Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I eat on the subway. Not takeout, but in Montreal the subway station I use has a cafe in it, and sometimes I buy a coffee and a pastry and have them in the train. Mostly I have the coffee. I have an hour-long commute and my job starts really early and sometimes I just don't take the time to eat before I leave. I only actually eat if I am sitting down, and I don't have anything that smells or is messy. Is that rude? Perhaps to some people but I really don't think I am bothering anyone and I don't care. I've never seen anyone eat full meals though.

I'm a dietetics student and I plan to work in the UK at some point, but recently I've read some things from British dieitians that make me seriously question their knowledge. There's no benefit to fruit beyond cellulose and vitamin C? Seriously? Their complete denial of any benefits of the antioxidants and phytochemicals is pretty ridiculous. There are chemicals in plants that probably aren't strictly required for life (ie, not "nutrients") but they still have effects on the body, often in preventing oxidation, which causes cancer and cardiovascular disease. Also, when a study finds that people who eat fruit and veg live longer, it adjusts for physical activity and any lifestyle factors they can think of. I can't believe someone who supposedly reads scientific articles would say that fruits probably aren't that important in a diet.

I understand trying to dispel myths about juice being just as good as the whole fruit, or the fadism associated with eating the new "hot" food, but this article makes it sound like they're telling people not to bother with fruit at all.

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.

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.

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

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!

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?