Brits stunned at Romanian version of ‘meal deals’

The meal has become a much-loved staple of the British lunch, or dinner, or indeed breakfast.

Whether it's Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, or anywhere else you like, the meal deal is always the same - there's a sandwich, a snack, and a drink.

Some of us are even old enough to remember when a meal deal was just £3. Good times.

X / @NoContextBrits

The humble meal deal has been under attack in the UK amid concerns that it pushes unhealthy options on consumers. While there have been efforts to offer fruit snacks and non-fizzy drinks, the implication does still seem to be pop and crisps.

However, if the British version of the meal deal is unhealthy, then a Romanian 'version' of the meal deal, which was jokingly posted to TikTok, is a whole other level of bad for you.

Right out of the door, it doesn't even have any actual food in it, at least nothing solid. Not a great start.

So what exactly is actually in the so-called 'meal deal'?

Well, it consists of a bottle of coke with a 10 pack of cigarettes cellotaped to the side. Healthy!

People piled on with amusing comments about the 'meal deal'.

One person jokingly wrote: "Make it no sugar I'm trying to be healthy."

Another replied: "The only happy meal I'll get."

A third responded: "This, but red bull instead. Or sparkling water if you're trying to be healthy."

Another person commented: "I wish we had this in England."

Of course, this isn't really a 'meal deal', but was jokingly posted on TikTok. Romania has one of the highest rates of smoking in the world, with some 30 percent of men still maintaining the habit.

lavidrg/tiktok

In contrast, around 15.1 percent of UK males currently smoke.

However, in Romania smoking seems to be far more prevalent among men than women, with only 7.5 percent of women smoking, around a quarter of men who smoke.

Overall the country sits just above the EU average for the number of people over the age of 15 who keep up a smoking habit, according to data from Eurostat.

Meanwhile, the countries which have the highest prevalence of smoking among men are Bulgaria at 37.6 percent, Latvia at 34.4 percent, and Romania at 30.6 percent.

The countries with the highest levels of smoking among women are Bulgaria again at 20.7 percent, Croatia and 19.2 percent, and Germany at 18.6 percent.

You might think that the UK would top the list for the biggest drinkers in Europe, given how engrained alcohol is into our culture, however according to the BBC the UK doesn't even make the top ten for per capita consumption of beer - though admittedly that doesn't account for other tipples.

The top spot goes to the Czech Republic, with a whopping 184.1 litres per person per year, nearly double the runner up Austria with 98.7 litres.