# Do you eat one item at a time, and what does that say about you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 8, 2022, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-one-item-at-a-time-and-what-does-that-say-about-you/960700 "2022-03-08T21:07:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-one-item-at-a-time-and-what-does-that-say-about-you/960700/21 "2022-03-09T04:33:25Z")
this reminds me of the ridicilous planters mixed nuts campaign in which ken jeong ad some action star argue wether you should eat them one at a time or by the handful ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-one-item-at-a-time-and-what-does-that-say-about-you/960700/22 "2022-03-09T05:32:35Z")
Well when I eat from a bowl of mixed nuts, I always pick out and eat the cashews first, pecans second, then leave the rest for everyone else. Doesn’t everyone? * * * I remember a letter to Dear Abby. It was many years ago, so I'll tell it vaguely as best I remember it: A concerned person (Auntie?) was worried about the way someone else (young nephew?) ate his food: All of each item one item at a time, before going to the next item. Concerned Auntie was worried that this showed that there was something "wrong" with Young Nephew. Abby’s answer was something to the effect that people can eat their food however they want, and Concened Auntie’s concern said more about _her_ than it said about Young Nephew. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-one-item-at-a-time-and-what-does-that-say-about-you/960700/23 "2022-03-09T11:27:20Z")
> [@Mallard](#): > > I grew up in an era where children were expected to “clean up their plates” or they were not allowed to leave the table. I also cleaned my plate. Must have saved thousands of European kids from starvation. > [@Senegoid](#): > > Well when I eat from a bowl of mixed nuts, I always pick out and eat the cashews first, pecans second, then leave the rest for everyone else. Doesn’t everyone? No, I save the cashews for last, the pecans for second last, etc. (assuming they’re entirely mine). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-one-item-at-a-time-and-what-does-that-say-about-you/960700/24 "2022-03-09T13:11:05Z")
I’ve always eaten a bit of each thing. Everything disappears from my plate at the same rate. My daughter taught me to savor dessert. She uses a sort of Zeno style, where each bite of dessert is slightly smaller than the last, so that dessert lasts nearly forever. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-one-item-at-a-time-and-what-does-that-say-about-you/960700/25 "2022-03-09T14:39:47Z")
I used to be like this. The term I heard was “compartment eater” (or compartmental, maybe). Specifically, the “reverse order” variety. > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Reverse order, sure. I like my last bites to be the best ones. Exactly. The problem was, this turned into a weight-control issue, because my parents _also_ drummed into me the “clean plate” rule. Which meant, since I was saving my favorite item for last, if whoever dished my plate was generous with the portions (including myself), I could potentially be full of everything else by the time I got to the last item. But it was my favorite, so of course I was eating it too, which is a recipe for overeating. I broke that habit. Now I sort of sample around to see what I like best, and I do ration my appetite so whatever that is will be my last bite, but I don’t compartmentalize any more. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-one-item-at-a-time-and-what-does-that-say-about-you/960700/26 "2022-03-09T16:23:38Z")
I know people that do that. My grandson (10yo) is one of them. I just noticed last week at when McDonald’s I looked over at him and his 1/4 pounder was gone before anyone else was even half done with their meals. I said - are you done already?! He said - no, I still have to eat my fries. Personally, I subconsciously eat a little of each and end up finishing everything evenly. For instance, when I’m taking my last bite of burger, I’ll have just one or two fries left. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-one-item-at-a-time-and-what-does-that-say-about-you/960700/27 "2022-03-09T20:28:11Z")
The only downside of saving the best for last was when I was a kid, saving my best Halloween candy. My brother would steal the best stuff before I got to it. ---
**Author:** ![SacFly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@SacFly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SacFly)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-one-item-at-a-time-and-what-does-that-say-about-you/960700/28 "2022-03-11T02:10:59Z")
I don’t remember the meal or the conversation that led to the comment, but when I was in college a friend of mine described herself as a “rigid food separatist”. 30 years later and the phrase persists in my mind. I’m at the other end of the spectrum where a bite of pancake, syrup, bacon and some over easy egg yolk is what I look forward to when I eat breakfast out. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-one-item-at-a-time-and-what-does-that-say-about-you/960700/29 "2022-03-11T08:08:28Z")
Not a one at a time sort of person, but I do tend to try to save the best mouthful until last - so if it’s eggs, that will be a portion including some yolk. If it’s a steak, it’ll be a nice tender piece with some sear on it, etc. My wife is at the absolute opposite end of the spectrum from the other one at a time folks, and (I think a little obsessively) always tries to ensure each fork load contains a bit of every single thing on the plate. ---
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-one-item-at-a-time-and-what-does-that-say-about-you/960700/30 "2022-03-11T09:07:41Z")
Someone told me once that if you eat the steak first, before touching the vegetables, you’d make a good stock broker, as you are willing to realize the gains by focusing on the good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-one-item-at-a-time-and-what-does-that-say-about-you/960700/31 "2022-03-11T12:03:44Z")
> [@Mallard](#): > > I grew up in an era where children were expected to “clean up their plates” or they were not allowed to leave the table. Same here. Grew up in a Wonder Years style home with SAHM. My Dad enforced the following rule: “Your Mom went to the trouble of making it, we will all select as least _some_ of each item. If I don’t like the size of your helping, I will spoon it for you myself.” He allowed each of us to choose, in advance, one food we would never have to eat (mine was butterbeans, still hate those). To his credit, his other rule was that since Mom had done all the cooking, the rest of us were responsible for cleanup. She retired to the den and TV while we all cleaned the kitchen in the evenings. As for OP’s question: I eat one thing at a time, never knew it had a deeper meaning. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-one-item-at-a-time-and-what-does-that-say-about-you/960700/32 "2022-03-15T10:34:15Z")
Not one item at a time, but I am very methodical. I’ve got a start game, a middle game, and an end game. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-one-item-at-a-time-and-what-does-that-say-about-you/960700/33 "2022-03-15T11:17:21Z")
I do it. Don’t know why. Nobody has ever said anything about it to me, so I’ve never considered it an issue. I know it’s not a matter of separating tastes, because if there are two items on my plate that can be mixed together (like beans and rice, or stew and mashed potatoes), I always will, and I love sandwiches with lots of stuff in them. I just like to eat in an orderly fashion. (The order, BTW, is usually protein-vegetable-carb, but it’s not set in stone. If my wife tells us to eat one dish first before it gets cold, I will). ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-one-item-at-a-time-and-what-does-that-say-about-you/960700/34 "2022-03-15T18:53:15Z")
Sometimes I do, but mostly I don’t. It tends to depend on how much something appeals in the moment. And I can fall out of the practice in the middle of a meal, or return to it at any time also. I think my tastebuds just tell me what to eat in any given next bite. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-one-item-at-a-time-and-what-does-that-say-about-you/960700/35 "2022-03-15T20:41:38Z")
My answer is also “sometimes”. I’m not a big fan of mixing sweet and savory stuff, for instance (e.g. the example above of eating pancakes before eating an omelette makes sense to me). I also try to avoid eating the least appetizing thing last. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-one-item-at-a-time-and-what-does-that-say-about-you/960700.md?page=1)