Waitress 'fat-shaming' tapas customer sparks a torrent of brutal responses: 'Stop being too touchy'

Fat-shaming is a brutal reality in the current society and more often than not, we find celebrities and actresses either becoming targeted by online abusers or giving the vile trolls an appropriate response. However, when a regular restaurant goer complained about being shamed by a waitress – the internet had some brilliant responses, even calling out "thin privilege" as "bulls**t".

A woman, whose name is not disclosed, took to Mumsnet to share the ordeal when she was out with a friend at a tapas restaurant. According to the woman, during her time at the restaurant, her server allegedly gave her the "most disgusted looks".

"I started to order, asking for a pepper and aubergine stew, a spinach dish, some bread for my friend and I to share and a salad. At that point, the waitress raises her eyebrow and says 'two salads?'" she wrote, explaining that she is a vegan and that her friend – who is not a vegan – had already ordered several non-vegetarian dishes.

The woman continued, "I explained that I can't eat the one my friend has chosen due to the egg in the dressing and then ask for a portion of fried aubergines."

"As I ask for the aubergines, the waitress gives me a horrified look and makes a big show of counting down the list of dishes we've ordered. She then emphatically says 'enough!' as she gets to the end of the order while giving me the most disgusted look," she wrote.

Having mentioned her preference for food, the unnamed customer went on to complain that the "vegetable dishes" at the restaurant weren't of "large portions".

"The waitress stomps off in a huff," she wrote, adding, "I'm size 16/18 depending where I shop and 5' 10" tall, so not small by any means. I suspect I was publicly fat shamed. What do you reckon?"

Since being shared on the discussion forum, the Tapas enthusiast's candid post has garnered quite a buzz. Although some parents came to her defence, many others stood with the waitress by suggesting that she was probably just trying to help the woman.

"The waitress expressed herself clumsily but may not have been fat-shaming," a reader commented. "It's pretty common in tapas restaurants to select two or three dishes then order more as you go, not order a massive load of stuff at the beginning. If your friend ordered five or six things straight off, the waitress was probably trying to point out you'd misunderstood the concept.

A second chimed in and wrote, "Tapas waiters always tell us if we've ordered too much (I've been to tapas as a thin & fat person) I think you are reading a bit too much into it.

"Doesn't sound like fat shaming, more trying to be helpful as you sound like you ordered a lot of dishes," added another user.

But amidst all this, some even called out the waitress, suggesting that it isn't her "place to comment." Another user went a step ahead and commented: "Thin privilege. If you're thin you won't be judged no matter how much you eat," which unfailingly sparked another round of debate.

"Thin privilege? Ffs I've heard it all now, some people just need to stop being too touchy," shared one, as another sarcastically added, "*Thin privilege. If you're thin you won't be judged no matter how much you eat.* Bulls**t."

The claims made by the Mumsnet user, however, has not been independently verified by IBTimesUK. Since names of the people involved and the restaurant have not been disclosed, we urge readers to take this with a pinch of salt.