Can 買い食い be used for any kind of food?


Kenkyuusha defines 買｛か｝い食｛ぐ｝い as:

> spend one's pocket money on candy

and Daijirin defines it as:

> （主に子供が）菓子などを自分で買って食べること。

Both of these identify 買い食い as being related to candy/sweets. Is the term
given this definition just because a child, left to its own devices, would be
likely to go and buy sweet rather than other things? Or, would it actually be
unnatural to say something like あの子がたこ焼きを買い食いした (たこ焼き being neither a candy
nor a sweet)?




No, it cannot be used for just any kind of food and the word can be used for
adults, too.

買い食い, despite its pretty straightforward look "buy and eat", carries a fairly
negative connotation for us native speakers. Moms hate it if kids do it often
(because they do not get to know what the kids are eating). The word is never
used to describe buying a "serious" or "full-size" meal. It is all about
buying snacks to eat between meals. Takoyaki, mentioned by OP, is a prime
example.

While it is true that mostly kids do the 買い食い, it is absolutely Ok to use the
word for adults when they buy and eat snacks. Adults may use the word in self-
deprecation when they do the 買い食い themselves and use it kiddingly when other
adults do it.

Finally, the word is NOT used when you buy a snack and bring it home to eat
it. You need to eat it near where you bought it to call it 買い食い, which is why
moms hate it.




No, it cannot be used for just any kind of food and the word can be used for
adults, too.

買い食い, despite its pretty straightforward look "buy and eat", carries a fairly
negative connotation for us native speakers. Moms hate it if kids do it often
(because they do not get to know what the kids are eating). The word is never
used to describe buying a "serious" or "full-size" meal. It is all about
buying snacks to eat between meals. Takoyaki, mentioned by OP, is a prime
example.

While it is true that mostly kids do the 買い食い, it is absolutely Ok to use the
word for adults when they buy and eat snacks. Adults may use the word in self-
deprecation when they do the 買い食い themselves and use it kiddingly when other
adults do it.

Finally, the word is NOT used when you buy a snack and bring it home to eat
it. You need to eat it near where you bought it to call it 買い食い, which is why
moms hate it.

