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?

Omg yes this!!! WHY SO GOOD?!

My mum remembers fondly when she used to go the pub as a child and have a bag of ready salted crisps with a bottle of Vimto 😬

I love mumsnet, it never fails to leave me absolutely baffled after reading posts like this, and the number of responses from people seeming equally disturbed by a man eating crisps 😆 I personally don't understand this issue - as long as he isn't force-feeding them to you, I say let him have at it - but I'm clearly in the minority and am a grubby crisp snaffler myself, so am biased.

That's beside the point though, if him eating too many unfancy crisps bothers you enough to even prompt this post, you need to break up. It's pretty clear imo that you aren't in love with him, so I wouldn't waste your time.

sophisticated crisp 😆

Sounds like he could be ND but if he gives you the ick he isn’t for you.

I have a borderline phobia of crisps so YANBU, that would make me feel sick as well 😂😫

Well OP you've had enough feedback from other posters.
Is he still your (golden) wonder or will you walk(ers) through the door?
Ultimately only you can decide if the (kettle) chips are down enough to go.

I think you are being unreasonable because I don't think you care enough about him by the way your post reads. You are thinking about moving in together, but you prefer to post on a message board, rather than speaking to him directly. Not a good omen for the future. People have differing needs....this seems to be his.

I personally think that eating kettle chips is more socially acceptable than wolfing down a grab sized back of monster munch in front of your girlfriend and barely coming up for air!

Yes I agree. It's clearly making her frazzle(d).

This is who he is.
You are not compatible.
Holidays often expose this.

His habits are very icky.
Yanbu.

I probably wouldn't be that bothered about him scarfing 3 packs of crisps a day but I would be bothered about his hands and fingernails encrusted and his breath constantly stinking of pickled onion Monster Munch. And the fact that he shoves empty crisp packets in his bed is fucking horrible. I'd also couldn't be with someone that would rather have cheesy Wotsits and McDonalds on holiday abroad.

To be honest I’m not sure whether the visual experience would be any better for you if he ate Kettles crisps 🤣 it sounds vile whatever the price point.

For the sake of your partner, you need to LTB or LTB. Ba or Bi.

Wait, are they Walkers, Kettle, Sainsbury's Taste the Difference, Sainsbury's Stamford, or Bonilla a La Vista from F&M? That could change my advice. I mean you could be eating Bonillas with Hand crafted Kawai City chopsticks.

I agree it’s not just the crips eating that is a turn off. Stuffing empty packets down the side of the bed? I’m out.

My ex husband did the tipping head back and eating the last crumbs thing. Ex husband.

Why? What if you prefer monster munch?

The old mantra “I wouldn’t kick him out of bed for eating crisps” isn’t true here so it’s clearly time to kick him for touch…

Have you actually had a conversation with him about it?

Because if you havent YABVU to expect him to change something he isnt aware is a problem for you. There is a compromise here, such as not popping the bags, putting them in the bing and washing his hands. The same with not trying new foods. It could be that he has food issues, as an ARFID family we have similar problems with new food and sometimes its easier to stick with what we know works.

If you talk and you explain how it makes you feel and he refuses to compromise then thats different.

Crisps are crisps.

It doesn’t matter if it’s monster munch or kettle chips and I find it very odd that you think this way.

However, YANBU to separate from him.

You guys are too incompatible and you’re wasting time staying with him.

What is the reason you are still with him?

@chocoluv "Crisps are crisps"

Nah, pickled onion Monster Munch stinks. They're known for it. And the bloke doesn't ever wash his hands afterwards and he shoves the empty packets down the side of his bed! Sorry, but none of this is would make me personally want to shag him.

You’re seven months in, it sounds like you have the ick and no longer like him, so you can end things for any reason. You don’t need our permission.
he sounds like a teenager so this would annoy me too!!

I find it hard to believe this post is genuine. But assuming it is:

Ideally, his eating preferences would more closely match yours, especially as you are planning to live together. I eat a fairly healthy diet and love to try new things so I'd find it frustrating to have a partner with very different views (tho obvs we wouldn't have to have the same likes and dislikes). It makes shared meals more complicated and possibly could develop into a battleground.

What worries me far more though is that the things you do like about him seem superficial (looks and money) and speaking for myself I could not be in a relationship with someone who 'never let me pay', while you regard this as a positive. While not everything has to be split 50/50, my feeling is that your arrangement queers the pitch in what should be a relationship of equals, could be construed (though obviously not necessarily, and each to their own) as smacking of meal tickets, and an unhealthy power dynamic. But maybe it's just me.

If you get the ick this easily, you stand no chance of any relationship lasting. Habits are irritating, so essentially that means there will always be something that pissea you off. Crisp addiction is not the end of the world, but on the scale of life's annoyances, it wouldn't rate highly for me. The fact you are snobby about brands would make me far more alarmed.

Because it dictates where you eat. I wouldn't want to have my evening meal in a McDonalds. I would want to eat in a local restaurant/taverna/trattoria and sip wine while waiting for my Spanish/Greek/Italian meal to arrive.