# Idiosyncratic verging on neurotic things you do with your food **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 15, 2020, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509 "2020-03-15T00:52:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/41 "2020-03-16T13:32:32Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I don’t know if this qualifies, but I eat my hamburgers upside down. But there’s a reason! The “top” bun is usually a lot thicker than the bottom bun, so if you flip the burger over, it’s less likely to collapse on you. That’s just common sense. Besides, the bottom bun is often too soggy and you need the still-solid top bun to hold up the burger. ---
**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 16, 2020, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/42 "2020-03-16T13:41:24Z")
My daughter has always eaten dessert via increasingly smaller bites, kind of a Zeno’s paradox sort of situation. It kind of makes sense, savoring dessert, and allows me to linger over coffee when we eat together. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/43 "2020-03-16T17:28:14Z")
See, this thread is one of the reasons I love you people. 🙂 > [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > …Mushrooms need to get sweep-kicked, thrown into a headlock, and given _good noo-gies_, no matter what shape or form they come in. > I once engaged in intense psychological warfare with an Italian mother of an ex who thought I was undereating or something and took it upon herself to give me perhaps the largest serving of spaghetti I ever had, and immediately I espied the offending fungal foes, in all their white-brownish anti-glory. > As the meal went on, I didn’t need to look up to feel her glare as I _just **HAD** _ to oh-so-stealthily shuttle the gross little fucking things to the side of the plate, relegated to a perimeter of shame and effrontery. It was a vain effort to tactically pick those moments when she was, say, in a particularly animated exchange - I still always felt the Maltese falcon stare-down. > By the time I finished, there was almost a three-quaters circle around my plate’s perimeter of the slimy blotches, and yeah she wasn’t too big on that, for sure. When she asked if I had allergies and I said no she said the only Maltese phrase to her daughter that night, and I’m like, Oh _great_. > It never quite worked out again, having another dinner there. This was beautiful. _\_ > [@RioRico](#): > > MrsRico thinks me strange to spoon-spank hot foods like stew, oatmeal, menudo, cioppino, paella, etc. But these MUST be properly disciplined. Get DOWN, little gumbo!.. This one, too. 😃 “Spoon-spank”?? I’m going to be working that into most conversations from now on. > [@jerez](#): > > It’s been a trend for several years now. Google “gin and tonic glass” and you’ll see. That doesn’t make it right. :dubious: I’m a card-carrying Old Fogey now and oppose most “trends” on principle. ---
**Author:** ![Tarataratara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Tarataratara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarataratara)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/44 "2020-03-16T20:32:18Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > When my kids were growing up, I found they could feed themselves easier if I quartered their sandwhiches. I would quarter mine as well, so they wouldn’t feel they were being babied. > > Then, the first time my gf was out to eat with me and my kids, she cracked up laughing. She had previously noticed me cutting my burger or Rueben into quarters, and now she saw me, my son, and my daughter each doing it without realizing it was odd. Oh, yes, sandwiches taste best when cut into four little triangles. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/45 "2020-03-17T15:07:44Z")
When eating candy corn, I first bite off the yellow base and eat it, followed by the orange center, then save the choice white tip for last. I separate a handful of M&Ms by color, then eat the smallest number first, then the next smallest, and so on. Pizza of course I start from the crust and save the pointy end for last. I bite so that I save the meatier parts for later. Spaghetti and meatballs are properly eaten so that you finish about half the pasta first so that the last part is mostly meatballs. ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/46 "2020-03-20T13:51:31Z")
> [@Tarataratara](#): > > Oh, yes, sandwiches taste best when cut into four little triangles. I haven’t thought about Club Sandwiches in quite a while, I’ll have to address that in July. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/47 "2020-03-20T14:26:53Z")
I order the Club Sandwich all the time, but I’m not even a member, man. I don’t know how I get away with it. How’d it start anyway? I like my sandwiches with three pieces of bread. _So do I!_ Well let’s form a club then. _Alright, but we need more stipulations._ Yes we do; instead of cutting the sandwich once, let’s cut it again. _Yes, four triangles, and we will position them into a circle._ In the middle we will dump chips. Or potato salad. _Okay. I got a question for ya, how do you feel about frilly toothpicks?_ I’m for 'em! Well this club is formed; spread the word on menus nationwide. \*I like my sandwiches with alfalfa sprouts. \*Well then you’re not in the fuckin’ club! Mitch Hedberg, of course… ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/48 "2020-03-20T15:14:11Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > For both pizza and pies, I’ll eat the crust end first, then work my way to the point. After all, the point is the best part, so it gets saved for last -\* DUH!!\* > [@Bayaker](#): > > For both pizza and pies, I’ll eat the pointy end first, then work my way to the crust. After all, the crust is the best part, so it gets saved for last -\* DUH!!\* 🙂 I eat pizza and pie slices sideways, to avoid the above contradiction. The crust gradually portioned out along with the rest. ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/49 "2020-03-20T15:17:01Z")
> [@digs](#): > > _Okay. I got a question for ya, how do you feel about frilly toothpicks?_ I’m for 'em! A trifecta! Decorative, utilitarian and safer… ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/50 "2020-03-20T16:48:29Z")
I have a particular bowl that is meant for cereal only. No soup, no ice cream, only cereal. After going 7 years without the ability to have a delightful bowl of cereal, I freaked out when I couldn’t locate it. Found it. Discovered I could no longer tolerate milk. But, ice cream is fine. It’s now the official ice cream bowl. I cannot tolerate ketchup ON my food or in a blob on my plate. Alongside, in a little ramekin, perfectly fine. When my daughter moved out, I gave her the majority of our glasses. She asked why - I cannot stand the texture on my fingers. I don’t know what it is, but most glasses just feel gross. I’m also anti-shroom, anti-olives, anti-seafood, anti-lettuce hearts, and anti-any meats with bones still in them when served. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/51 "2020-03-20T18:43:39Z")
When I eat pot pies (or anything with cooked carrots in it), I eat all the carrot pieces first. I usually spread the food out and spear them on a fork so I can get them down in one or two bites. My mother would make us eat everything on the plate and I do not particularly like cooked carrots. I want to get them out of the way so I can get on with eating the good parts. I also have to admit that I get very nervous and apprehensive when people at the table eat European (or Continental) style. This was a huge no-no at my family’s table and I’m almost Pavlovian in my response. I fully expect to hear my (deceased) mother severely reprimanding that person. (Please, no comments or remarks about why she would do this. She just DID and I grew up in that atmosphere. After more than 50 years, I’m still slightly neurotic about it.) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/52 "2020-03-20T18:55:41Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > … > I also have to admit that I get very nervous and apprehensive when people at the table eat European (or Continental) style. This was a huge no-no at my family’s table and I’m almost Pavlovian in my response. I fully expect to hear my (deceased) mother severely reprimanding that person. (Please, no comments or remarks about why she would do this. She just DID and I grew up in that atmosphere. After more than 50 years, I’m still slightly neurotic about it.) By European style you mean using the fork in your left hand to convey food to your mouth instead of the American custom of switching the fork to your right hand? Possibly interesting side note on this: Years ago I dated a delightful old guy who had been a WWII fighter pilot. He said that during their training they were taught that if their plane went down in Europe and they had to blend in with the local population, to make sure they did NOT switch the fork from left to right hand after cutting/slicing or they would instantly be outed as Americans. \*(Hey, I didn’t \*\*promise \*_it would be interesting.)_ ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/53 "2020-03-30T12:33:20Z")
If I’m putting a piece of pizza in a sandwich bag for lunch, I always bite off the tip to make it fit in the bag better. ---
**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 30, 2020, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/54 "2020-03-30T15:56:46Z")
For being a picky eater, I’m surprised I don’t have a lot more weirdo must-dos with my food. Sandwiches taste better when cut in a triangle, but toast is cut in rectangles. PB&J sandwiches are eaten uncut, open-faced. I too don’t like stuff hanging over the edge of my bread except for lettuce. I hate plastic cups - I only drink out of a glass when I’m at home. When I eat a meal, I eat things evenly. I do it without even thinking. I never end up with a bunch of potatoes left after I’ve eaten the meat or vice versa. I take my last bite of hamburger and then eat my last french fry. ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/55 "2020-03-30T16:23:34Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > I also have to admit that I get very nervous and apprehensive when people at the table eat European (or Continental) style. This was a huge no-no at my family’s table and I’m almost Pavlovian in my response. How very unusual! I’ve never encountered the idea of being anti-European-style, only anti-American. If anybody cares, they seem to think Euro is more formal and refined: more likely to be the preferred style of a stickler for fancy manners. I quite like the idea of insisting on a lack of formality though! ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/56 "2020-03-30T16:39:42Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > By European style you mean using the fork in your left hand to convey food to your mouth instead of the American custom of switching the fork to your right hand? > Possibly interesting side note on this: Years ago I dated a delightful old guy who had been a WWII fighter pilot. He said that during their training they were taught that if their plane went down in Europe and they had to blend in with the local population, to make sure they did NOT switch the fork from left to right hand after cutting/slicing or they would instantly be outed as Americans. \*(Hey, I didn’t \*\*promise \*_it would be interesting.)_ My parents taught me that way of eating knife-and-fork food, IIRC. More efficient. Then, during a holiday meal with extended family, somebody commented that the practice would serve me well, should I ever be sent on a spy mission to Europe (this was when I was seven). ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/57 "2020-03-30T16:52:06Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > My parents taught me that way of eating knife-and-fork food, IIRC. More efficient. > > Then, during a holiday meal with extended family, somebody commented that the practice would serve me well, should I ever be sent on a spy mission to Europe (this was when I was seven). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/58 "2020-03-30T17:21:36Z")
I like to rub pickle slices on my grilled cheeses. There was a little fast-food chain when I was a kid called, “Winkey’s”, and, rarely, we’d stop there. We hardly ever ate out, I guess because my father was cheap - one of his less loathsome traits. Anyway, they came with pickles on top of the sandwich. I didn’t like that, so I picked them off, but the juice would remain. So now, I’ve grown to like a bit of the sour brine on my grilled cheeses. My friends looked at me like I was crazy, but there you go. I don’t really have grilled cheeses now, because I have bad issues with gluten and gluten-free bread sucks. If I did though, and one were available, I’d rub a pickle one it even now. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509/59 "2020-03-30T18:34:33Z")
Pizza: Crust first European vs. American: I do left handed European. I’m right handed Corn on the cob: Eat it across with even rows. Maybe three or so rows of corn at one time. It always ends up perfectly even. The order I eat food could almost be a mathematical formula. It’s kind of like… Foods are given a score based on how much I like it. The lower scores are eaten more frequently at the beginning. So, maybe three bites of the worst, two bites of second place, then one bite of third place. But, it depends on the ratio of goodness/badness. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiosyncratic-verging-on-neurotic-things-you-do-with-your-food/849509.md?page=2)