Pardon the Interruption: Memo to Self- Don't you dare Judge
There is nothing wrong with eating on the subway or on the subway platform.
Call me prissy or whatever you may, but every time I would see someone eating on the train or even worse on the platform, I could not understand how they could do that. I do have some unreasonable tendencies but I never felt this one was too much. I'm all for pizza and street food and eating on the street corner, so I'm not 100% prude.
The train thing is different. Now, mind you, there's very little you can find appetizing about the train or platform. Eating, is normally the last thing on my mind. And by this I mean, not even a pack of chips- the most I would do is gum or maybe candy- (pop and you're done, not muching on entire bar of chocolate). I don't know how I managed this long to not encounter that one variable: HUNGER, while taking the subway. I think it's because I rarely stay on the subway long enough.
Well, that all changed this past week- oh the sad hypocrisy and embarrasment. I'm laughing at myself because I know some people may find it all too silly. But I'm serious it's not silly to me.
I had a meeting somewhere far away which required LOOOONG subway ride. It was not supposed to take long, so I did not grab any breakfast before heading out. Let's just say the meeting, at which I unfortunately could not sneak out for even a snack took FOREVER. As soon, as I got out, I had a second meeting I was already uber late for, so I had to run. I grabbed a pack of chips from the guy next to station, ran down stairs and unto platform.
NYC is great city, but there' nothing you can do about what comes with the package. And this package comes with garbage ridden tracks and rats bigger than my head. I could see them scurrying about, but all I could think was "GOODNESS ME, I AM STARVING".
I started wondering which would be worse. Eating right there on platform, or waiting to get into slightly more sanitized train car. If I had any assurances that the train wasn't going to be packed so full and so tight, that my head's only resting place would be under a stranger's pits, I would have chosen the train. But being all too familiar with the massive possibility that I would be grinding with a stranger, I didn't think that was a preferred position to try to snack.
So, I went ahead opened my pack of chips and went for it. You must be thinking, is she crazy, it's not even a sandwich- but we all have our things, and I'm telling you, this was new ground for me. I heard the train approaching and I started eating even faster, had to get most of it down before too late. Boy, how fast those trains come when you don't want them to. But need one, and it'll be a 20 minute wait.
I folded my bag and slipped it into my bag. Got on train- surprise, the train was not packed at all, still a decent number of people- there probably would have been more sitting room, but for the one homeless man who had laid out across the entire seat section to sleep. (Note: It's really cold in city, so I think more homeless people are taking to train for warmth and to sleep, it's one of those tough things, you feel bad but part of you also wishes there was a better option for them- I know the shelters get overcrowded this time of year).
Finally, spotting a seat that would require minimum squeezage, I plopped down, thought about it for all of 2 seconds then pulled out my bag and finished the job.
MEMO TO SELF- If someone's eating on the train, it's not cos this is their dinner portion of dinner and a movie, they're probably just HUNGRY.