You know the feeling—so hungry that your judgment flies right out the window. Maybe your eyes were bigger than your stomach. You order half the menu impulsively and can’t wait to dig in. It’s happened to the best of us; sometimes, it’s glorious.
Often, there’s a little shame attached. But shouldn’t that shame be internalized? Shouldn’t it be a moment to look in the mirror and say, “I overdid it. It’ll never happen again.” (It will.)
Meanwhile, one TikToker, Jianni (@jiannaiversace), who was attempting to enjoy a meal at Texas Roadhouse, had some passersby join in on the criticism. In a video with a whopping 1.9 million views, he shared what happened.
Called out at Texas Roadhouse
The video started innocently enough. Jianni, sitting inside Texas Roadhouse, appeared happy as a clam, enjoying his meal. Then, straight to the camera, he explained, “So I’m sitting here eating at Texas Roadhouse, and I got all my food stacked up in front of me. And there’s a couple leaving, and they stop at my table.”
“They say, ‘You’re eating all that by yourself?’ There’s not even that much.”
Jianni then flips the camera around to show his meal. However, at a quick glance, it looks conservative—a Caesar salad and one appetizer.
Then, he pans around the table, and we see the full spread before him. A Bloomin’ Onion, a full steak and fries, corn, shrimp skewers, sauces, and a large drink.
Flipping the camera back around, Jianni gives an “I don’t get it” gesture—despite clearly getting it: He had quite the smorgasbord to himself. He buttons the video by defiantly taking a big sip from his drink.
‘It just kept going’: Viewers shook by Texas Roadhouse meal
Naturally, many viewers were faked out by the intro. One wrote, “I tried to be on your side, but it just kept going.” Another echoed the sentiment: “I tried so hard to be on your side.”
On the other hand, juxtaposed with these were other eaters who just wanted to be left alone. One opined, “That’s just a full course with leftovers. They too nosy for me.” Another got it, “You just got a starter, appetizer, main course, and two samples, friend. I’m on your side.”
This ordeal begged the question: why do human beings care so much about what other people eat? Turns out, it’s natural. Our obsession with food, and what others put in their mouths, goes back centuries.
Eating and judgment
The instinct to judge what someone else is eating isn’t anything new. In early human societies, food wasn’t as abundant as it is today. Keeping track of who ate what and how much was a matter of life and death—ensuring everyone got a piece of the proverbial pie.
Over time, as civilizations evolved, the manner in which food was consumed and the quantity, separated humans by class. Food consumption essentially evolved into a moral issue. Many religions incorporated fasting as a spiritual sacrifice. Think Ramadan for Muslims and Lent for Catholics as examples. Some religious traditions even went as far as imposing dietary restrictions that distinguished believers from non-believers. I don’t eat meat on Fridays during Lent therefore I am Catholic is one such viewpoint. Or halal in Islam; kosher in Judaism, etc..
Furthermore in medieval Europe, “sumptuary laws” regulated what different social classes were permitted to eat.
Then came the Industrial Revolution, and the rise of mass-media-fueled food scrutiny, with etiquette guides dictating “proper” dining behavior and portioning. Advertising during this time shaped ideas of health and beauty, little by little influencing the cultural perception of food, bodies, and morality.
Fast forward to the late 20th century, and diet culture took over. The obsession with thinness fueled everything from fad diets to celebrity “heroin chic” body standards. Remember Jack LaLanne, Richard Simmons, Jenny Craig, and Jared the Subway guy? What about when Kate Moss famously said, “nothing taste as good as skinny feels?”
By 2025, that pendulum has swung aggressively in the other direction.
A nation that loves to eat
Body positivity and the push for “big people” to not only be left alone but praised became cultural movements. Lizzo famously proclaimed in 2022, “I like being fat.” However, she was recently caught the ire of public scrutiny with rumors of losing weight while using Ozempic.
At the same time, America, the self-proclaimed land of the free, also holds the title of the most obese nation. Among developed countries, the USA has an obesity rate sitting at around 42%.
Is it really fair to judge, one might ask? It is hard not to.
For most of human history, eating too much was seen as a sign of something deeper—gluttony, carelessness, or a lack of self-control. Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins, after all, according to the Roman Catholic Church.
Our primitive instincts tell us to notice, to make sense of what we see in the world, and sometimes, to judge. We all do it. But, as Jianni pointed out, there’s a big difference between thinking something and saying it out loud.
Ultimately, you don’t have to love what someone else has on their plate (or in this case, about five plates) in 2025. But can’t we all agree: live and let live, man.
We’ve reached out to Texas Roadhouse and Jianni for comment.
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