# Unusual eating habits



## Les Toil (Nov 12, 2005)

Hi all. I have this burning curiousity about a particularly _unique_ eating habit. It's eating your meal one item at a time, typically the least important (or least prefered) item first and the main meat item last. 

My little ten year old niece was the first person I had ever seen to eat a meal like that (she's in her early 20s now. Not sure if she still has that habit). And then I recently met an adult who has this same quirky eating habit. Being Mr. Nosey, I had to ask both of them where and why this habit began and they both said they don't remember. They said it was ALWAYS how they ate their meals. I either read or heard from someone who was familiar with this particular eating habit that adults start this habit as very young children but their parents typically break them of it before it does turn into a permanent habit. 

I can't think of any drawbacks to having this quirk other than raising a few eyebrows from snooty dinner guests. Although I do recall my neice often having to re-heat her main dinner item because it would take a considerable amount of time for her to finally get to it. Other than that I'm just really curious about this interesting eating habit and where it actually stems from. 

There's two other unusual eating habits I've learned of that have interesting origins. One involves people that eat their meals extremely fast. I heard this comes from being one of many children and if a child wanted more of a certain food, he/she would have to eat fairly fast before that item ran out. A long-time friend of mine has ALWAYS eaten his meals at lightening speed and he happened to come from a family of nine children.

The other unique eating habit is resting your arms around your plate as if you were guarding it from predators. There's no surprise this is a habit that stems from a lengthy stay in prison, but I've heard it's a habit that ALSO stems from being a child that lives with many, many siblings. 

Does anyone here eat their food items individually before moving to the next item or KNOW of anyone who does that? Is there any info' on the net about unusual eating habits? As a kid I once had a habit of saving up all the crust from my slices of pizza and having them as a snack later. I'm sure I had much weirder habits, but that's the only that comes to mind.


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## Pink (Nov 12, 2005)

My husband eats one food at a time like that. 
I just mix it all up lol and I am a very slow eater.


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## fatlane (Nov 12, 2005)

No guarding, and I'll tend to eat items in succession if there's something really yukky. Otherwise, I've learned how to mix my flavors.


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## Mr. Brian (Nov 12, 2005)

I do it. I have always eaten that way. One item at a time. In no particular order but once I started on any item, that's pretty much where I stayed until it was gone. 

I was the only one in my family who did it growing up and it's still with me at 50. 

All I can say for my reason (and I had to think about this ) is that I get so involved in the taste of a particular item I am into the flavor enough that I don't want to mix it. It's an intensity thing I think. Obviously there are some foods that are problematic. Succotash, for example, was probably invented to discourage this as is any stew or casserole. The rules go out the window for soup. So there is inconsistency to it. 

Oh yeah.. I tend to eat my salad last.

Mr. Brian 

_________________ 
-Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.


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## SoVerySoft (Nov 12, 2005)

Les, what a great post for the Foodee board. I wish you'd posted it there! 

To answer your question, I have known a handful of people who eat their meals one food at a time. My boyfriend is one of them!

I haven't asked him why, or how he decides the order that he eats them, but I will now.

I have asked others, and I recall one fellow telling me he eats the food that tastes best hot, first (i.e. french fries). He also stopped eating when his soda ran out. No more soda, dinner is over. This was 20 years ago - I am going to guess that nowadays with free soda refills, he doesn't have that problem anymore. (NJ restaurants were VERY slow to adopt the free refill practice.)

Me? The only thing I can think of is that I save the very best bite for last. So don't think that item I pushed to the side of my plate is up for grabs - it is the most cherished! Don't steal it from my plate!


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## AnnMarie (Nov 12, 2005)

The only time I eat one item at a time in succession is when I eat fast food. I eat fries first, then nuggets (or something along those lines), then the burger (it lasts longest and is most forgiving if the temp drops). 

Other than that, most of my meals are about the perfect bite. If I'm eating steak and potatoes, there has to be steak and potato in every forkful. I will start using less of one towards the end if it doesn't appear they'll both be around for the last few bites. 

I don't eat very fast, or slow, I usually finish around the same time as anyone else I'm dining with. 

I was an only child, so I also don't have any territory issues or guarding issues. And I'm not a member of the clean plate club, I will leave anything at all behind that I don't want to finish, no guilt, no issues.


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## ThatFatGirl (Nov 12, 2005)

I mix things up and I eat slower than most everyone I've ever dined with. I also save the best bites for last. I wonder sometimes if I would weigh less because I'd eat less if I ate the best stuff first?


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## Jay West Coast (Nov 12, 2005)

Les Toil said:


> Hi all. I have this burning curiousity about a particularly _unique_ eating habit. It's eating your meal one item at a time, typically the least important (or least prefered) item first and the main meat item last.
> 
> The other unique eating habit is resting your arms around your plate as if you were guarding it from predators. There's no surprise this is a habit that stems from a lengthy stay in prison, but I've heard it's a habit that ALSO stems from being a child that lives with many, many siblings.



When I was a kid, I often used to eat one item at a time. I think I did it just to be different, but also to concentrate on the particular flavor and goodness of each item. Although for me, I did it in descending order of importance, with the entree first, and the vegetables and sides following. It was as if to say that I went for the most delicious item first, and once I tried it, I didn't want to stop eating it. Then, the same would occur for the next delicious item, and so forth. Eventually, I figured this idiosyncracy was a little weird, so started mixing the items, and switching bites back and forth. I would argue that the latter enhances the eating experience. 



AnnMarie said:


> The only time I eat one item at a time in succession is when I eat fast food. I eat fries first, then nuggets (or something along those lines), then the burger (it lasts longest and is most forgiving if the temp drops).



Fast food is the one area that I first discovered that mixing was way more exciting than not. Extensive experimentation concludes that when eating a Whopper, the ideal bite contains fries with ketchup, soda, AND Whopper with cheese. Or at least, that's me "having it my way." 
Maybe if I ordered nuggets too, I'd think differently. I'll have to try that.

Maybe I'm a freak, but at least I'm a recovering freak. 


Jay West Coast


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## Gordo Mejor (Nov 12, 2005)

I often tend to eat one thing at a time. Not always, but usually. I don't think it's anything compulsive. 

But I eat the best stuff first. That's what is most attractive to eat.

Perhaps I should turn this question around though. Why would any sane person eat a little bit of this, a little bit of that. It makes no sense. Is there some kind of conspiracy trying to corrupt our eating habits? ;o)


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## vix (Nov 12, 2005)

My friends ex husband wouldn't eat a meal if the different foods were touching, each food would have to have space around it.

It drove her crazy, so I guess it's good that they are no longer together, he was very strange to say the least.

I always save the best to last, especially if it's a roast.:eat2:


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## LurkingBBW (Nov 12, 2005)

Les Toil said:


> Hi all. I have this burning curiousity about a particularly _unique_ eating habit. It's eating your meal one item at a time, typically the least important (or least prefered) item first and the main meat item last.
> 
> My little ten year old niece was the first person I had ever seen to eat a meal like that (she's in her early 20s now. Not sure if she still has that habit). And then I recently met an adult who has this same quirky eating habit. Being Mr. Nosey, I had to ask both of them where and why this habit began and they both said they don't remember. They said it was ALWAYS how they ate their meals. I either read or heard from someone who was familiar with this particular eating habit that adults start this habit as very young children but their parents typically break them of it before it does turn into a permanent habit.
> 
> ...



I too, eat my food one item at a time. Always have. I don't like to mix my food. I tend to leave the thing that I like best for last, althought that is not a given. If it's something that won't taste as good cold, then I will eat it before it get's cold which means that it probably won't be the last thing that I eat.


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## Les Toil (Nov 12, 2005)

How incredibly fascinating that there ARE so many people that eat in succession (thanks for the word, Fatlane)! I'm personally blown away by the notion that people eat FAST FOOD one item at a time. Have you guys ever tried taking a bite of a cheeseburger and sticking a couple fries in your mouth at the same time? It's soooooo much better than eating those items one at a time! Or having a mouthful of steak and placing a bit of potatoes in your mouth with it! It makes every mouthful exciting (as Jay eloquently put it). Although I eat my starches, meats and veggies throughout the meal, I could NEVER imagine placing a mouthful of meat in my mouth with a bit of veggies.  

hat's also interesting is I've ALWAYS washed down each bite of something sweet (cake, pie, cookies) with milk, but I couldn't imagine washing down savory food with a SWEET drink like soda. I mean, I can after swallowing my bites but I couldn't imagine having a gulp of soda in my mouth while a bite of a burger was still in it.

Now to the folks that eat in succession, is the idea of taking your potato chips and putting them under the bread of your tuna sandwich a complete no-no? That was something I started as a kindergartener and I *still* do it.:eat1:


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## Jes (Nov 12, 2005)

There's a category of people who eat 1 item at a time (sometimes I like to empty a bag of colored candy and then eat 1 color at a time, but that's just for fun and not a 'must') and also a category of people who are driven crazy by category #1 people!  My frather had a friend who did this and my father used to have to restrain himself from yelling: WHY ARE YOU EATING THAt WAY?

My mother eats very quickly, and she hates that. She learned that tactic during her years as a tour guide. While most of us can eat our meals in peace during work hours, no one ever realizes the tour guide is on a 'break' and so uses mealtime to ask endless questions. If my mother didn't have to answer tourist questions, she had to pay the bill, make arrangements, etc. To this day, she gobbles.

I eat very slowly. Mostly b/c I'm a chatty cathy, which is a surprise to precisely no one, I'm sure. I don't eat the dutch way though, which is to mix everything on your plate into one big mash and then take a big of it ALL.


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## LurkingBBW (Nov 13, 2005)

:eat2:


Les Toil said:


> How incredibly fascinating that there ARE so many people that eat in succession (thanks for the word, Fatlane)! I'm personally blown away by the notion that people eat FAST FOOD one item at a time. Have you guys ever tried taking a bite of a cheeseburger and sticking a couple fries in your mouth at the same time? It's soooooo much better than eating those items one at a time! Or having a mouthful of steak and placing a bit of potatoes in your mouth with it! It makes every mouthful exciting (as Jay eloquently put it). Although I eat my starches, meats and veggies throughout the meal, I could NEVER imagine placing a mouthful of meat in my mouth with a bit of veggies.
> 
> hat's also interesting is I've ALWAYS washed down each bite of something sweet (cake, pie, cookies) with milk, but I couldn't imagine washing down savory food with a SWEET drink like soda. I mean, I can after swallowing my bites but I couldn't imagine having a gulp of soda in my mouth while a bite of a burger was still in it.
> 
> Now to the folks that eat in succession, is the idea of taking your potato chips and putting them under the bread of your tuna sandwich a complete no-no? That was something I started as a kindergartener and I *still* do it.:eat1:


For me it's more for hot food that I don't mix together than cold. I can and do eat ham and cheese sandwiches and although I haven't had a tuna and potato chip sandwich for a while, I do enjoy that as well. *message to self. Go out and buy some potato chips* I finished those suckers up yesterday.

Good idea. I will do that soon.


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## Tina (Nov 13, 2005)

AnnMarie said:


> The only time I eat one item at a time in succession is when I eat fast food. I eat fries first, then nuggets (or something along those lines), then the burger (it lasts longest and is most forgiving if the temp drops).



Yep, I do it, too. Fries first, usually, maybe with some bites of burger interspersed, and definitely with some fries ON the burger, which I love. The only fast food burger I'll eat, after watching Supersize Me and seeing the extra footage with the author of Fast Food Nation talking about places like Mc Donald's. And while In-n-Out's fries are marvelous, they don't age well.

Other than that, it depends. For instance, when I have meatloaf and mashed potatoes, some of each must be on the fork. Same with turkey, stuffing, potatoes and gravy (can at times make for some large, ungainly bites, so I try not to be obsessive about it, but it's how I like it best). 

Beyond that, I usually don't focus on any one thing too much, but I usually will save a couple of bites of my favorite thing for last so that it's the last thing I taste and the flavor can linger in my mouth.


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## Emma (Nov 13, 2005)

If I have to eat potatoy things (I really can't stand meals like that) I eat veggies, potoatoes and then the meat items. If I have a burger and fries, I'll eat the fries then the burger. I don't like my foods to touch each other. Also if my food is all samey (say like pasta) then I get bored and stop eating before I'm full.


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## Missy9579 (Nov 13, 2005)

AnnMarie said:


> The only time I eat one item at a time in succession is when I eat fast food. I eat fries first, then nuggets (or something along those lines), then the burger (it lasts longest and is most forgiving if the temp drops).
> 
> Other than that, most of my meals are about the perfect bite. If I'm eating steak and potatoes, there has to be steak and potato in every forkful. I will start using less of one towards the end if it doesn't appear they'll both be around for the last few bites.
> 
> ...




I dont let my food touch. I will use 3 plates or bowls at dinne rto avoid mt food touching. I am not really sure why. If there is not seperate plates around Ill pass on things just to avoid them from touching. a=At a buffet i make 15 trips but probably eat as much as anyones elses 3 trips lol, And thanksgiving! pffft....lol who the hell piles all that together!


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## Fuzzy (Nov 13, 2005)

AnnMarie said:


> The only time I eat one item at a time in succession is when I eat fast food. I eat fries first, then nuggets (or something along those lines), then the burger (it lasts longest and is most forgiving if the temp drops).



Agreed. Fries have to be eaten first. As does anything that is great hot, but cold is really lousy. I've been known to go order fries first, and after they're gone, go back and get the rest of the meal. 

I've been on a soup kick recently, which is the technical equivalent of everything mixed together and eaten together. Today, btw, I've craving a goulash of some sort. And crusty hard rolls. :eat2:


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## BBW Betty (Nov 13, 2005)

I like to eat "round robin" around my plate, a few bites of this, and then a few of that. My husband eats one item at a time.

My dad was the really funny one. At a meal, he would pile meat, potatoes, and veges all into one pile, but he complained when Mom made stew. Go figure.


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## fatlane (Nov 13, 2005)

Layer some fries on the burger. YES!


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## Roy C. (Nov 13, 2005)

I have a problem with eating eggs by themselves. I love eggs, cooked in various ways, but they must be sitting on something, like toast or pancakes. I cannot eat a hard-boiled egg by itself, but love them in salads.

When it comes to ice cream, I only like the basic flavors (van, choc, strawbry etc), but love to mix around with cake or pie...


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## Tina (Nov 13, 2005)

fatlane said:


> Layer some fries on the burger. YES!



Yep. The only way to go, really.:eat2:


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## TallFatSue (Nov 13, 2005)

It's probably not really an unusual eating habit, but maybe it is for an American. Art & I both eat with our forks in our left hands and hold our knives in our right. I used to hold the fork in my right hand, then juggle it to my left as I used the knife with my right hand, and then pass the fork back to my right. But then Mr. Engineer pointed out that most formal place settings set the fork on the left. Well, he had a point, so I adopted the habit too. In Europe we fit right in, and it was easy to spot the Yanx juggling their forks in restaurants over there.

Speaking of restaurants, a couple months ago someone asked for my advice on restaurants in my corner of the Toledo area. I made several suggestions to him, but realized I hadn't been to many of them in a great many moons. So, for the past several weeks Art & I had made a point to dine at most of them. Purely for research of course.  I was sorry that Damon's on Airport Road had closed, but most of my old favorites are still doing fine. There were a couple new ones I hadn't tried before too. Does eating at restaurants in sequence qualify as an extreme form of eating your food in sequence?


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## Les Toil (Nov 14, 2005)

TallFatSue said:


> Art & I both eat with our forks in our left hands and hold our knives in our right. I used to hold the fork in my right hand, then juggle it to my left as I used the knife with my right hand, and then pass the fork back to my right. But then Mr. Engineer pointed out that most formal place settings set the fork on the left. Well, he had a point, so I adopted the habit too.



Sue, if I attempted to eat with my fork in my left hand, my entire meal would end up EVERYwhere but in my mouth.  

And by the way, I'm absolutely starving after reading this thread. I wanna run out and buy a burger and fries or meatloaf and potatoes. :doh:


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## Les Toil (Nov 14, 2005)

OK, well how about childhood eating habits?

I would never ever EVER eat ice-cream unless it was in a sugar cone, and then when I licked the ice-cream so it was level with the cone, I wouldn't start biting the cone, what I would do is bite the tiny point from the bottom of the cone and SUCK that muthah empty. And then I'd eat the empty cone.


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## BBW Betty (Nov 14, 2005)

TallFatSue said:


> It's probably not really an unusual eating habit, but maybe it is for an American. Art & I both eat with our forks in our left hands and hold our knives in our right. I used to hold the fork in my right hand, then juggle it to my left as I used the knife with my right hand, and then pass the fork back to my right. But then Mr. Engineer pointed out that most formal place settings set the fork on the left. Well, he had a point, so I adopted the habit too. In Europe we fit right in, and it was easy to spot the Yanx juggling their forks in restaurants over there.



One of my history teachers once said that this difference between Europeans and Americans was how some of our spies once got caught. Just something I found interesting and so I remember it.

I think I've always used my left hand for my fork if I'm cutting something up, like a meat entree. Much more efficient, and can eat more in less time. However, for anything else, I use my fork with my right hand.


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## TallFatSue (Nov 14, 2005)

Les Toil said:


> Sue, if I attempted to eat with my fork in my left hand, my entire meal would end up EVERYwhere but in my mouth.


Miss your mouth? Now THAT'S what I call an eating disorder!  



BBW Betty said:


> One of my history teachers once said that this difference between Europeans and Americans was how some of our spies once got caught. Just something I found interesting and so I remember it.


Hey, you're right! So Art & I were incognito overseas, eh? Hmmm, if I ever get tired of being of office manager, maybe I could be a spy instead. "Pay no attention to the big tall fat woman behind the curtain!" At my size, the Double-O-7 code wouldn't be big enough, I'd need at least Triple.


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## MissToodles (Nov 14, 2005)

I refuse to use any generic ketchup. Only heinz for me.


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## BBW Betty (Nov 14, 2005)

MissToodles said:


> I refuse to use any generic ketchup. Only heinz for me.



Ah-ha! Here we have the brand-name loyalties. I like Del Monte ketchup myself, can't stand to buy any other brand.

Grocery shopping has become interesting for my husband and me, because we try to avoid brand names that are under the same parent company as Phillip Morris Tobacco products, which include but are not limited to:

Kraft, Nabisco, Post cereals, Jell-O, Planters, and Oscar Mayer.

It's a long story, but think about how that could affect your shopping.


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## Fuzzy (Nov 14, 2005)

MissToodles said:


> I refuse to use any generic ketchup. Only heinz for me.



Word, MissToodles. Only Heinz Ketchup for me. Some of my other brand loyalties are:

French's Mustard
Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
Kraft Miracle Whip
Campbell's Soup
Van de Camp's Ranch Beans (perfect beans for chili)
Pace Picante Sauce
Land-o-Lakes Unsalted Butter
Bernstein's Roasted Gahhhhhlic Balsamic Dressing
Colgin Liquid Smoke


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## seavixen (Nov 15, 2005)

I have a few odd eating habits... one of them being the "save the best for last" thing. I simply cannot stand eating my favourite item first; also, I do tend to eat each item separately. For instance, if I had a meal of peas, mashed potatoes, chicken fried steak, and a brownie, I would eat them in the order I typed them in - first would be my least favourite, my next to least, and so forth to my favourite item. This is probably part of the reason I got / stay large.. I don't want to not eat my favourite item, but I am often already full by the time I get to it.

I was also conditioned to get as much food as I could fit on my plate because of the various "food issues" that my mother and her husbands have had. My mom is a hoarder.. she can't finish food, she always saves some of it for later and doesn't like others to eat too much of "her" food. Her husbands have always been prone to eating everything that's left, so I developed the habit of getting as much as I could at the beginning of the meal. I still do this, usually, though I'm not as bad as I used to be because of the combination of the two reasons so far. I simply do not like being overly full, so I just stash away the excess for later - lol.

I think a lot of people learned to eat their meals quickly - rather than simply being fast eaters straight out - because of family issues or simply being trained that way by school. We had very little time to eat our lunches at every school I went to (and I'd been trained to eat slowly) so I had to learn ASAP how to eat fast or I'd end up eating lunch all through recess and being late to class. I still can't eat THAT fast, though. I like to actually taste and enjoy my food.

I have some other odd tendencies, like eating bread and pizza crust first, but I guess that just goes back to the whole "save the best for last" thing.


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## vix (Nov 15, 2005)

I never knew the US used their knives and forks the opposite way to the UK
you learn something knew everyday.

I love saladcream with curries and chilli, yummy even my daughter does it now.

If I have cake I have to eat it layer by layer, same with things like Snickers bars, I have to eat the outside first then the peanut bit and the nougart last.


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## seavixen (Nov 15, 2005)

TallFatSue said:


> It's probably not really an unusual eating habit, but maybe it is for an American. Art & I both eat with our forks in our left hands and hold our knives in our right.



Hey, I do that too. I've never thought about it before, but it never occurred to me to eat any other way. I also put the phone to my left ear, though I'm right-handed.. but that doesn't have anything to do with eating


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## SoVerySoft (Nov 15, 2005)

Fuzzy said:


> Some of my other brand loyalties are:
> ...Kraft Miracle Whip...



   

What do you use it on??

(can you tell I'm not a fan?? )


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## Fuzzy (Nov 15, 2005)

SoVerySoft said:


> What do you use it on??
> 
> (can you tell I'm not a fan?? )



*laugh* It depends on my mood on whether I use mayo, or the whip. 

Lately, I've been using it in place of butter when making grilled cheese sandwiches.


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## SoVerySoft (Nov 16, 2005)

Fuzzy said:


> Lately, I've been using it in place of butter when making grilled cheese sandwiches.



In place of BUTTER? I can't fathom anything replacing butter in ANYTHING. lol


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## Les Toil (Nov 16, 2005)

OK, one last question. 

Why do white people love Ranch dressing so much? 

It's almost like oxygen to them. I've seen you all put it on everything from fries to turkey sandwiches to slices of apples. When ranch dressing was invented, white people acted as if blue cheese, roquefort, honey dijon were never even invented. Ranch is to white folks what bar-b-que sauce is to black folks (drooool). And based upon my online chats in chatroom during dinner time, I've noticed that the more towards the center of the country we get, the more Ranch dressing is consumed. Oddly, every time I go to a family function or a family function with other African-American in-laws, the salad options are usually blue cheese or Ceasar or basically anything but Ranch. I'll tell ya one thing though. I'm bringing a bottle of Ranch to the next get-together just to see if anyone goes near it.


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## Tina (Nov 16, 2005)

Don't bring a bottle, Lester, bring a jar of homemade using the Hidden Ranch packet and let them try it the way it's best.  There are just some things it's fabulous on, and other things that I prefer vinagrette, honey mustard and even 1000 Island on.


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## seavixen (Nov 16, 2005)

Les Toil said:


> Why do white people love Ranch dressing so much?



I hate ranch dressing. Then again, I don't like ANY salad dressing.


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## Fuzzy (Nov 16, 2005)

In some of the areas I've been where there wasn't already a dominate sauce like bbq, ranch has made sweeping in roads. 

And as I remember it, before the ranch craze, it was creamy cucumber. 

I've been partial to a chunky blue cheese, but I always fall for the Hidden Valley.


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## bigcutiekaroline (Nov 16, 2005)

I eat one thing at a time...saving the best for last. I think that I do this so I can savour the thing that I like most...at the very end. I also had an odd habit as a child that I ahve tried really hard to dispell as an adult. I hated any of my foods ot touch on my plate. Gravies gave me coniptions....and stew...forget it...wouldn't eat it. I would prop my plate up on my spoon and keep the runny things on the one side so it didn't mix with the other foods. I know....weird! lol But that is me! I have out grown alot of that now but I still don't like it mixed all together.

Hugs,
Karoline


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## Santaclear (Nov 17, 2005)

I don't care if foods touch. I just do the feed bag method, mixing all my food for the next few days into a groaty-looking clear plastic sack which I wear hanging in front of my face, attached by loops that hook around my ears. That way nothing can disturb me from eating. :eat2: Hard to meet people this way tho. Does anyone else do this?


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## Les Toil (Nov 17, 2005)

Santaclear said:


> I don't care if foods touch. I just do the feed bag method, mixing all my food for the next few days into a groaty-looking clear plastic sack which I wear hanging in front of my face, attached by loops that hook around my ears. That way nothing can disturb me from eating. :eat2: Hard to meet people this way tho. Does anyone else do this?


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## Les Toil (Nov 17, 2005)

By the way, I wanted to put a dozen green smiley faces but it wouldn't allow my post to process. A disclaimer came on and said "You are not allowed to exceed ten smiley icons. Please edit your post accordingly". LMFAO I swear to god it said that. Can you imagine? Chastised by Smiley Gestapo!:doh:


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## ConnieLynn (Nov 17, 2005)

Les Toil said:


> OK, one last question.
> 
> Why do white people love Ranch dressing so much?



I think it is because compared to real blue cheese dressing, ranch dressing is cheaper. I love blue cheese, but ranch has replaced it on lots of salad bars over the years. Ranch always tastes sort of fake/chemically to me, even when made the "original" way. I always thought of blue cheese being the "adult" dressing and ranch being for kids


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## TallFatSue (Nov 17, 2005)

Les Toil said:


> The other unique eating habit is resting your arms around your plate as if you were guarding it from predators.


Not a problem because I'm a two-fisted eater, and I don't think anyone would dare to touch my plate while I'm eating because I might bite their arms.


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## Fan~Girl (Nov 18, 2005)

I do that too. I think it started for me when I had a grandparent who used to make me clear the plate whenever we ate. Therefore I'd leave the bits I really wanted till last have everything else and then manage to have it all. Tis a good question to ask.


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## TallFatSue (Nov 18, 2005)

Les Toil said:


> Why do white people love Ranch dressing so much?


Good question, Les, and inquiring minds wanna know. Maybe because it originated on a dude ranch?

_Slate:_ Ranch Dressing: Why do Americans love it so much?
http://www.slate.com/id/2123991/


> In the early days, ranch dressing didn't seem likely to take Italian's crown. It was a strictly local delicacythe pride of Steve and Gayle Henson, a couple who'd opened a dude ranch near Santa Barbara, Calif., in 1954. Visitors to the Henson spread, known as Hidden Valley Ranch, came for the horseback riding, but they frequently left with fonder memories of Steve's special dressing. The Hensons began to give their guests to-go bottles, and eventually they started a small plant where they manufactured packets of ranch seasoning for the retail market.


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## bigsexy920 (Nov 18, 2005)

I like it when all the stuff runs out at the same time,like mashed potatos and meatloaf. If there is a piece of meat loaf left, and I've run out of potato I need to get more. Humm maybe thats why im chubby.+-

So basically I eat clockwise around the plate till everything is gone.


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## LurkingBBW (Nov 19, 2005)

Santaclear said:


> I don't care if foods touch. I just do the feed bag method, mixing all my food for the next few days into a groaty-looking clear plastic sack which I wear hanging in front of my face, attached by loops that hook around my ears. That way nothing can disturb me from eating. :eat2: Hard to meet people this way tho. Does anyone else do this?


Wow! You do that too?? Thought I was the only one. LOL.


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## TCUBOB (Nov 19, 2005)

You know what this means, don't you? You're a Romulan.

My geek knowledge and I just can't help ourselves.

Bob


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## Santaclear (Nov 21, 2005)

LurkingBBW said:


> Wow! You do that too?? Thought I was the only one. LOL.



Too bad you're so far away.  I was envisioning romantic moonlight walks on the beach, both of us wearing our feedbags.


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## LurkingBBW (Nov 21, 2005)

Santaclear said:


> Too bad you're so far away.  I was envisioning romantic moonlight walks on the beach, both of us wearing our feedbags.


How romantic. I might just have to make a trip to fulfill that fantasy.:wubu:


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## Jes (Nov 21, 2005)

I was out with 2 friends yesterday. By the end of a day of sightseeing, we were so hungry. We ended up at a place called The Charcoal Pit in Delaware, and bellied up to the trough of cheeseburgers. For dessert? We ordered more cheeseburgers and mozzarella sticks. For second dessert we ordered hot fudge sundaes. I had to make my friend pull the car around. I was weeble-ing (weebles(tm) wobble but they don't fall down!). I haven't been that hungry in a loooong time.


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## ValentineBBW (Nov 21, 2005)

Jes said:


> I was weeble-ing (weebles(tm) wobble but they don't fall down!).




Yes call me weird, but I LOVE that you use that phrase. It feels like I say that ALL the time

*goes back to observing from her corner*


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## Fuzzy (Nov 21, 2005)

That _used_ to be one of my favorite sayings too.. until I totally offended a date. 

I don't use it anymore.


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## moonvine (Nov 22, 2005)

I don't think it is all that unusual. I always eat my least favorite item first until it is all gone, then I move on to the second least favorite. Very few people ever notice, or if they do they don't say anything....

I never eat fries and burgers at the same time! Ack!.

I am also white and don't care much for Ranch dressing. I love bleu cheese. If it is not available I will usually get Italian.


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## TallFatSue (Dec 24, 2005)

Les Toil said:


> Why do white people love Ranch dressing so much?





TallFatSue said:


> Good question, Les, and inquiring minds wanna know. Maybe because it originated on a dude ranch?
> 
> _Slate:_ Ranch Dressing: Why do Americans love it so much?
> http://www.slate.com/id/2123991/


Les, you'll be pleased to know that now whenever I have ranch dressing on my salad, I think of you. Just had it again today. I might never have known it originated on a dude ranch if not for your inquiring mind. Yee-haw!


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## Les Toil (Dec 24, 2005)

TallFatSue said:


> Les, you'll be pleased to know that now whenever I have ranch dressing on my salad, I think of you. Just had it again today. I might never have known it originated on a dude ranch if not for your inquiring mind. Yee-haw!



For sure this is an informative thread, Miss Sue. I had absolutely no idea so many people do the eating-in-a-certain-order thing until I started this thread. Plus I had no idea it's a difficult-to-break eating habit that starts when we're infants.

Happy holidays to ya!! 

Les


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## JoyJoy (Dec 27, 2005)

Since I never have food on my plate that I don't like, I start by eating the food that I *just* like, and save the food that I *love* for last. Then I go back for seconds of the *love* food. 

Hi Les! LTNS!


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## LillyBBBW (Dec 28, 2005)

I do all of those things: eat everything one at a time, eat fast and guard my food. I have six older brothers and one baby sister and eating too slow at the dinner table yielded one of two results. Either a bully would steal stuff from your plate, or mom would look in your direction and accuse you of messing over your food and THEN the bullies would loot your plate. I ate the good stuff first. Let 'em have the string beans and cream corn. Being the official fat kid in my family, request for seconds were often denied.

My sister developed a wonderful habit. She was a scrawny little thing and would immediately handle all of her food with her hands and fingers before she started, contaminating every morsel. To top it all off she was a finicky eater and never finished her food. Half her food mom would scrape into the garbage infuriating the beasts at the dinner table. I love that girl. :wubu:


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## BoNeCrUsHeR527 (Nov 17, 2008)

I dont usually eat an enormous amount of one thing at a time like 8 hamburgers or something like that but i find it unusual that for some reason i can eat a whole large pizza, Everytime i order it i eat the whole thing


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## Thrifty McGriff (Nov 17, 2008)

Hey, an old thread resurrected. This is an interesting one too. I was an extremely picky, downright ridiculous eater as a kid, barely touching vegetables (and my parents eventually just tolerated it instead of forcing me to eat them) and certain items like meatloaf, which I still don't like... Its a loaf of meat?!? Ugh . Nowadays I tend to mix things (burgers, fries and ketchup are great!) but I still prefer to eat whatever I think would be worst when cold first, so usually vegetables go down first and meat comes last, but I rarely eat such proper, rounded meals up here on my own. Breakfast is my favourite meal for mixing items, especially an Ulster Fry. :eat1:

My cousins in Ireland, and their father who they inherited it from, all inhale their food as fast as possible and will go back for more. They got the good, healthy appetite that I didn't. I've learned how to eat very fast if I have to, and I can also be a slow eater as I was in childhood, especially if I'm doing another activity whilst eating, which I normally am doing. I probably look like a pig when I eat as I tend to take enormous mouthfuls, its a habit that I just can't break and frankly I don't give a shit. It's food, my belly wants it, gimme.


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## pinkylou (Nov 17, 2008)

I make a mean Ulster fry 

My weirdest food thing is I love pickled cauliflower and peanut butter sandwiches


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## No-No-Badkitty (Nov 17, 2008)

I am a very fast eater. I chalk it up to an over populated middle school where we had 35 minute lunches and were often still standing in line when the bell rang to go back to class. There were many a day where I had to skip lunch or face inhouse for being late to class to many times in a week.

I also eat my food in a certian order. I eat what I like the least first and end with what I like the most. If what I end with is sweet I tend to leave one bite of something "salty" left on my plate to wash down the sugar taste left in my mouth.


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## roddles (Nov 19, 2008)

I do it too - I didn't think it was weird until now. I start with the worst - (brocoli, spinach, pumpkin) then move to the bit better (peas, corn, potato) then to the meat. I also don't let anything touch each other. 
some other habbits I know about myself others might recognise:

- when I have finished one item I usualy spin my plate around to the next item
- Nothing must touch and if there is sauce like gravy etc it can only be on the meat NOT on the potato and vegetables
- I will swap my knife and fork over - ie when eating meat I have the fork in my left hand and cut with my right hand. But if I am eating vegetables or potato or salad, I use just my fork in my right hand.

I guess I am just weird


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## Still a Skye fan (Nov 19, 2008)

Hmmm...yeah, I've known people who eat like that.

I like a bit of variety in my meals, though: I eat whatever my fork hits depending on what I'm having too.


Dennis


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## HollyGirl (Nov 21, 2008)

i eat very quickly and with my arms on the sides of the plate. im one of 5 children and grew up with a father who was on military boats all the time. You put your arms on either side of your plate to keep it from sliding!


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## olwen (Nov 22, 2008)

Les Toil said:


> Hi all. I have this burning curiousity about a particularly _unique_ eating habit. It's eating your meal one item at a time, typically the least important (or least prefered) item first and the main meat item last.
> 
> My little ten year old niece was the first person I had ever seen to eat a meal like that (she's in her early 20s now. Not sure if she still has that habit). And then I recently met an adult who has this same quirky eating habit. Being Mr. Nosey, I had to ask both of them where and why this habit began and they both said they don't remember. They said it was ALWAYS how they ate their meals. I either read or heard from someone who was familiar with this particular eating habit that adults start this habit as very young children but their parents typically break them of it before it does turn into a permanent habit.
> 
> ...



It's interesting that you think that's strange. I dunno, seems normal to me. I do that sometimes, I eat the thing that tastes the best last or save the best tasting thing for the last bite. Mostly tho, I eat from one side of the plate to the other, so I try to make all the portions uniform so one thing doesn't run out before the other or so one texture doesn't take over any others. I just need the tasting experience to be uniform. I hate to have all the flavors be off balance. I also eat really really slowly. I always have.


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## Inflatable Girl (Nov 22, 2008)

This is the first time I've seriously pondered the quirky characteristics of my mealtime habits. It's interesting to look at it beyond the pale of how much I'm eating, or "I like...".

As it stands, I have to balance my plate, and my bites with flavor and texture combinations. For example... buttery needs to go with chewy - so if I have a mouth of buttery mashed potatoes I also need a morsel of meat for balance.
The ideal of this is lightly toasted buttered rolls or good bread.
I also have to follow sweet with salty (but don't need to follow salty with sweet). Be it sweet potato casserole, or sweet potato pie, I must have a bit of salty goodness (cheese on a cracker goes with everything) to finish it off.

Amazing how I've done this for a lifetime and never chalked it up to a "habit".
Perhaps I'll try to switch it up and see if I can re-train my palate that crunchy and creamy don't *always* have to go together.


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## Minerva_08 (Nov 26, 2008)

I have the mentality of "Eat the stuff thats good for you first (like carrots, green beans) and then really enjoy the great stuff (like mashed potatoes)".

Yum...lord, I'm hungry.


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## AtlantisAK (Dec 1, 2008)

Nice topic 
Ok, I am definately going to say that this eating one thing at a time definately applies to me. I have done it for as long as I can remember, and the only explination I can give is that mom said always save the best for last. 

I'll start out by taking a bite of everything, then judging by which I like the most/least, I'll start eating what I like the least and finish with the best. I love walking away from the table with a good taste in my mouth.

I also try to keep my food separated, unless it has mashed potatoes, then I cut everything up into similar sizes before mixing it all together in a mass of food. I dearly love sheppard's pie, and that's the closest I can get to it.

Third, you mentioned something about holding your arms around the plate, well I don't do that, but I do always rest my arms on the edge of the table between myself and the plate. That probably comes from having a picknick style dinner table where you can't scoot the bench in and need to lean forward. Today, with chairs, I still lean against the table with my chair pushed out from the table. Even while sitting at the computer I do that. It has always been more comfortable to lean forward or sit with my legs (or just one) curled under me. I guess having a long torso comes into play a bit with that. 

_*(If you are squeamish, please don't read this part)*Another thing about my eating habits is that I won't pick bones clean. I do my best to keep with boneless items, and thankfully this year mom was around to pick the turkey bones. This comes from when I was 10 and my first indoor cat (we had farm cats outside, but this one was nursed to health from a runt and we just couldnt let him back outside) must have run outside when mom left for work one morning. I went outside to wait for the bus that day and I saw him on the road. I had to pick him up because I didn't want it to be run over again. I'm a very animal friendly person and the thought of a corpse being damaged further just bothers the hell out of me. The cat felt like a beanbag when I picked it up and ever since then bones (especially bird/small animal) just bother me to touch. I have no problem with steak bones though._
*Ok, it's safe to read now:*

Lastly I always clean everything off of my plate. No matter what or where I am, it all has to be eaten or I feel guilty for letting it go to waste. I grew up on a farm and the motto my mom had was 'waste not, want not'. I've perfected the art of cleaning my plate off as I eat section by section and not annoy anyone by scraping at it too much/too loudly. I always insist on take-out boxes and sometimes my bf just dumps them in the trash as we walk by. I freak out when he does that, because I have that fear of wasting stuff.

Ah, I think I've typed enough already. I probably have more eating quirks but don't realize them.

Oh, I do have another quirk. I think this comes from being a Virgo/neat freak: Like with eating my foods separately, I separate my candy, like by color with M&Ms. Or if I have pretzel sticks I'll need to line them up evenly and eat from the farthest away from me to the nearest. My best friend Raven noticed this when we were sharing a bag of pretzels and watching TV. She lined hers up and noticed I was doing the same without paying attention to hers. I'm pretty sure I was doing this way before I met her. Bless her soul.

Haha, and one more: Not sure what this comes from, but I think it's odd. I need to know what I'm drinking before I drink it. If I don't, then I'll literally gag on it and cough. For example, I asked John one day to get me a glass of ice tea and he brought me water instead..I trusted that he brought me what I asked for and didnt look. I ended up coughing for a few good minutes. They have the same consistency, Iced tea and water, so I don't know why I start coughing like that.


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## Les Toil (Dec 4, 2008)

Yeah, this thread all began here three years ago (wow!!) when I was with my girlfriend at the time and we were at a restaurant. We both ordered pretty much the same thing and I told her the chicken dish was phenomenal and for her to let me know how she liked it. She replied that she would as soon as she was done eating the veggies and THEN the fancy rice dish and THEN onto the meat. So sure enough, she sat there for ten or so minutes eating her veggies, and then another ten enjoying the rice offering. It just seemed that the fact her meat dish was probably a bit luke warm by the time she got to it would have provoked her to change that habit.

I'm like the others here who just couldn't imagine NOT adding some potatoes in my mouth with a fork full of the yummy meat dish. Are people who eat in succession repelled by the concept of pie ala mode? Would they remove the ice cream on a separate plate and eat that first?

But seriously, to each his own. The fact I will NEVER drink milk out of anything other than a white cup makes me the most unusual dude here.


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## fatgirlflyin (Dec 4, 2008)

As a kid I was always a very slow eater, I still am. When I was in 2nd grade I used to go home hungry every day, because I wouldn't finish fast enough and was made to throw my food away. It got so bad that my father went to the school at lunch time and sat in the cafeteria with me until I finished my lunch. It didn't take long for them to figure out to leave me alone and let me eat. 




No-No-Badkitty said:


> I am a very fast eater. I chalk it up to an over populated middle school where we had 35 minute lunches and were often still standing in line when the bell rang to go back to class. There were many a day where I had to skip lunch or face inhouse for being late to class to many times in a week.
> 
> I also eat my food in a certian order. I eat what I like the least first and end with what I like the most. If what I end with is sweet I tend to leave one bite of something "salty" left on my plate to wash down the sugar taste left in my mouth.


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## Les Toil (Dec 4, 2008)

Ella Bella said:


> It didn't take long for them to figure out to leave me alone and let me eat.



But the problem was even if they left you alone, you didn't have enough time to eat. How was this resolved, Ella? And are you still somewhat of a slow eater now?

I may have mentioned earlier in this thread about knowing people that eat extremely fast because they came from huge families and had to eat as fast as they could it they wanted seconds of anything.


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## fatgirlflyin (Dec 4, 2008)

Les Toil said:


> But the problem was even if they left you alone, you didn't have enough time to eat. How was this resolved, Ella? And are you still somewhat of a slow eater now?
> 
> I may have mentioned earlier in this thread about knowing people that eat extremely fast because they came from huge families and had to eat as fast as they could it they wanted seconds of anything.



Yup to this day I'm an extremely slow eater. Usually my boyfriend is finished with his dinner before I'm even halfway done with mine. I end up eating a plate of mostly cold food, and I hate hate hate cold food. I find if I eat too fast though I get a serious case of hiccups, they actually hurt they are so severe. 

My brother always ate super fast, so fast that most of the time I bet he didn't even taste his food. There were only 3 of us kids though so I dont know what the reasons for him eating so fast were.


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## Tad (Dec 4, 2008)

I don't have one hard and fast standard for eating, but usually I start with my vegetables, then on to the meat, then on to the grain.

But I think the real pattern is more to do with ease and neatness of eating. The vegetables are usually quick and easy to eat (except peas, which run around the plate). Meat takes just a few cuts generally to get into bite sized pieces. But potatoes can take more work, rice needs to be carefully scooped up, etc.

I don't mind mixed dishes, like stew or stir fry. And I like a fair number of sauces and garnishes. But I don't like my food mixing up much. I don't want my asparagus getting gravy on it from the meat, I don't want my meat lying on potatoes and so mushing the potatoes when I'm cutting the meat.


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## 1300 Class (Dec 4, 2008)

> I make a mean Ulster fry


Surerly the best thing ever!


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## roddles (Dec 22, 2008)

Les Toil said:


> Are people who eat in succession repelled by the concept of pie ala mode? Would they remove the ice cream on a separate plate and eat that first?



Funny you should say that, but my sister will not eat apple pie with icecream on top, they have to be in two separate bowls!


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## succubus_dxb (Dec 22, 2008)

Umm....I eat everything in rotation, so that by the end of my meal, I've got one good bite left, with a bit of everything on it...if someone eats a bit when I'm closing in on the home stretch....jeeeeez that's annoying.

Yes, I have some OCD behaviours....

:eat1:


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## frankman (Dec 22, 2008)

AtlantisAK said:


> Oh, I do have another quirk. I think this comes from being a Virgo/neat freak: Like with eating my foods separately, I separate my candy, like by color with M&Ms.



I totally do that too! It takes me the best part of half an hour to get through a big bag of Skittles... I didn't know that was a Virgo thing. (For those of you wondering, the correct order is: orange, yellow, green, red/purple)

I eat items separate, and I start with meat. It's a quirk I got from my dad: if he didn't eat that first, his big brother would steal it of his plate. 

Meat's the best bit anyway. You don't want to find out you're full and still have some meat left.


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## AtlantisAK (Dec 23, 2008)

frankman said:


> I totally do that too! It takes me the best part of half an hour to get through a big bag of Skittles... I didn't know that was a Virgo thing. (For those of you wondering, the correct order is: orange, yellow, green, red/purple)
> 
> I eat items separate, and I start with meat. It's a quirk I got from my dad: if he didn't eat that first, his big brother would steal it of his plate.
> 
> Meat's the best bit anyway. You don't want to find out you're full and still have some meat left.



Lol. Fortunately I never had that problem with meat. We had a farm and our own animals for meat...so there was definately no short supply with a cow and a half and 2 pigs in the walk in freezer + various others. I always save the meat for last because it's the best part...As for having no room for meat...trust me, I'd manage to pack it in there!


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## ValentineBBW (Dec 23, 2008)

frankman said:


> I totally do that too! It takes me the best part of half an hour to get through a big bag of Skittles... I didn't know that was a Virgo thing. (For those of you wondering, the correct order is: orange, yellow, green, red/purple)



Ok now that is weird/interesting -- I am a Virgo and eat my Skittles the exact same way, including the color order!


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## frankman (Dec 23, 2008)

And for years to come, scientists would be baffled by the fact that the zodiac influences eating patterns of Skittles. Does the pattern differ when either Mars or Venus is in their sign? Is the color green favored more when the moon is in the seventh house? 

Virgos of the world unite in thy slightly neurotic ways and... well, and... something with Skittles.


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## Candy_Coated_Clown (Dec 24, 2008)

Interesting, well I don't eat the least liked food first during a meal or in any order like that (other than what I am most excited about eating first) but I am one of those quirky "military eaters" where I like most of my food separate or on different plates.

Some things I will eat together or don't mind touching one another, but for the most part I separate the food or like them well spaced apart.

One comment that annoys the crap out of me is when people look at me crazy when they discover how I eat and go, "Well it's all going to the same place anyway!"

I go, "Really genius? OK why don't you take that steak of yours and that cup of ice cream you plan to eat afterward and put it all in a blender for a one-shot deal? Or why don't you take that piece of cake and mix and smash it all in with your macaroni and cheese and baked chicken? Mmmm good right?"

That usually shuts them up because to me it is a ridiculous comment without much thought behind it. If one is a human garbage disposal totally eating regardless of what something tastes like, looks like, smells like or whatever...just consuming food like a vacuum cleaner to simply get rid of any evidence of it, then that is the ONLY time that statement makes any sense.


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## elle camino (Dec 24, 2008)

i'm the polar opposite of you 'military eaters' (i LOVE that i have a term for that now, thanks ccc), in that if i have a meal with multiple separate components, i MUST have a somewhat equal amount of each thing on the plate, in each bite. i'll sit there for_ever_ and construct the perfect, equitably representative bite on my fork, over and over. it's silly.
so...i'm a civilian eater?


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## tiger75 (Dec 31, 2008)

I am new here and haven't finished reading this thread, nor have I introduced myself yet... However, I could not help but add that I used to love to dip my french fries in milkshakes when I was a kid. Preferably Wendy's frosties. (I still would if I went to Wendy's)

I actually don't like to mix all my food together either. I usually stick to a bite of one food at a time, but I don't always necessarily eat all of the one food item before moving to the other - I genuinely don't ever finish my plate of food, anyway.

I'm going to continue to read this thread and if someone has mentioned fries and milkshakes, it will be hilarious to me.

-S


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## spunker88 (Jan 1, 2009)

I always used to eat like that:

The reason why, is your taste buds when you're hungry and when you are approaching full are different. When you are hungry more things taste better than when your full. So if you eat something you dont like as much first, and save your favorites for the end, your meal will be better.

As a kid, i always did this. Now that im older, i can decide what i want to eat


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## cinnamitch (Jan 1, 2009)

I eat toast and ketchup
I hate fried eggs so much that if even a tiny speck of yolk gets on something else i am eating, i wont eat it. 
I am completely different than the one at a time eaters. If i am eating something that involves meat, potatoes and a veggie, i will almost always take a piece of bread and make a sandwich with it. 
I don't crumble crackers in soups or stew, i always dip the cracker in the soup and eat the cracker that way


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## Lovelyone (Jan 2, 2009)

I do this too, but I eat my least favorite item first. I have no idea where it came from. I do have 3 sisters, but we never had to fight over food cos there was always an abundance of it.


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## Santaclear (Jan 2, 2009)

I have two sisters and I ate the least favorite one first. It was very sad.


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