# You have the munchies, but you're not hungry; what do you eat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 11, 2011, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019 "2011-02-11T13:53:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019/21 "2011-02-12T05:21:45Z")
Cheezits, or apple and cheese if I’m in a healthy food place. Actually if I’m planning to snack for a long time I find it helps to mix salty and sweet, so I’ll have popcorn and raisinettes. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![Liz\_Marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Liz\_Marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liz_Marie)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019/22 "2011-02-12T06:50:22Z")
Tortilla chips and salsa. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019/23 "2011-02-12T07:14:53Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > This. > > I eat when I’m hungry and that’s it. > > And maybe that’s why I’m skinny. 😉 It is. People who aren’t skinny eat for up to four reasons - hunger, habit, boredom and stress relief. One of the tricks to stopping the other 3 is to pay attention to which one is causing you to eat, rather than just giving in to it. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019/24 "2011-02-12T07:20:47Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Popcorn or interesting pickles. May I ask what you mean by “interesting pickles”? I mean, as per my OP, I like pickles. But I stick with really garlicky dill spears, and sweet gherkins. I certainly would be willing to try more ‘interesting’ ones, though! ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019/25 "2011-02-12T07:24:13Z")
I like pickled peppers, and Umeboshi, and Kimchee, and bread and butter… and icebox. Sauerkraut, Green Tomatoes, Okra, and Beans. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019/26 "2011-02-12T07:31:23Z")
Shit. Forgot olives and artichokes, baby onions… make asalad with a jar of all of the above… season with sugar, red wine vinegar, pepper, and copious amounts of garlic, add some tri-color screw pasta, atouch of EVOO. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019/27 "2011-02-12T07:39:26Z")
Salt or anchovies, or a combination of both in that salad. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019/28 "2011-02-12T07:43:12Z")
In any upscale, trendy, American Bar… all of these ingredients could be available. I think I will call it “Bartender’s Salad”. Every Bar Pickle thrown into the classic American Pasta Salad wit Iti. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019/29 "2011-02-12T08:08:21Z")
Thanks for the clarification, **devilsknew**! I remember when I was much, much younger, something that often appeared at parties at my aunt’s house was a medley of _sweet pickled_ veggies; the medley contained cauliflower, pearl onions, red/yellow/green bell peppers. I can’t remember what else. I _do_ remember that at the time, it was the only way I would eat most of those veggies (the only other way I had ever had them was my mother’s ‘boil until they are good and dead’ method, which sucks). I can also remember (also at my aunt’s house; is there a theme here?), my friends and I gathering up all the change we could, and going down to the convenience store, which had a veritable feast of penny candy! There were usually four or five of us kids, and between us, we might have as much as forty cents! A fortune! One of the things we _always_ bought for our ‘party’ (read: an excuse to sit on the porch and scarf down junk food) was a great big pickled onion. The onions were _huge_ (or so my memory tells me), and dill pickled, and cost a nickle. We would peel off the layers and share it out that way. Balanced out the Twizzlers, chocolate babies, shoe buttons and Lemon Heads nicely, it did! 🙂 Hmmmm. I have to go grocery shopping today. Maybe I’ll peruse the pickle aisle for stuff more interesting than my standard. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019/30 "2011-02-12T12:41:23Z")
I get a box of those tiny skinny pretzel sticks and eat them one by one, each rolled into a slice of pepperoni. Or I’ll dip veggies in salsa. ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019/31 "2011-02-12T23:07:21Z")
Cup of tea. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019/32 "2011-02-12T23:26:29Z")
Fruit or veggies. A satsuma, plum, pear, carrot, celery, tomatoes (with some cheddar cheese). ---
**Author:** ![Jennmonkye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/278dde/32.png) [@Jennmonkye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennmonkye)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019/33 "2011-02-13T16:49:25Z")
Sugar free popscicle…or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019/34 "2011-02-13T17:01:15Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > Well, the two things may be identical for you, but for a lot of people, no. Hunger is a physical thing, meaning your body needs fuel, and is asking for it. Appetite, or having the munchies, is more psychological; it’s a matter of wanting to eat something that tastes good/is satisfying in texture. Have you ever maybe been recovering from an illness, and your belly is saying “Empty; feed me”, while your brain is saying “Ooooh, eating’s not a good idea right now”? That would be a case of hunger without appetite. OTOH, if you’ve ever had a satisfying meal, but then, faced with a particularly tempting dessert, decided maybe you had a _little_ more room in your tummy, that would be a case of having appetite without hunger. Certainly, there’s often overlap. But they are not one and the same thing for most people. That’s bizarre. For me, they’re always the same. I physically can’t eat if I’m not hungry. I can try but I’ll only be able to eat a couple of bites. I’m starting to realize why my BMI is so low. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019/35 "2011-02-13T20:51:22Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > That’s bizarre. For me, they’re always the same. I physically can’t eat if I’m not hungry. I can try but I’ll only be able to eat a couple of bites. > > I’m starting to realize why my BMI is so low. 🙂 Yep, that’s probably why! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019/36 "2011-02-13T21:37:20Z")
Chips and salsa or nachos. ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019/37 "2011-02-13T23:10:33Z")
Babies. They’re small, so they don’t fill me up. Just toss 'em in the microwave. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019/38 "2011-02-13T23:40:40Z")
> [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](#): > > Babies. They’re small, so they don’t fill me up. Just toss 'em in the microwave. And they’re tender enough for the bones to go down the garbage disposal! Though, frankly, I prefer braised to microwave. It’s slower, but yields a tastier meat!😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-the-munchies-but-youre-not-hungry-what-do-you-eat/571019.md?page=1)