Do you ever get stuck in a food rut?

[sharonb]

I'm not one of those people who eats a certain meal on a certain day of the week, or even someone who always orders the same thing in a given restaurant, but I have one weird quirk and was wondering if I'm alone in this.

For dinner, I eat a varied range of dishes, and often not the same dish over a two or three week span.

But for lunch... I go in long-lasting phases where I eat exactly the same thing every single day. Right now, it's a smoked salmon sandwich, followed by an apple, followed by a cup of tiramisu. I've been eating this lunch, I'd say, for almost six months, with only a few diversions (going out for noodles or being invited to someone's house for the weekend...).

Am I compulsive? Am I depriving myself of a wealth of lunchtime experiences? Or are my lox sandwiches just too good to give up? (Though I should remember that there was my two fried eggs followed by pecan nuts, a while back; or the tuna salad surrounded by diced tomatoes followed by an orange tart...) I wonder when I'll switch, and what's coming next.

[Syrah]

Can you stand the idea of eating your other ruts again? Have they been spoiled for you?

Personally, I could not do what you do. The idea of eating the exact same thing for lunch everyday bores me too much. I cannot even manage to eat the same breakfast each day, although many people do.

Also, I like to eat what's in season. Are you giving up some other fabulous fruit because of the apple?

[prasantrin]

I'm a cyclical rut eater. When I get cravings for certain foods, I eat them for lunch and sometimes dinner, too, several days in a row. After my craving has been sated, I won't eat those foods again for a while--how long depends on what it is. I was on a hamburger kick a little while ago, and that lasted a week or so. I haven't had a hamburger (or even ground beef) since. Then I was on a salmon kick for a week, and now I don't even want to think about eating it (though I have some salmon in my fridge right now). But I'll go back to eating all those foods eventually.

I'm just a creature of habit!

[Domestic Goddess]

I honestly say I can't get into a rut. I prefer to have different meals everytime and if I ever recycle (leftovers), I would have it 2-3 days later. I need diversity of flavors and texture. Not like hubby, who can eat his favorite meal (steak, fried chicken or ribs) over and over again, everyday with no complaints whatsoever.

[sharonb]

Can you stand the idea of eating your other ruts again? Have they been spoiled for you?

No, strangely I still like them, and from time to time come back to them (esp. fried eggs, excellent after a previous night's excessive drinking).

Personally, I could not do what you do. The idea of eating the exact same thing for lunch everyday bores me too much. I cannot even manage to eat the same breakfast each day, although many people do.

I'm thinking I may do this because I skip breakfast. So rather than have the same cereal or same toast or yogurt or whatever, I want some kind of repetitive food, which might be comforting in some way...

Also, I like to eat what's in season. Are you giving up some other fabulous fruit because of the apple?

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I love to eat seasonal foods, and at dinnertime, that's what it's all about. My dinners are varied and in the French style go from main dish with sides of vegetables, etc., to cheese platter to fresh fruit. So I'm always eating seasonal fruits and vegetables and cheeses.

Maybe lunch is my American time-out?

[GlorifiedRice]

Ive been raised around food service and my mom is a prize winning cook who has apprenticed with top chefs. I gave her the ideas for several of her prize winners. I grew up eating frogs legs, sushi, lobster and Filet Mignon...

BUT, I eat the same things every day, and they are all bland things.

[pax]

Yes, it happens to me. Not so much with whole meals, but with snacks.

I went through an Utz Old Fashioned Sour Dough Pretzel phase that lasted a year. Nothing else would do.

It morphed into something much worse after than, it's unspeakable. (Ok, Pizza Pringles.) Now I am on a steady snack of dark bite sized frozen Snickers.

[chow guy]

After Hurricane Andrew a friend came down to Miami to help me rebuild. After about 8 weeks, he sat at dinner and declared, "You have not served the same thing twice since I've been here". I used to bore easily and spent alot of time cooking (I was also vegetarian at the time) but, those days are gone.

I'm way busy these days and have been doing Weight Watchers. So I'm definately in several food ruts. It's just easier than planning and counting points every day. I eat a composed salad almost daily. I'll vary ingredients (low fat ham, cheese, turkey or chicken, tomatoes, vegetables and a boiled egg with one of the Trader Joes' fat free dressings and some Ak Mak crackers. My dinner rut has become a big bowl of hot and sour soup with various proteins and vegetables. I also eat various flavors of sugar free, fat free pudding that I doctor with things like: coco powder, low fat cereal, nuts, vanilla, almond extract etc. I'm surprised these ruts don't bother me (at least at the moment).

[Syrah]

I love to eat seasonal foods, and at dinnertime, that's what it's all about. My dinners are varied and in the French style go from main dish with sides of vegetables, etc., to cheese platter to fresh fruit. So I'm always eating seasonal fruits and vegetables and cheeses.

Maybe lunch is my American time-out?

←

In that case, I think you are on a good thing.

[miladyinsanity]

I get into midnight snack ruts.

At one point it was spaghetti aglio olio. Right now, it's oven fries, and the fries have to be made from russets.