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?

This. Crisps aside there’s no warmth let alone affection in the op.

He has a very childish attitude to food. Tipping the packet to get every crumb, popping the bag and only eating English food - sounds like a 12 year old boy not a grown man. I’d be embarrassed.
And I don’t agree with the posters who advise talking to him about it. He shouldn’t need to be told at his age. If he did change his crisp eating habits, I think you’d start to notice other things that give you the ick.
I don’t think he’s for you, OP.

Yes, it’s childish. It’s a sign of immaturity, lack of curiosity and childish stubbornness which would make me wonder about their attitude to other more important things in life.

At the risk of sounding like a snob, if you have any kind of food incompatibility then long term it is not going to work out. Think of how many meals a day you have to sit with this person and if you live with them how unbalanced the cooking or meals would be due to his limited diet. I have an ex that lived on curry, indian curry and the spicier the better. I think I must have been drunk for the best part of our relationship because I completely overlooked (or underinhaled perhaps) the 'scent' of spice coming from his bald sweaty head.
He was also a crisp eater and would chomp all the way through watching a movie so on a sensory level we had to break up before I was being taken away in a cop car.

I wouldn't be in a relationship where I didn't contribute financially.
Maybe he spends so much on you he can't afford real crisps/food?

The crisp eating wouldn't be a problem for me, the limited and unadventurous diet is the biggest deal breaker. Not even wanting to try different food in a different country is so boring.

His attitude to food and his restricted diet indicates a person who is stuck in their ways and inflexible.

I agree with this, he sounds fussy. I would rather someone who will have fun trying new foods on holiday, cooking healthy dishes together etc. My boyfriend eats lots of McDonald’s and it bugs me because it is utter rubbish… I think it’s important not to settle

Op I thoroughly enjoyed your post. You write so articulately about crisps. @SkippitySkoppityyou also made me chuckle.

As a crisp fan myself I would have no problem with the amount of crisps or indeed type of crisps he consumes, but perhaps the bag popping would be a step too far for me. However is it a dumpable offence? I think he needs the chance to rectify his behaviour so maybe have a conversation with him first and see if he’s willing to modify his habits.

Scrunching the bags down the bed could turn into an environmental health hazard if mice decide to darken your door.

It’s not the crisps, it’s the poor hygiene, juvenile behaviour popping the packets and stubborn toddler attitude to trying new food abroad.

You wouldn’t dump him for eating crisps but acting like a dragged up child.

Crisp childish habits you can probably train him out of. The popping the bag and tilting the last crumbs in his mouth is uncouth. You could probably have a word and point out that what is just about OK when you're 12 is not so ok as an adult. My partner had a few of these types of things when we were first dating that when I pointed out he was, like yeah fair enough and doesn't do them.

The not liking anything other than British food would be a deal breaker for me, but that's because I love to cook and love to try the local specialities in holiday.

He sounds quite uncultured but maybe that doesn't bother you?

Crisps wouldn’t bother me. Except I would find it harder to resist.!
popping a bag, spraying crumbs, littering would all annoy me and I would expect him to change his habits.
But the issue for me would be the lack of variety when eating out, not wanting to try local cuisine etc.
I’d say you’re not compatible. Better to tell him now

I love a pickled onion Monster Munch, but they are messy and smelly, so handwashing afterwards is a must.

The dirty hands and crumbs would drive me mad, but the dealbreaker would be not trying any local food on holiday and only eating crisps. I can’t be doing with adults who are so unadventurous with their food. (allergies and SEN aside, obviously).

Also, you’ve only known him for 8 months. Isn’t that a little soon to be living together? Or have you known him longer?

Either way, YANBU.

Why the rush to live together, it's only been 7 months, give it at least 2 years so you know you're compatible.

You had me at not the sophisticated type like kettle but niknaks to be honest. LTB immediately.

I mean you sound a bit of a snob - the eating of crisps (what you mentioned were NOT crisps btw) wouldnt bother me - the popping of the bag sounds weird tho. Th only thing that would really bother me is not trying food in different countries. You dont like him and you are not compatible - dump him and move on.

🙄

That's proper top tier ick - I can't see any coming back from that.

I wouldn't want those dusty orange fingers anywhere near my nik naks. Nor would I want to munch his cheesy wotsit.

He'll be dead in a couple of years from the hydrogenated fat and table salt so bin him now.

I would lose my shit at the head tilting crisp bag tipping/emptying.

He’s just not for you and that’s all there is to it. Absolutely don’t move in together when your instincts are telling you to run for the hills, that would be madness.

ETA: and with laws around cohabitation set to change in coming years, there’s nothing wrong with being discerning about who you choose to live with!

That's it in a nutshell for me. DH and I like to eat at the local Indian regularly. I would hate to be with someone who only eats McDonalds, all day breakfasts, fish and chips and carvery meals.

Eating a wide variety of cuisines is part of who I am.

@Spicyseniorita7 So much here for an ickyiologist to unpack. He should leave you for being so snobbish about food and for saying "we both live separately at present" . It should just be We live separately. Grammar heathen! 😂
His eating habits are disgusting but worse us him going abroad and not eating local food. There is no greater offence. Oh and him not letting you pay for anything ...Spidey sensea atingle. Is he infantalising you? Loving bombing?

Relationships like this are why Germany are out of the World Cup, the poor sods!

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

This just can't be said often enough on here:

You can dump your boyfriend for any reason you like.
* *
ANY REASON.

Explain it, don't explain it it, whatever. But you can do it. And if you're asking the internet if you should, the answer is yes.

Is he a fussy eater? You'd expect a 32 year old to have developed a more wider range of food choices than McDonalds and crisps. Have you been out with him to eat in the time you've been dating? Does he, for example, make excuses not to eat out? Either he's not been encouraged to try new foods when he was young, or he potentially could have an issue with food. He clearly doesn't see anything wrong in his crisp habit, and on the surface it isn't a big deal, but it might be he eats so many crisps because he restricts/is selective with food.

Monster Munch? 😂

He sounds like a child. Embarrassing. And I’d never get past the tipping up of the packet thing. 🤢 I bet he licks the lids of yogurts too, or petit filou as he undoubtedly hasn’t moved past them, either.

But worst of all is the going abroad and only wanting to eat British crap. That should be more than enough reason to immediately dump him.