21-year-old college student infuriates cafeteria stranger with her "genuine question": 'You feel entitled to an answer'

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Aug 2, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

For many young adults, the start of freshman year of college is the first time they're really out on their own. They're freshly 18 or 19 years old and know very little about the world outside their hometown. They arrive at college and suddenly, they're surrounded by people from across the country, people from the other side of the planet, folks who barely speak the same language, and people from 18 to 100 years old. It's a big melting pot — everyone is there to gain an education. 

Now, if you've been around the same types of people in your hometown for the last 18 years or so, you might find yourself dealing with a bit of culture shock. Maybe you're surprised by the things that people wear or eat. The way to deal with that is just to learn about other cultures, and maybe even make friends with people who are different than you. But this 21-year-old still has a lot of learning to do and a lot of "minding her business" to do, at the urging of internet commenters who were infuriated at how she treated a random stranger in the cafeteria. 

After that, read the surprising details of the Mom who's writing a book using ChatGPT, mortifying her child: "[She] calls herself an author without doing any of the work." 

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  • 01
    I (21f) usually always sit with the same group of people in my university's dining area. There's this girl who i've talked to a few times, but i'm not really friends with. She's kind of quiet, but when she finally talks she seems normal. I've sat across from her a few times and noticed how she was eating because it was weird to me. She eats maybe half of her food (keep in mind you control the amount of food. it's cooked by the cafeteria staff buffet-style.
    via u/throwaway0856742
  • 02
    she could easily take less) and kind of plays with it with her fork when she's "done" (aka eating half of it, sometimes even less). I didn't say anything for a while, but a few weeks ago I had to ask her why she always only ate half her food. She seemed a embarrassed, but answered she thought she was more hungry and laughed it off. I then asked her why she made this mistake every time we ate, and that she must have learned by now. She
    via u/throwaway0856742
  • 03
    didn't really answer (I don't actually remember, but it wasn't actually an explanation) and left pretty quickly. She doesn't really show up that much anymore, but when she does she still eats like this, and I couldn't hold it in anymore. I asked her once again, and also asked her if her parents never told her not to play with her food.
    via u/throwaway0856742
  • 04
    It was a genuine question, some people are raised in households where manners aren't important, but obviously they are for most people. She got really mad at me and told me to stop commenting on her eating habits and that it was none of my business. I told her that it absolutely was since she was sitting at our table and obviously wasting food. She told me to go f myself and left and
    via u/throwaway0856742
  • 05
    threw out the rest of her food (AGAIN!) After she left, one of my friends told me to leave her alone as she seemed like she was having a hard time and maybe had some sort of issue with food. Yeah, obviously she has an issue with food?? She keeps wasting it!
    via u/throwaway0856742
  • 06
    She hasn't shown up again, i'm assuming she buys her own food now, which might teach her not to waste it so that's good. The same friend who told me to leave her alone keeps pestering me to apologise to her, but I think she should apologise to me. She's unnecessarily ride when being
    via u/throwaway0856742
  • 07
    Cheezburger Image 10537089024
    via Antor Paul on Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 08
    asked the most basic and obvious questions and also told me to go f myself? That's way more harsh than anything i've ever told her. Keep in mind that I care a lot about food waste and the environment. AITA for telling a girl to stop wasting food?
    via u/throwaway0856742
  • 09
    EDIT: OK! I'm the a h le! Sorry i'm not studying to be an eating disorder specialist. I looked up stuff about it and i'm realising I was too harsh. I'll apologise the next time I see her and try not to be so condescending. But you should all follow your own advice.
    via u/throwaway0856742
  • 10
    If people genuinely don't know something you should tell them nicely instead, and i realise i should've tried to educate her NICELY about food waste and not have commented at all on how she was eating
    via u/throwaway0856742
  • 11
    Cheezburger Image 10537089280
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 12
    secondarytrash YTA. It was hard to even read the whole thing. Why are you so concerned what this stranger is doing in the cafeteria? As much as I hate seeing wasted food what do you think is happening to all the food that isn't ate that's cooked at your school? It
    via u/secondarytrash
  • 13
    goes to waste. Same thing happens at a lot of fast food chains and restaurants. The fact that you really kind of don't understand how awkward and embarrassing it is that you felt confident enough to walk up to someone and ask why they don't eat all their food / is wasteful is odd to me.
    via u/secondarytrash
  • 14
    What if she always thinks she's able to eat more than she actually is able to? Thinks a dish is going to be good but then after a few bites decides it's not? Who are you really to say? The fact that you feel entitled to an answer to the question is also odd to me.
    via u/secondarytrash
  • 15
    mewley Jesus Christ, yes YTA. First off, you barely know this person. It's not your place to comment on her eating habits, period. At all. Like just zip your lips, it's none of your business. what she eats or doesn't eat.
    via u/mewley
  • 16
    Second, it sure as h l isn't your place to repeatedly scold and try to correct her. This isn't about manners! She doesn't own you an explanation or have to live up to your personal preferences just because she sits near you! Third, you have no idea what might be going on with her health, physical or mental. Which is why - again, since you seem stubborn - it's not
    via u/mewley
  • 17
    your place to have an opinion or make a comment on it. I don't know what you thought you set out to do by hassling her, but all you have accomplished is letting your friends know you're an AH and isolating someone who may already be in a vulnerable place.
    via u/mewley
  • 18
    [deleted] YTA YTA YTA from the beginning you say "seems normal" which is such a r de thing to say like wtf? and second you go on to talk about manners yet know nothing about them, mind your own business the food isn't coming out your paycheque and if you care so much u can start help providing what an entitled person you are!
    via u/[deleted]
  • 19

    "Get help," this person said

    [deleted] YTA What manners were you putting on display here? She's not your kid. This is not your food. She pays for it. It's not gonna cause or end world hunger, whatever she does. Do you go to every person in the dining hall and Check
    via u/[deleted]
  • 20
    their tray before they toss it? Are you needling the chefs to cook less food for everyone, because it doesn't all get ate by the end of the night and gets tossed? No. You don't. You seem go have had a traumatizing childhood and feel OK inflicting that trauma on strangers. Seek therapy. Get help.
    via u/[deleted]

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cafeteria meals stranger entitled food eating college entitled people
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