My date ate leftovers from a stranger’s plate instead of paying for a meal because he hates seeing food waste – people tell me to dump him immediately

A woman has asked whether she should dump the man she was dating after he ate leftovers from other diners’ plates in a pub.

The anonymous woman took to British parenting forum Mumsnet to share her dilemma in a afterin which she explains that she has been seeing the man for a few months.

They went for lunch, but when he saw leftover toast and sausages on a plate that had not yet been cleared on the table next to them, he declined her offer to buy him lunch and insisted on eating them , because he hates seeing food waste. .

She asked if other forum users would be put off by this and admitted she found it unappealing – and the vast majority agreed.

However, some urged her not to rush to end things if this is his only negative.

The message read: ‘Yesterday we went to a pub at lunchtime for something to eat. When we got there, the table next to us had not yet been cleared and there was still quite a bit of food on the plates.

‘I asked him what he wanted to eat for lunch, and he said he would just eat some leftover toast and sausages from the uncleaned table. I thought he was joking and laughed. But he actually meant it.

‘He took two pieces of leftover cold toast and some sausages, then ate them without a plate. I said I would buy him lunch and he wouldn’t have to eat leftovers! He said he couldn’t stand food waste.

“I ordered my own lunch and ate it by myself because he had already eaten the leftovers of the people who had left.”

Then she asked, “Would this keep you from someone?” Or should I be more accommodating?! To be honest, it made me feel very uncomfortable and I also found it very unattractive. How would this make you feel, may I ask?’

The user concluded her post by saying that the man has never done this before but “has hinted that he wants to do it when [they had] been to other places’.

She wrote: ‘I asked him yesterday if he was worried about someone’s saliva being on the leftover food, but he said he didn’t care.’

The responses to the woman’s post were basically unanimous, with fellow forum users agreeing that the man’s behavior was undesirable.

One wrote: ‘Grim. Really grim.

A similar comment read: “I couldn’t undo the ick of this.”

Another said: ‘Yes, it would really put me off. I can’t believe someone would do that, it’s disgusting.’

Another poster agreed, writing: ‘Utterly disgusting. I couldn’t get over this.’

And another said: ‘Oh disgusting! Ranking aside, a meal is about the two of you sharing food and an experience together that he completely ruined. If you don’t recognize that and let yourself eat alone, that is an insult.’

Some respondents asked if there could be a reason for the behavior.

One forum user wrote: ‘Is there any relevant context before you rush to dump him? Did he grow up in poverty or with very little money?’

Another added: ‘I wouldn’t like this either but I wonder if he’s ever actually been poor or homeless.’

And a third said: ‘I sympathize with him a bit because of the hate residue. I hate waste. When you see barely touched plates of food just thrown away…

‘I’ve never done this before, though. On a hygienic level it is a bit questionable.

“I think it’s fair to be a little put off by it. If he’s a nice guy and this is the only problem, I might overlook it.’

Another added: ‘The relevant question is why he can’t tolerate food being wasted? Experience with past poverty? Ecological reasons?

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think it’s that bad, but it’s quite an unusual thing to do.”