containers.

You were surprised the whole while he took to make a drink and you said nothing?

This is why some people are so rude. Because no one calls them out for it.