Teen Gets Screamed At For Eating Sandwich Near Church, Asks If She Broke Some Unwritten Rules

"A lady started screaming at me saying I was being disrespectful."

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• March 26, 2023

Each country and region has its own customs and norms involving churches, graveyards, and other places of worship or respect. What may be considered disrespectful or inappropriate in one place may not be in another.

For example, in some cultures, it may be considered disrespectful to eat or drink near a church or graveyard, while in others, it may be seen as a sign of respect to bring food or drink to offer to the spirits of the deceased. We have one of those stories today.

OP, a UK native, went into a city in the UK and was exhausted from a 2-mile walk. She noticed a bench and sat down to eat and drink water.

The bench was near graves, so she made sure to clean up after herself and not litter. There was a name on the bench, so she said thank you out of respect.

After eating some sandwiches and drinking water for about five minutes, a lady in her 50s or 55s started screaming at her, claiming that she was being disrespectful for eating near a church. OP asked why and apologized, explaining her situation, but the woman continued to yell, and everyone started to stare at her.

There was no funeral or event going on, so OP was confused. She packed her things, checked again to make sure she wasn't littering and that it wasn't private property, and then left.

Read the full story below:

OP asks:

OP, a UK native, went into a city in the UK and was exhausted from a 2-mile walk. She noticed a bench and sat down to eat and drink water.

After she finished eating some sandwiches and drinking, a lady in her 50s or 55s approached her started screaming at her, claiming that she was being disrespectful for eating near a church.

OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the a-hole:

Here is what Redditors had to say:

This is an interesting experience:

Some people are simply looking for opportunities for confrontation

Aren’t churches supposed to be something about feeding the hungry, watering the thirsty, etc..

"Maybe she was visiting a grave and was over emotional. Not an excuse"

The bottom line is:

In this case, OP may not have been aware of the local customs and norms regarding eating near a church or graveyard. It's essential for travelers and visitors to be mindful of local customs and to do their best to understand and respect them, even if they do not personally agree with them.

By being mindful of cultural differences and customs, we can ensure that our actions do not offend or disrespect others and that we can respectfully coexist in different communities and cultures. But in this case, dozens of Redditors from the UK say that OP did nothing wrong, so clearly wasn't a violation of some unwritten rule or disrespecting the church and the dead.

What do you think?

Damjan