r/Regrets•
WuxiaScrub

Inconsequential but memorable regrets

What's something that you regret that didn't have much impact on your life but was very memorable? I'll start.

In elementary school, I loved the garlic toasts in the cafeteria. It was served with spaghetti and meatballs, which I also enjoyed. One day, I was returning my tray after eating; they had a place where you would dump any leftovers from your tray into what I can only describe as a "water slide" for food waste, and next to that, you would place your dirty-but-empty tray on a conveyor to be washed. As I was putting my tray back for cleaning, I saw a lunch lady carry a large tray of leftover garlic toast (at least 12 pieces) walking towards the food disposal area. She was probably within 3 feet of where I stood. For a moment, I wondered whether I should ask if I could have those garlic toasts (I could've easily eaten another 5 because that's how much I liked them), but being the shy kid that I was, I couldn't open my mouth. So I just stood there as she dumped all of the garlic toast into the food disposal and watched them get "flooded" away.

To this day (20+ years later), I can still remember that moment vividly, and it pains me. It seems so trivial now, but back then, my family wasn't wealthy, and a few pieces of garlic toast would've meant a lot to me. Part of me was just too shy to speak to an adult, and another part of me was scared of rejection or that she would charge me for the extra garlic toast. But thinking about it now, she probably would've been more than happy to give them to me for free.

Posted Aug 12, 2026, 3:15 AM UTC

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