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You're actually not allowed to eat on the DC Metro system.

I once witnessed a guy who splashed boiling hot coffee on the face of a woman next to him, when our train had to come to a screeching halt. Needless to say, I'm not an unbiased person when it comes to this question. However, I do feel that something that is "literally grab and gobble"......candy bar, piece of fruit, can or bottle of soda, cookies, etc. should be allowed.

I personally dont think its rude, I dont take it personal. But I do think its sad. When I see people eating on the train or in their cars, participating in the grub and go that modern life has imposed as an accepted habit, I cant but feel melancholy of days where that would've been looked upon as simply strange. Why would you eat on a train and not on a table at your house or a park even? Unless you dont have a home it might be justifiable, but because there isnt enough time? to eat? What?
To me nobody that eats within the mean time of their transportation journey seems to be at 100% ease. Maybe the Dominican guy does, who knows, I would've had to be there and see his composure to make the conclusion. Regardless, I think the question posed should be what happened that we ended up eating in our cars, trains, etc?
Let bring back the joys and pleasures of the table, even if we are so busy we think eating in the train is ok. Lets not participate in that madness. Lets be seriously happy eaters !
Buen provecho!

On the city bus - yes - I think it's rude to eat. You're not supposed to be people do it anyway.

The last thing I want to hear when I ride the bus is munching and crunching and slurping from some slob in the next seat.

One time I was riding the bus and some old guy with a big beard and a big backpack sat down near me. He got up to leave and a minute later I noticed a big pile of shredded chicken on the seat, crumbs, an empty bag on the floor next to what looked like - I swear - a slab of raw duck meat!

As I'm getting off at my stop, a lady made the comment to the bus driver, "man, looks like a vulture was eatin back there." It was actually funny.

It is not that I am really bothered by it but I just cannot even think to eat on the subways because as id eat id picture every germ imaginable going into mouth with that food. Needless to say, that is what i envision when watching and smelling the person with the tuna sandwich!

Very few people object to the smell of their own farts, of course people object more to the smell of food that in unfamiliar to them, which is why you should not bring food with a noticeable odor, or break wind, on mass transit.

I wouldn't bring a cheeseburger on a bus/metro/plane, who knows maybe I will be sitting next to a vegan.

wow, i would not compare the smell of farts to food from various parts of the world. one can imagine that cheeseburgers would start a thread such as this but it is usually the curry, the arroz con pollo, etc.

People who eat on the subways are disgusting.

If you are one of these people, take a deep long look at your life.

Food smells are the least of my worry on the subway - better the grossest, weirdest, Limburger-egg-sausage sandwich smell than the suffocating poisonous-smelling cologne worn prodigiously by so many men. (Women sometimes over-perfume too, but for whatever it's almost always men I end up sitting/standing next to with the over-fragranced problem.)

Eating on the subway seems inconsiderate to me because you might make a mess, take up more than your fair amount of space if it's crowded, or spill on someone next to you (I've been the victim of this a couple of times), but not really because of the smell.

Personally, I don't like eating on the run, and can't stand the idea of eating in the germ-infested subway, but it's more about the mess and the space than anything else. There are far worse smells in my day-to-day NYC life.

Do you eat on airplanes?

In San Francisco, it's against the rules to eat or drink, but that stops no one. In fact, drinking your morning latte has become de rigeur. I've had coffee spilled on me twice.

I think it's rude to eat or drink on public transit, and I think it's even more rude to do so when rules are posted clearly prohibiting it. --Of course, I also think it's rude to bury your nose in your hand-held device, zone out on your IPod, or yak on your cell phone to the exclusion of your fellow riders. That's another rant, however.

@redfish-doesn't matter. if vegans want to have their dietary choices respected they must also respect the diets of others. if you're out to dinner with a militant uppity holy vegan who gets all offended at people eating meat, etc., why would you be out to dinner with this person in the first place?

@P-wench--what about somebody involved deeply w/their ipod/phone is rude to you? (as long as they're not actually on the phone.)

"if you're out to dinner with a militant uppity holy vegan who gets all offended at people eating meat, etc., why would you be out to dinner with this person in the first place?"

Because the person will provide me with sexual gratification?

Is it rude to eat something within the vicinity of people that will definitely smell the smells of what you are eating? I love tuna, i even love a good fast food burger + fries once in a while, but when I get off the train and my fracking coat smells like an acrid, unwashed McDonalds' fry bin, yes it's rude. And disgusting by the way. Turkey sandwich? OK. Bag of chips? Pastry? Sure. Hot foods or otherwise smelly cold foods? You're a jerk. I kind of want to just go up to someone and say, so, you brought enough for the whole train right? And then yank a fry.

I don't mind people eating on the train, but they always seem to do it with something that smells good at just the time I'm most hungry. When it comes to myself, if I have to eat on the train, I usually limit it to something like a bagel. I would gladly give seats (even extra seats) to all the banquet-eaters the train could handle if only all the NAIL-CLIPPERS would go away. THAT is truly disgusting.

How is this even a question?

Eating while on public transportation is incredibly unsanitary for the person eating and everyone around them. I cringe to think of my food coming in contact with all of that germ-ridden air. And my hands touching my food and then my mouth after touching the handrails and seats, even with hand sanitizer. And no, I wouldn't want to smell anyone else's food either.

Now, the PDA/phone thing confuses me... so would it also be rude to read a magazine "to the exclusion of your fellow riders"? Or a book?

Personally, I don't eat food in public. I don't like people staring at me and when I'm eating ...I like to be sitting in some comfortable, so charming, wonderful chair ...listen to good music and enjoy great wine ...and most important of all ...surrounded by my family. On the other hand, considering your question ...I just think ...PLEASE! ...If some people are able to enjoy food during transportation w other people around ...don't stop the fun! Let them eat all they can and enjoy life!! It is true that sometimes some food can be "smelly" (some "fonda food" can be very overwhelming) ...but many other times ...by watching others eat in public ...it gives me great ideas to make when I arrive home and search the fridge for something really GOOD! It is there I start dreaming about great food!!!

I don't mind, as long as it's something that can be eaten neatly while in motion. Ideally, it requires only one hand, doesn't spill, stain or burn, and doesn't smell too strongly (I'm referring to the intensity/spread of the odour, not the type - I don't care if you eat curry or a hamburger, as long as the smell stays within 3 feet of you).

Planes are in a category unto themselves. They normally serve, or at least sell, food on the plane, which means you'll be subjected to food smells and messes anyway. So go ahead, bring that slice of pizza in your carry-on. Just keep in mind some foods are generally less appreciated, scent-wise: fish and eggs come to mind.

Should it be illegal? I'd say no--it would be hypocritical of me to come out in favor of an outright ban, given that at times when my blood sugar has been low, walking about, I have eaten a cookie or piece of fruit.

Rude--yesI Forget so-called ethnic food, NOTHING smells as horrid as that vague and diffuse 'McDonald's' odor of grease, plastic, and cardboard.

I agree with the sanitation issue as well, of course--I don't see how it could be physically pleasurable to devour good take-out in a smelly car, with unwashed hands.

However, there is another issue not as applicable to strong cologne--I know some people are quite affected by cologne, but it appears that food allergies, even contact allergies, can be more severe--what if someone eats a Peanut Butter Cliff Bar next to an allergic kid at very close quarters? I guess the argument could be made that going into a subway like a restaurant, you assume some risk but generally people are more prepared to protect themselves in spaces designed for eating.

THANK YOU, HeartofGlass, for mentioning food allergies. I am severely allergic to peanuts and it always makes me very nervous on public transportation/airplanes. What if someone is eating peanuts and then touches a pole which I then later touch? I've had to go to the hospital in similar situations before. I have had to move my seat or ask people to put away their snacks on the train before. It is a very uncomfortable and potentially dangerous situation.

i've done it a couple of times in the past, but i don't do it anymore. even a bagel with cream cheese is too messy for the subway, even if it doesn't smell too offensive. i am OK with small bites (chips, nuts, other snack-like foods) but i really can't stand when i see people eating a full-blown take-out box of chicken & rice. can't you wait another 30 minutes to get home? i personally don't care much for people carrying to-go food that smells, even if they plan to eat it later, not in public. once i had some dumplings i was taking home and i was pretty embarrassed by how much they smelled, even if they smelled good!

I don't care what people's circumstances are, it's rude, pure and simple. Eat before or after. (I'm looking at you, pregnant woman with the very smelly tuna sandwich who told me she had to eat because she was pregnant. I asked her if she knew she was pregnant before getting on the bus and, if so, why didn't she eat then?)

producestories' comment "please think of others" while referring to language/content is entirely relevant to the whole thread. I refrain from eating on public transport because I understand that other people may not appreciate me using public space in that way. I do this for the same reasons that I am quiet in libraries...I can only expect from others that respect which I myself show.

Rousseau had some ideas that people who *do* eat on public transport might want to think about.

holdthemayo--you're right about the 'garbage' aspect, and not just with messy garbage--if people didn't eat on the subway who had a home or office where they could eat their food (er...finger clippings aside) I think about 1/2 of the trash lying about would be eliminated.

@Barbara Hansen: I suppose it would have been much pleasanter for you if the poor lady had fainted, or had vomited convulsively all over your non-pregnant body; either can happen when a pregnant woman is deprived of food. I can't believe you actually called her on it, either. I bet the people you were with were cringing with embarassment for you. And by the way, were you sitting, and she standing, while this went on?

I've definitely been made ill by the smells of things people have been eating on buses and/or trains. If you MUST eat, please don't get the greasiest, smelliest food you can find - no one should be subjected to that!

I don't mind people eating a sandwich or a bagel. I've done it. I felt uncomfortable and rude admittedly but I was so hungry and had no time, I just had to. Once, I bought some chicken and rice from a halal truck and ate it on the subway platform while waiting for the train, but refrained from eating it on the train... even though it was killing me. Again, I was starving and it was so tasty. But I felt like that would be too much and everyone would hate me. People need to know where to draw the line.

Lots of good points made-for both sides. I have to admit. I can see both sides of this question. I think I look at things differently...

I work and go to school-full time on both. Here's what I think many people are forgetting...if you are in meetings all afternoon-you can't eat, you leave work-you can't eat while driving (can get a ticket) or in this case riding a bus, you get to class-professor states can't eat in class....Well, then when am I supposed to eat?? The best place in this scenario is on mass transit. Or say someone is hopping from job interview to interview or meeting to meeting on transit (meeting clients perhaps)-and you can't eat where you are because you need to make an impression. I bet if you ask the people who are eating on mass transit if they would rather sit at a desk/table to eat or where they are-I'm guessing they'd say somewhere else with someone else. I would think eating on a bus is last resort.

That said, what would bother me (and has in the past when I rode the bus-I drive now) are lack of manners-this is what I find rude, not the eating part. If you eat something on the bus, clean it up. Also, keep in mind where you are placing your food-it should not take up the seat(s) next to you. I understand you need to eat, but don't make others stand because you think the bench is a table for your 7 course meal. I think if people didn't take things to the outer limits, this would not be a conversation piece.

So-for my personal opinion...I used to ride the bus-I did not eat while on there, ever. For me, I couldn't do it-and it had nothing to do with other people. I couldn't because all that I would think about was all the germs that go on in there. NO THANK YOU. I would drink water and have a granola bar (or something along those lines) at the bus stop to hold me over. Then either eat in the car or class. I've been lucky where my professors were/are cool and just say eating is fine just please don't eat so and so (usually because they would want it).

Ok-that's enough from me...Sorry about the length, guess I had a lot to say.

@annien: Right on!

@producestories: You get a "Right on!" too.

CalTrans recently said they spend millions of dollars a year on spill/food cleanups on the trains.

I consider it rude to eat anything messy on public transit. I suffer guilt even when I bring on a bottle of water and a granola bar. I do my damndest not to even drop crumbs.

@annien: Please. She was sitting next to me, and was disdainful and rude. And when she got off bus, everyone was relieved. And, by the way, when she got off the bus, she walked into the park and sat on a bench with some friends. She couldn't have waited five minutes to eat in the open air?

Okay, i sounds like this particular lady was one you shouldn't have tangled with. But I still defend the rule.

This whole debate seems somewhat patronizing?

If you don't like the experience of "mass transportation" why not buy yourself a SUV to get around in?

I take the subway every day, and have no problem with a cup of coffee or a bag of chips around me. I do on RARE occation when in a rush (though never when the train is crowded) eat a sandwich. The foods that annoy me when other people eat them are hot foods (they smell more than cold), anything the requires a fork and knife (more chance of leaving a mess), and thingd like sunflower seeds (for some reason people think they can fling the shells and leftover bits on the floor.

When it comes to air travel, there's one airline that insists, for their vegetarian breakfast meal, to serve curry. I'm a vegetarian, and can't stand most curry. I feel awful when everyone turns to look at me to figure out who brought the stinky food. I don't know too many people who would want to be around curry at 8am, and hate to be the source of it!

Drinking coffee or tea... no. Eating (sorry)... yes. And it's unsanitary, too.

My mother drummed into me that it is not polite to eat if front of people unless there is enough to go around. It stuck, which is why I have to offer complete strangers tic tacs and gum (which seems to always be appreciated, but not always accepted).
You expect people to eat on planes, and personally, I would rather smell curries than airline swill any day of the week.

I think this brings up a bigger issue - in our always-on-the-go lives, we find ourselves sharing more of what would once have been private (phone calls, meals, etc) in public spaces. That being the case, I think we need to adjust.

Not to sound like Emily Post, but I think a little bit of consideration goes a long way. So, if I grab a curry a few stops from home, I'll wait until I get home to open the boxes, knowing that some of the scent is already leaking. If I do need to actually consume something on the train (and yes, this goes for airplanes too) I'll grab something not too smell: a sandwich (hold the onions), fruit, energy bar, cut up veggies, etc.