As do all right-thinking people, sweet and not-sweet mixing is not kosher! (at least in my invented religion).
I have a couple unusual habits I developed as a child and never felt the need to change:
When eating an apple I eat the core too, seeds and all, an habit I developed to hide the evidence that I had stolen the apple when my parents told me I could only eat 5 apples or so at a time (ridiculous!), I used to eat the little bit of stem too (I had to hide the evidence!) but I no longer do that since I buy my own apples.
When eating carrots I eat the relatively sour exterior first and then enjoy the sweet core.
I don’t like carrots when mixed with any other thing, I only eat them alone.
As a teen, I had a friend who would attack his food. He would tilt his head back just a little and then lunge at his sandwich and taking a bite, like tearing flesh from a carcass.
I have questions too! For those with avoidance tactics where your food items on the plate cannot be touching and are eaten separately as taste/texture preferences does that prevent you from eating something like stir fries, Spanish rice, jamabalaya, tacos,Shepard pies, all those things made from multiple ingredients presented as a main dish. I’m wondering how strictly does one adhere to their preferences?
I don’t hold my fork and spoon correctly. Picture someone holding a stabbing knife and you might get an idea of what it looks like. I don’t know why I do this, but I’ve always done it that way.
I’m sure it varies. As i think i mentioned above, i have two friends who don’t eat “mixtures” such as you describe.
I sometimes intentionally load my fork with two separate food items, but i tend to be suspicious of that type of mixed food. I am a picky eater, and there are lots of specific foods i avoid, of which the most common is “peppers” (red, green, sweet, hot). I’m sensitive to peppers. In small quantities they taste foul to me, and in large quantities they make me sick to my stomach. And they lurk in a lot of those foods. So… Even if the actual item is Puzzlegal-safe, I’m suspicious enough of that type of item that it detracts from my enjoyment of it.
I’ve been wondering about this kind of thing, too. For those of you who are serial eaters or avoid mixing foods, how do you handle foods like Indian or Chinese dishes that come with white rice, and that most people dish out on top of the rice?
Does seeing other people mix their foods upset you, or is it just something you don’t care to do? (Not asking anyone in particular.)
I really hate it when restaurants ask me to keep the same fork from one course to the next. It’s just gross, although I can’t say why exactly. I just really dislike it.
I love biscuit dough. I really try not to eat it because I know it is dangerous (raw flour) but it calls to me. Which is particularly weird because nobody else seems to think it tastes good at all.
A friend of mine eats a couple of pounds of baby carrots every week.
My wife is a no-foods-touching-on-the-plate adherent, and she’ll happily eat all of these dishes and plenty more.
Shepherd’s Pie on a plate by itself? A-OK. Take the same components and serve them separately on one plate — say, 1) Salisbury steak w/mushroom gravy, 2) cheesy mashed potatoes, and 3) smothered green beans … well, those three better not be touching on her plate. Gravy on the meat patty is fine. Cheese folded into the potatoes is fine.
Search me—it’s not my thing. I can’t apply logic to it.
I don’t mind my food touching, but one thing I do that I suppose is in the minority is that I don’t put dishes served with rice on the side on top of the rice. I don’t know what my in-law’s fixation is, but I’ve had several tell me I “should” eat them after putting them on top of the rice. No, no I shouldn’t. I’ve had plenty of opportunity to eat it that way, and I prefer to eat the rice by itself. I like how plain rice tastes, and I want to taste it.
Similarly, that whole bunch will mix their refried beans and Mexican rice together and advise you to do the same. Umm, no fucking thank you. I’ve eaten that when the beans+rice touch each other. It’s edible, but I don’t want to eat them that way.
I don’t advertise, so not sure how unique or unusual it is, but I can’t stand taking a bit of a burrito and the bite is 100% the mushy part. Like a bite that is all sour cream or all guacamole. Makes me feel queasy and I usually lose my appetite therafter.
Far be it from me to tell you how to eat, but the reason that meals are served the way they are is that the ingredients complement each other, as someone already said. Otherwise we’d traditionally be serving roast beef, strawberries, mashed potatoes, and ice cream on the same plate.
One of the most impressive examples of this kind of taste reinforcement is with wine, which I realize not everyone loves. But no matter how good a wine is, a wine (usually a red) always tastes better with the right food, and conversely, food always tastes better with the right wine. The effect is especially powerful with reds, IMHO less so with whites.
My own peculiarity is one that seems natural and maybe even healthful, namely that while I often have a traditional full dinner, it’s also common for me to just snack throughout the day and get my nutrition in small amounts throughout the day rather than one huge sit-down meal. Of course the key to this sort of eating is to make sure you’re eating relatively healthy foods and not just nibbling on junk food.
Ever been to a buffet?
Believe it or not there’s still a Ponderosa in the Wisconsin Dells that has a full buffet. I was there a couple of weeks ago.
First I ate nothing but salad
Then a plate of mashed potatoes.
Then a plate of fish.
Then a plate of tacos
Then some dessert
Took my steak home for later.
But I never mixed my food. One thing at a time. It’s just the way I like it.
I might have some wine, a beer, or a cocktail before dinner, or after. But I usually drink ice water during eating. I don’t want my beverage to compliment nor interfere with what I’m eating. Water simply cleanses my palate for the next course and relieves my thirst.
Note what I said about “the reason that meals are served the way they are”. Buffets are not “meals being served”. They contain a vast assortment of different things that are often incompatible in any one serving. The assumption is that it’s up to the customer to decide what to put on any given plate. It certainly doesn’t mean “only one thing at a time”!
But again, I’m not one to criticize. Eat how you like. My only small point of criticism is that if you think a great wine with dinner is just a drink or a palate cleanser, you’re missing out on great culinary experiences.
Whenever I eat pears, I think of the time my SIL got a perfect Anjou pear in her Christmas stocking, and her daughter (my niece), who would have been a few months short of 2 years old, found it and started eating it. We were definitely not going to take a piece of fresh fruit away from her, that’s for sure.
Last spring, I had a major puke-fest that started several hours after my last meal, which was pizza. I still haven’t had pizza since, even though I know that’s not why I got sick.