# Is it Unacceptable to Eat Peanut Butter in Public? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 18, 2018, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648 "2018-04-18T16:54:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/21 "2018-04-18T19:54:53Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Peanut allergies aren’t actually all that common. I think shellfish is actually the most common food allergy, and you never hear anyone making a big fuss about them. And peanut allergies so severe that they can be triggered without actually eating peanuts are _extremely_ rare. Though, to be fair, peanuts are far more common in the environment than shellfish is. You may be a rarer individual, but your world is far more dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/22 "2018-04-18T19:54:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Peanut allergies aren’t actually all that common. I think shellfish is actually the most common food allergy, and you never hear anyone making a big fuss about them. And peanut allergies so severe that they can be triggered without actually eating peanuts are _extremely_ rare. That explains the dirty looks I get when I give my kid a shrimp cocktail to get them to shut up while I shop at Target. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/23 "2018-04-18T19:57:22Z")
> [@SmellMyWort](#): > > That explains the dirty looks I get when I give my kid a shrimp cocktail to get them to shut up while I shop at Target. That’s why I don’t bother with the shrimp. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/24 "2018-04-18T19:58:25Z")
You’re talking madness, **Bone**. **Rhiannon8404** has already exposed the rock-solid theorem that even the smallest of children, if raised with even the slightest modicum of discipline, can take charge of their own biochemistry and metabolism and march in lockstep as the adults do, squelching with Vulcan-like restraint the need to satisfy their own hunger. The children who must feed at inconvenient times only do so because they are spawned of incompetent parents. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/25 "2018-04-18T20:00:46Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > Having a snack available when out and about I’ve found is a common practice. Whole Foods even has a [“kids club”](https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/service/kids-club) where they’ll just give you free snacks that are sold in the store. Things like their granola bars, fruit snacks, straight up fruit, other individually packaged cracker type things, etc. The local HyVee has a couple baskets of fruit close to the entrance so you can give it to your child to occupy them while you shop. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/26 "2018-04-18T20:04:48Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > Have there been any cases of deaths or injuries related to airborne exposure to peanut fumes from a sandwich? Sandwich? Not sure. I do know that my wife who has a peanut allergy had a severe reaction to some non-nut ingredient thai food at a co-workers party simply because it was in the same bag as a dish that had peanut sauce as an ingredient. Kind of puts a damper on the whole evening when you have to give yourself an epi-pen injection and then say good-bye to everyone as they drive you away in an ambulance. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/27 "2018-04-18T20:05:47Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > That’s why I don’t bother with the shrimp. I got bad news about what’s actually in cocktail sauce, hon. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/28 "2018-04-18T20:21:22Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > I’m still trying to wrap my head around why anyone would be feeding their child any sort of sandwich in Target. If you had the forethought to prepare lunch before going shopping, why not just eat before you go? or if you’re running errands all day and you made lunch, eat in the car before you go into the store. Problem solved peanut butter or not. Seriously with this? I’ll be sure to tell the next breast-feeding woman I see “Hey, why don’t you go sit in the car and feed that thing!” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/29 "2018-04-18T20:22:32Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Sandwich? Not sure. I do know that my wife who has a peanut allergy had a severe reaction to some non-nut ingredient thai food at a co-workers party simply because it was in the same bag as a dish that had peanut sauce as an ingredient. > Kind of puts a damper on the whole evening when you have to give yourself an epi-pen injection and then say good-bye to everyone as they drive you away in an ambulance. That you got it from a restaurant that uses things like peanut sauce tells me that it was probably cross contamination on the food. The employees did not clean things well enough before preparing her order. I doubt it came from just being in the same bag. If I had an allergy like that, I would never eat in restaurants. Of course, I don’t have an allergy like that, and I never eat in restaurants, so there you go. > [@Sattua](#): > > I got bad news about what’s actually in cocktail sauce, hon. Who said anything about sauce? Shrimp cocktail, minus the shrimp, is just a cocktail, right? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/30 "2018-04-18T20:26:57Z")
No, IMO, it’s not unacceptable and I’ve never heard of anyone having an allergy so severe that it would cause a problem. I can understand consuming it, but having a reaction because it’s in the air, I’m guessing is extremely rare. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/31 "2018-04-18T20:43:11Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Seriously with this? I’ll be sure to tell the next breast-feeding woman I see “Hey, why don’t you go sit in the car and feed that thing!” > > :rolleyes: Yes, I may be lactose intolerant. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/32 "2018-04-18T20:53:57Z")
I opened this thread intending to say no, but have changed my mind in this case. Eating at a lunch table is okay because that will be wiped down between uses. Little kids are messy eaters, and are likely to get PB&J on the cart handle that could harm the next kid who rides in the cart. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/33 "2018-04-18T20:58:01Z")
Upon seeing the thread title, it didn’t even occur to me that this was about allergies. I thought it was about the aesthetics of it (there’s no way to eat peanut butter in public that looks good, and I almost thought the OP meant eating it with a spoon from a jar.) No, allergies shouldn’t make it unacceptable - that’s just too snowflake-ish. I do think it’s a bad idea to feed a child in a cart in Target because it could make a food mess, but that’s not allergy related. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/34 "2018-04-18T20:59:33Z")
That being said, 0.6% of the American populace being allergic to peanuts is far higher a rate than I’d thought. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/35 "2018-04-18T21:01:28Z")
> [@Omega\_Glory](#): > > I opened this thread intending to say no, but have changed my mind in this case. Eating at a lunch table is okay because that will be wiped down between uses. Little kids are messy eaters, and are likely to get PB&J on the cart handle that could harm the next kid who rides in the cart. They are also likely to spit, chew, even urinate or defecate in that seat. At every grocery store around here, next to the carts is a cylinder of wipes. You can wipe own the cart before putting your child in, if you have a concern about peanut butter. (Or spit and/or waste products) You know what else goes in carts? Peanuts and peanut butter. It’s a grocery store. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/36 "2018-04-18T21:01:46Z")
Unacceptable? No. A bit trashy in a cart at Target though. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/37 "2018-04-18T21:11:08Z")
> [@Omega\_Glory](#): > > I opened this thread intending to say no, but have changed my mind in this case. Eating at a lunch table is okay because that will be wiped down between uses. Little kids are messy eaters, and are likely to get PB&J on the cart handle that could harm the next kid who rides in the cart. Since trace amounts can be deadly for someone with a severe allergy, this means that any parent who feeds their kid peanut butter at home needs to scrub the kid’s hands and face with Ajax and a Brillo pad for twenty minutes before they head out, lest there be peanut residue that ends up on the grocery cart (or anywhere else in public). :rolleyes: > [@Velocity](#): > > That being said, 0.6% of the American populace being allergic to peanuts is far higher a rate than I’d thought. Agreed - except that “allergic to peanuts” encompasses allergic reactions that range all the way from a slight rash on the lips to instant death. My guess is that people who experience an “instant death” reaction are a small percentage of that 0.6%. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/38 "2018-04-18T21:31:44Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > They are also likely to spit, chew, even urinate or defecate in that seat. > > At every grocery store around here, next to the carts is a cylinder of wipes. You can wipe own the cart before putting your child in, if you have a concern about peanut butter. (Or spit and/or waste products) > > You know what else goes in carts? Peanuts and peanut butter. It’s a grocery store. Around here, peanut butter is sold in sealed containers and you can be sure that it’s not going to be smeared on things in the store, unless someone hands a little kid a glob of it. Yes, you can wipe down the cart. You can also make sure your kid doesn’t make a mess by not feeding them in a store. > [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Since trace amounts can be deadly for someone with a severe allergy, this means that any parent who feeds their kid peanut butter at home needs to scrub the kid’s hands and face with Ajax and a Brillo pad for twenty minutes before they head out, lest there be peanut residue that ends up on the grocery cart (or anywhere else in public). > > :rolleyes: Normal parents already wash their children’s hands. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/39 "2018-04-18T21:39:51Z")
> [@Omega\_Glory](#): > > Normal parents already wash their children’s hands. With brillo pads? Man, parents today are hardcore. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648/40 "2018-04-18T21:51:56Z")
> [@Omega\_Glory](#): > > Around here, peanut butter is sold in sealed containers and you can be sure that it’s not going to be smeared on things in the store, unless someone hands a little kid a glob of it. Are we sure that the outside of a peanut container is completely allergen free? > [@](#): > > Yes, you can wipe down the cart. You can also make sure your kid doesn’t make a mess by not feeding them in a store. That only prevents them from making a mess of their food. It doesn’t keep their drool and other bodily fluids from making a mess. > [@](#): > > Normal parents already wash their children’s hands. Probably not well enough to prevent someone from having an allergic reaction, if they are so prone to a reaction that they would be harmed by someone eating peanuts around them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unacceptable-to-eat-peanut-butter-in-public/812648.md?page=3)