Woman eats rice and curry with her hand on London Underground; is eating and drinking allowed on the Tube
People have come into defence of a woman who was filmed eating curry and rice with her hand on the London Underground.
The video, first posted by TikTok user @ub1ub2 without a caption, shows a woman, who appears to be of South Asian descent, eating curry and rice with her right hand while speaking on the phone with the other. The clip drew criticism from some viewers online, who described her behaviour as ‘disgusting’.
TikToker @rossical, dismissed the outrage as wildly overblown: “My response is, stop being so dramatic. It’s one person. It’s one person out of 9 million people. People act like there’s an epidemic of people eating curry with their hands on the Tube.
It’s a really small percentage. I mean I’ve never seen it before, have you seen it before? But from the comments you’d think that there’s an epidemic of people eating curry with their hands in the Tube. Like, it’s one person. Let her live.”
He added: “I’ve seen more people on the Tube doing crack. The fact that the video is being shared so widely is just proof that it’s not a problem. It’s not something that happens regularly, so why is everyone discussing it like it’s an epidemic of concern? It’s bizarre.
“One time I went to Co-op and I got one of those little meal deal pastas that didn’t come with a spoon or a fork and I had to eat that with my hands on the Tube ladida. Let’s just bring back minding your damn business.”
@r0ssical The woman eating on the tube with her hands
♬ original sound - rossical
Other social media users chimed in to defend the woman, pointing out the double standards and the casual surveillance of strangers in public. “I saw a white man eating rocket or lettuce out of his suitcase on the District line. Lol so what, live your best life,” one person wrote. “Until you’ve eaten curry and rice with your hands you won’t understand how bloody tasty it is,” added another.
Some also criticised the ethics of filming the woman without consent. “I don’t understand when recording random strangers became so normalized. It’s disgusting. Imagine someone recorded your family member eating and then received hate for f***ing existing. Y’all are leeches,” said one commenter.
Another pointed out: “But people eat McDonald’s with their hands all the time.”
Are drinking and eating on London Underground allowed?
According to London.gov.uk, food and drink are currently permitted on the London Underground, with no plans to introduce a ban, according to London.gov.uk. In fact, during hot weather, passengers are encouraged to carry drinks with them. However, Transport for London has run campaigns promoting considerate behaviour, such as avoiding food with strong odours and ensuring litter is properly disposed of.