# Slightly unusual eating habits you (or someone you know) has **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 17, 2026, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370 "2026-08-17T01:07:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/41 "2026-08-17T14:25:00Z")
I can’t deal with fruit as a category. Every single fruit has something I take issue with… fiber, seeds, skin, excessive tartness is a big one, too sweet, odd flavor, had an overripe one once and can’t forget it, had one that was touched by something objectionable (like a canteloupe or honeydew) and can’t forget it. I can live with blueberries well enough, and I can handle a pineapple if it’s not too tart, but other than that, I’m just not a fruit guy. No issues with veggies or savory foods. Fruit to me is just sweets that are perilously close to spoilage, and have too much extra stuff in them. ---
**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:** [August 17, 2026, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/42 "2026-08-17T14:42:50Z")
At home, the Mrs. and I both eat our salads at the end of the meal, not at the beginning. Dessert (if it occurs) happens a couple hours later, closer to bedtime. ---
**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:** [August 17, 2026, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/43 "2026-08-17T14:46:59Z")
Corn on the cob: Two or three rows at a time, from right to left. Finish the 2 or 3 rows then go to the next set of rows. Multiple items on the plate: go from worst to best, but weighted on level of badness/goodness. The level of “badness” determines the frequency I will eat it. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/44 "2026-08-17T14:52:59Z")
> [@Author\_Balk](#): > > Corn on the cob: Two or three rows at a time, from right to left. What? No, that’s all wrong-- it’s left to right, then rotate the cob and start again on the left, typewriter-style. You should almost be able to hear a ‘ding’ sound in your head as you get to the right end, and rotate. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/45 "2026-08-17T14:57:42Z")
Many of my meals end up in bowls. Pan seared chicken sliced, on top of a scoop of pearl couscous a veg medley alongside sometimes a scoop of cottage cheese and over all of it liberal drizzle of chili crisp oil. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/46 "2026-08-17T15:00:59Z")
Nobody has ever said anything to me about it, but I tend to use a spoon to eat much more than a fork. Mashed and baked potatoes, vegetables, even a straight hamburger without a bun. I just prefer to use a spoon. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/47 "2026-08-17T15:02:22Z")
I build my pancakes or waffles alternating with bacon slices. Then I cut the stack into triangles and pour syrup over it all. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/48 "2026-08-17T15:08:29Z")
As other posters have mentioned, I don’t like my foods touching. I used to be so obsessive that I would have a different bowl for each dish, but then Dr. Albracht put me on these little white pills. I’m also a notorious one-thing-at-a-time eater. Drives my family nuts, particularly my MIL. I’ll be eating some of the fried chicken, and she’ll be like “don’t you want some of the mashed potatoes?” Sure, _after_ I finish the fried chicken. Sometimes I’ll strip the toppings off of my pizza and eat that (with a fork(!)), other times I’ll eat my pizza the “normal” way, just depends on what kind of mood I’m in. Mrs. H doesn’t consider her meat done unless you can snap it in half. She also thinks any meat that comes from the chicken that isn’t boneless skinless breast is of the devil and shouldn’t be touched. And I’m probably the only carnivorous, hetero-cis, middle-aged Midwestern male who will ever admit to this, but: I could take or leave steak. I’ll eat it if it’s on my plate, but I’m not going out of my way for a good steak. AFAIAC, one steak isn’t appreciably different from another. And yes, I know that good preparation is the key, and I’ve had perfect medium rare from fine restaurants, and it’s all just … OK. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/49 "2026-08-17T15:14:25Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > But I will still eat the crunchy taco before all of the other items on my plate, because I’m not waiting around for the juicy picadillo to make the bottom of the taco soggy Doesn’t everyone do that? Seems more practical than prissy to me. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/50 "2026-08-17T16:00:41Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > I usually eat 6 small meals throughout the day. The last one (about 9:30 pm) is 6 scrambled eggs Six scrambled eggs is a SMALL meal? ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/51 "2026-08-17T16:15:01Z")
> [@bump](#): > > > [@scabpicker](#): > > > > But I will still eat the crunchy taco before all of the other items on my plate, because I’m not waiting around for the juicy picadillo to make the bottom of the taco soggy > > Doesn’t everyone do that? Seems more practical than prissy to me. Yeah, it’s an example of how even though I’d prefer my foods to encroach on each other’s territory, there are still rules that must be obeyed. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/52 "2026-08-17T16:45:15Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > Six scrambled eggs is a SMALL meal? Sure. It’s only about 450 calories. (YMMV, obviously), If he were alive, I’d like to think that Abe Lincoln would be a Doper. His contribution: he ate apples from the bottom. > **[The Unusual Way Abraham Lincoln Liked To Eat His Apples - Foodie](https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/unusual-way-abraham-lincoln-liked-191100149.html)** > > Historians love to track what and how former presidents ate. Abraham Lincoln's famous quirk had to do with eating the entire apple, core and all. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/53 "2026-08-17T16:56:39Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > If he were alive, I’d like to think that Abe Lincoln would be a Doper. His contribution: he ate apples from the bottom. I’m the opposite: I eat pears from the top. The only part of a pear I don’t eat is the stem. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/54 "2026-08-17T18:20:37Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > I have a co-worker whose spouse will not allow any item which has been touched by the dog to remain in the “human” cutlery/dish group. If their dog has touched it in any way, the fork, or plate, or whatever is permanently relegated to second class status, and is not even allowed in their dishwasher. I’ve heard of this one as well, and don’t quite get it. If the pets contaminate everything so badly, why keep them in your house? Anyway: if the people-dishwasher is too good for the dog dish, I trust the dog dish also has its own sponge to wash it with, and maybe its own sink. I mean, why take chances. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/55 "2026-08-17T18:24:06Z")
My boyfriend considers salad a dessert. He eats it last. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/56 "2026-08-17T18:44:09Z")
If everything is served at once, I eat the cold items last. Because I hate eating once-warm-but-now-cooled food. So the stuff that cools fastest has some priority as I work through all the hot items. Then comes all the stuff that’s served at room temp or cool or cold. IMO that’s just being practical, not fussy. Much like prioritizing the crunchy stuff before it gets too soggy to be experienced as intended. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/57 "2026-08-17T19:00:19Z")
I was a real PITA as a kid. I’d pick out any bits of onion from a meatloaf. I’d only eat brown gravy. Fat? Forgetaboutit. I got over all that once I was on my own. Except for fat. It’s fine ground up in sausage and the like, but a chunk on a steak? Nope. My eldest son is on the keto diet and has been for some years now. He also claims that carbs make his back ache, so he only orders burgers without the bun and avoids things like pizza, pasta, etc. I have to admit that he’s about the healthiest 55 year-old that I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/58 "2026-08-17T19:09:19Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > If everything is served at once, I eat the cold items last. Because I hate eating once-warm-but-now-cooled food. So the stuff that cools fastest has some priority as I work through all the hot items. Then comes all the stuff that’s served at room temp or cool or cold. > > IMO that’s just being practical, not fussy. Much like prioritizing the crunchy stuff before it gets too soggy to be experienced as intended. I agree that those are merely practical considerations. But i really don’t like hot food or has to sit until it is no more than warm before I’m comfortable eating it. That is unusual, but i think my mouth must just be more sensitive to heat than some people’s, in an objective way. I’ve gotten blisters from eating hot food that take a day to heal, and that are rather unpleasant. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/59 "2026-08-17T19:10:19Z")
I eat most stuff, but it better be the “right” color! The idea of food coloring disgusts me. Food is not blue. Not even blueberries, because although that’s their natural color, I don’t like them enough to overcome the ick factor. One time a nice lady at work baked rainbow cupcakes for my birthday. I thanked her and ate one…she’ll never know how hard it was! ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370/60 "2026-08-17T19:50:46Z")
For those of you that like to eat foods separately, do you like sandwiches with lots of toppings? Like, I love a south Jersey or Philly style hoagie-- ham, salami, lettuce tomato, onion, mayo, mustard, hot peppers, etc. Do sandwiches like this turn you off? Also, would you have a thanksgiving style hoagie? That’s turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce on a roll. WAY better than the plated kind for me! 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slightly-unusual-eating-habits-you-or-someone-you-know-has/1032370.md?page=4)