# Things you do backwards. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 14, 2018, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872 "2018-07-14T00:22:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/1 "2018-07-14T00:22:54Z")
It just hit me, while replying to a thread in CS, that my tastes in steak have gone backwards from the accepted wisdom. The usual line is that people like their meat more well done the older they get. I am just the opposite. When I was young I wanted it grey. But each passing decade has me liking my steaks more and more rare. These days I’ll have tartare for the appetizer before tearing into a rib eye that has, as **burpo** put it, just been run through a warm room. My politics are backwards, too. I voted for Nixon my first election, for Ghu’s sake! Now I view Bernie Sanders as being dangerously centrist. What about you? Anything in Life you’ve been doing backwards? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/2 "2018-07-14T00:31:27Z")
Word problems. Like, since junior high. I read it through and when I get to, “_How many…_, or _how far…_, or whatever,” the problem unfolds backwards for me–wish I could explain it better. Is this common? BTW, I love word problems. ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/3 "2018-07-14T00:41:29Z")
When I write the number ‘6’ I write it anticlockwise by starting it at the end of the curl. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/4 "2018-07-14T00:58:50Z")
When I peel vegetables, I do it with the knife or peeler pointing towards me. It used to drive my mom insane, she was convinced I was going to lose a finger. I’ve always do it that way, I’ve never cut myself and it’s awkward for me to do it the opposite way. I wonder if it’s a left handed thing? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/5 "2018-07-14T01:02:49Z")
^ My mother’s a leftie and she does it the same way. Her left thumb could break a board, karate-style, it’s so tough. ---
**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:** [July 14, 2018, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/6 "2018-07-14T01:17:52Z")
I browse through magazines backwards. As an ad guy, I know how much advertisers pay extra for “Right Hand Page, Far Forward”. I wonder how many people are like me and see the back of the magazines first… and sometimes never make it to “RHP/FF”… ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/7 "2018-07-14T01:19:10Z")
Lefty here. Seems like everything I do is backwards. ETA I can draw with my right hand. We were taught it in art school. It feels backwards. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/8 "2018-07-14T01:31:42Z")
mazes. I always start at the exit. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/9 "2018-07-14T01:52:14Z")
> [@Asympotically\_fat](#): > > When I write the number ‘6’ I write it anticlockwise by starting it at the end of the curl. With me it’s not 6 but 5. I start at the lower left and finish at top right, unless for some reason I’m trying to write especially legibly. When subtracting with pencil and paper I often start in the leftmost column instead of the rightmost. If I need to borrow, I make adjustments afterward by striking out the wrong digit and replacing it with the right one. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/10 "2018-07-14T01:52:57Z")
> [@Asympotically\_fat](#): > > When I write the number ‘6’ I write it anticlockwise by starting it at the end of the curl. Isn’t anti clockwise the usual way? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/11 "2018-07-14T02:06:23Z")
When I have a soup and sandwich for lunch, I always eat the sandwich first and then the soup. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/12 "2018-07-14T02:10:24Z")
> [@Asympotically\_fat](#): > > When I write the number ‘6’ I write it anticlockwise by starting it at the end of the curl. Doesn’t everybody? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/13 "2018-07-14T02:20:08Z")
As far as aging goes: I’m in much better shape now than I was in my college days. My Freshman 15 was a 30, but nowadays, between the I-can’t-afford-fast-food Diet and the I-don’t-have-a-car exercise plan, I’ve lost most of that, and occasionally even have a hint of a six-pack. For other reversals, I wear my watch on my right (dominant) wrist, because as a kid, it seemed obvious to me that I’d do it that way, and even now that I understand why that’s not the usual, I’ve gotten used to it. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/14 "2018-07-14T02:26:06Z")
Many magazines have their most interesting content on the last page, so I usually look at that first. Whenever I read a quote, I first glance to see who said it. mmm ---
**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:** [July 14, 2018, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/15 "2018-07-14T02:36:36Z")
The Mrs. and I tend to eat our salads after our entrees, when dining at home. That way, if the entree is really good, we can gorge on it and skip the salad. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/16 "2018-07-14T03:29:32Z")
I’ve bought many carrot peelers where only the top blade is sharp–if you’re right-handed. Lefties have to pull that blade toward them. I read magazines backward. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/17 "2018-07-14T03:39:05Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Word problems. Like, since junior high. I read it through and when I get to, “_How many…_, or _how far…_, or whatever,” the problem unfolds backwards for me–wish I could explain it better. Is this common? BTW, I love word problems. This is how I always try to tell people to approach word problems: Start by figuring out what you’re trying to find, which is often asked at the end of the problem, and then go back and figure out what you need to do to find it. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/18 "2018-07-14T04:22:59Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > The Mrs. and I tend to eat our salads after our entrees, when dining at home. That way, if the entree is really good, we can gorge on it and skip the salad. > > Does that count? I’ve ran across a few people that order and eat the desert first at a restaurant. One elderly gentleman liked to say it was because he was old and might die before the end of the meal. ---
**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:** [July 14, 2018, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/19 "2018-07-14T04:57:29Z")
> [@Asympotically\_fat](#): > > When I write the number ‘6’ I write it anticlockwise by starting it at the end of the curl. > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Doesn’t everybody? 😕 He forgot to mention that he’s also renumbered and rewired all the clocks in his home to run backwards… ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872/20 "2018-07-14T05:18:02Z")
I walk backwards backwards, which results in my striding forward. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-do-backwards/817872.md?page=2)