These are five annoying foods York students shouldn’t eat in the library

As we begin summer term, we are all horribly aware that exam season is approaching (I know, I hate to be the one to bring it up, but someone had to). This means we’re all likely to be spending some extra time in the library.

Now, everyone is bound to get peckish while studying (either out of hard work or boredom), but picking a library snack is a very important affair, and I would advise you to choose wisely or face being potentially hated by your surrounding peers. Here is a definitive guide to the top five snacks that you really should avoid when in the library:

Something loud

I know that salt and vinegar Squares or pickled onion Monster Munch are both a very tasty choice of snack, but these are one of the worst things to bring, unless you’re purposefully trying to stop everyone from working. Apart from the temptation on my phone that is TikTok, there is nothing more likely to distract me from my work than a constant crunching noise. I suppose in Fairhurst these are slightly more acceptable (adding to the “studious buzz”) but if I’m actually trying to get an essay finished then I will sit in annoyance, unable to work, until your packet of crisps is finished.

Something weird sounding

Perhaps slightly less annoying than a crunch, but a million times more disturbing, is the sound of someone biting into a juicy peach or a plum, for example. I do not need to be surrounded by squelching, slurping noises at 9am in Morrell, thank you very much.

Something smelly

This one is pretty obvious. If you’re bringing a tuna or egg sandwich into the library, you need to be stopped, now. These are undoubtedly the most outrageous choices of sandwich for a very busy public space, their stench filling the entire room as soon as the meal deal packaging or Tupperware (if you’re organised enough to bring a packed lunch from home) is opened.

There are so many less stinky options out there, s0 next time please take the lives (and noses) of your fellow students into account, and make a different choice. Please.

Something messy

This one is excusable if and only if you fully clean up after yourself when you leave. But I do not want to be searching for a seat on a day where seemingly everyone has decided to come to the library, only to find that the only free spot is covered in flakes of pastry from your sausage roll or pain au chocolat. Surely you could have picked a less messy snack.

Something delicious

I know it’s hard being a student. I know library sessions are difficult, and one of the things getting you through your essay might be a cheeky Maccies break. But if I smell your chicken nuggets I will fight the temptation for a solid 15 seconds before almost definitely leaving the library to go and buy myself food – not getting any work done, and spending even more money that I simply don’t have.

So please, take a second to think about your library snacks, and you could be protecting a fellow student’s sanity. Thank you. (And if you see me in the library eating any of these things… shhhh).

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