Should I dump my boyfriend because he won't stop eating crisps?

[Spicyseniorita7]

I'm in a relatively new relationship (7 months) after over 2 years of being single with some dating disasters along the way. Everything seems great on paper, he is kind, has a good job that pays well, not bad looking, treats me well and never allows me to pay for anything. For context, I am 28F and he is 32M- we both live separately at present. I would like to settle down soon.

I'm unsure if I am self-sabotaging, but some of his eating/snacking habits disgust me, to the point that I think I've developed the ick. This came to light properly on our recent 2 week holiday-prior to this, the longest we had spent together was about 3 days. He eats at least 3 packets of crisps per day and not the sophisticated type i.e kettle chips, think more Skips/monster munch/Nik naks/cheesy wotsits/space raiders. He doesn't wash his hands after eating the crisps and requires prompting to do so. This often results in him having disgusting synthetic crisp dust all over his fingers and fingernails.

Even more disgustingly, after he's finished with a packet, he arches back his head and empties the remnants of the crisp crumbs into his mouth. It's almost as though he cannot bear for a single scrap to be wasted. But the most disgusting is sometimes, after finishing a packet, he will blow up the packet like a balloon and pop it. This has resulted in me being sprayed with crumbs. I've also found scrunched up crisp packets wedged behind his bed, almost as though he can't be bothered to walk to the bin.

We recently went on holiday to Spain and it was mortifying-he didn't try any local food and just wanted to eat British food, McDonald's and crisps. We went to the supermarket and he loaded up the trolley with crisps. I haven't said anything yet, he is keen to start looking for a flat to rent together, but I just can't help but thinking I would prefer a man who doesn't eat over 3 packets of crisps a day and doesn't smell like pickled onion Monster Munch or cheesy wotsits. Is eating all of those crisps a dumpable offence?

The crummy fingers and bed crisp packets would definitely give me the ick and the popping crisp packets would just make me think “what a child”. YANBU!

Yum,.I love crisps and I'm not ashamed to admit I eat them in bed and stick the empty packets in my bottom beside drawer. As far as the food on holiday, there is hope. When I 1st started seeing my DH he used to eat the same tea every day. Pie, chips and beans. No deviation even when we went on holiday. He grew out of it when we moved in together. I still take the piss every now and again.

I came here to say yes, you are being unreasonable. I love crisps!!! But after reading your whole post, I’m not surprised you got the ick. Sounds like he has childish eating habits/hygiene practices which would give me the nick too. The exploding the bag thing shooting crisps over you did make me laugh though, but not in a good kind of funny way

You should break up with him because you don't like him. The whys and wherefores don't really matter. You don't like him ergo it would be a terrible idea to continue a relationship with him.

I don't think you're compatible. He's a slob and you're a snob

Eating the crisps I wouldn't care about at all. But then I love crisps. It's his decision how much he eats in a day.

However the lack of consideration of spraying you with crisp crumbs and leaving the packets behind him instead of using a bin would be dumpable for me.

This is the opposite to the saying ' I wouldn't kick him out of bed for eating crisps. 😁

I love shitty snacks but the dirty hands, playing with the empty packets and not trying food would put me off.

I actually autistic but trying food is part of why you go away surely? I mix it in with safe foods.

He eats at least 3 packets of crisps per day and not the sophisticated type i.e kettle chips, think more Skips/monster munch/Nik naks/cheesy wotsits/space raiders.

Dump him immediately, unless he switches to Tyrrells.

I'm not surprised that he's keen for you to move in together after only seven months together. But you'd be a fool to do it. It sounds as though this man child thinks he can buy his way into living with someone who has no choice but to pick up and clean up after him.

OP you might like to read this thread:

You meet the one. They're perfect for you. Then youve got the ick so badly you eant to set fire to yourself. What petty thing did they do?? 👀 | Mumsnet

Clearly, you are not compatible. Don’t flog a dead horse.

I got the ick from a guy who didn’t eat any vegetables and would only drink hot chocolate.

This thread has reminded me of the joy of blowing up and popping empty crisp packets. I’ve not done it for years but will be blowing up my empty bag of marmite puffs in the morning 🤣

I think you are being a bit melodramatic but not entirely wrong. Someone that refuses to eat different goods, leaves rubbish around, and pops crisp bags sounds quite immature. Is he immature in other ways? If he's otherwise fine I'd just sit him down and say look - I love you, keen to move in blah blah but there are habits of yours that come across as quite immature. In our own place I would want to live with someone who looks after that space not leaves it filthy. Which means all rubbish in the bin, wash hands immediately after eating any greasy food including crisps, and not popping crisp bags and spraying crumbs everywhere. I would give it a good amount of time to check he's properly changed his ways before you move in together.

But ultimately, life is too short to put up with things that really aggravate you. In relationships you can have so many divergences on important things, and it is hard to navigate those things. If you start off constantly pissed off with him it won't end well - don't move in unless you are really sure.

This. It wouldn't be for me OP. And for God's sake don't move in with him if he's already irritating you.

There are more interesting and adventurous men out there.

Have you talked to him about it? If it’s potentially a deal breaker, you really should. Give him a chance, but if it doesn’t improve, and that’s the hill you want to die on, end it. Small annoyances can become insurmountable obstacles. To me, in the big picture, it’s not the worst thing he could do. And you might have habits that really irritate him and that he wishes you would stop. But if his good qualities don’t outweigh this single quirk, move on.

This made me laugh.

I dated a man who announced on our second date that he only ate chicken. I thought he meant he only ate poultry, like some people are pescatarians or vegetarians, but no, he meant he only ate plain grilled chicken. Every meal
Wouldn't go to a restaurant unless grilled chicken was on the menu. I dumped him after the third date when he pushed coq au vin around his plate and wanted to go home for some 'real food'. 😂

He could at least have eaten Lays. On the balcony with a bottle of Fanta Limon.

It's the only eating English food thing that would bug me but as long as he didn't mind me eating local I wouldn't judge him for his (terrible) eating habits

You’re not compatible!!! He’s not up to your standards. Move on, don’t settle! Xo

I would be worried about his daily crisp habit as he is probably neglecting his health in other ways.

As for not eating local cuisine - this suggests a very closed, set in his ways approach to life.

I vote for throwing this one back. If it irritates you now, can you even imagine what it might be like in 10, 20, 30………. etc years of time 😱

I used to work with an intern who used to do the chugging the crumbs out of a packet of crisps down his throat and I always remember thinking, you are never gonna get laid

And he ate the childish type of crisps that you mentioned

He’s done well to find Nik Naks/‘Monster Munch/Worsits type crisps in Spain. Up until about a decade ago they only did ready salted Leys. When I was there last year they’d branched out into salt and vinegar and paprika but I’ve never seen them sell crisps such as you would find here.

He sounds like a teenage boy. If you have the ick after a two week holiday how would you be able to live together. Not washing his hands and not putting the empty bags in the bin would annoy me. Is he lazy? What’s the state of his flat like ? YANBU for thinking about dumping him, I mean , you want what you want right ? He has basic tastes and is not curious about other cultures, you are more discerning. You are mismatched. It won’t work if contempt is creeping in and you can’t respect him. Choose carefully, don’t settle for someone just because you are keen to settle down. If you back the wrong horse it can really mess up your life.

I know what you mean op. And I think once you've got the ick, it's very hard if not impossible to come back from.

Obviously there's nothing wrong with crisps but the behaviours associated with them would give me the ick too.

I had an ex who used to drink the remains of a pot noodle and it completely put me off him, even though I enjoyed (and still do) an occasional pot noodle myself. I think it was something about the gluttony of not allowing any of it go to waste.

So I get where you're coming from. Plus the empty crisp packets wedged in his bed makes me think he's potentially very immature in some ways which you may have yet to see.