One in four Britons report rain-soaked seaside trips, poll of 2,000 finds
A survey of 2,000 UK adults found 35% have stayed silent over a disappointing restaurant meal, and people who grin and bear such moments do so three times a day on average.
By Ethan Cooper ·
Britons swallow cold meals and bad haircuts rather than complain, a new poll indicates.
The survey of 2,000 adults found 24% had traveled to the seaside only to find rain for most of the trip, while 35% reported staying quiet when served a disappointing or cold dish at a restaurant. One in three had endured a dull conversation at a party. On average, respondents said they grin and bear an unwanted situation three times each day.
Food is where people hold their tongues most often. Twenty-seven percent said they ate a meal they did not enjoy at a friend's home to avoid causing offense. Twenty percent kept quiet about food they disliked at a wedding, another 20% did so at a partner's family home, and 15% sat through an unenjoyable dinner party meal without speaking up.
The poll, conducted by OnePoll for yfood, a maker of ready-to-drink nutritionally balanced meals, also asked about weekday mornings. Among working parents, 26% said they had drunk a cold tea or coffee after being pulled away by family demands, and 45% said they began a workday feeling they had not slept enough. Thirty percent had done the school run in the rain. Forty-four percent called their mornings busy but manageable, while 29% said they skipped breakfast several times a week because time ran short. Half of working parents regularly settled for grab-and-go food they did not enjoy, and 41% reached for a meal replacement drink for breakfast.
Pete Rosier of yfood, which commissioned the research, said there is something about tolerating the mediocre and moving on that reads as distinctly British. He added that putting up with daily compromises has become routine, with many people doing it several times a day without thinking about it.
The survey ranked 20 situations people commonly endure. Poor customer service topped the list, followed by someone cutting in a queue and not getting enough sleep before a busy workday. Rounding out the top 10 were people cancelling plans at the last minute, noisy neighbors, eating sounds from the person beside you, delays on the way to work, a disappointing or cold meal at a restaurant or takeaway, boring party conversations, and being given a terrible gift.
The list continued with loud video playback on public transport, being talked over at work, eating bad-tasting food at someone else's house, receiving a cup of tea prepared differently than one likes, rain during a seaside holiday, packed commuter trains, bad haircuts, cold drinks left undrunk because of time or family demands, the school run in rain, and urgent work messages arriving before the day starts.
Rosier said working parents often set aside their own needs to keep family mornings moving, and that when time is short convenience takes over, leading many to food on the go or meal replacement drinks. The company's product information states yfood makes nutritionally balanced ready-to-drink meals.
