The Kid Who Ate Paste

[Pickles]

I brought up "pica" in the raw potato thread...that's the desire to eat things that are not food. Like paint chips...and uh....raw potatoes. J/K. SO....it made me think of a girl I knew when I was taking Home Ec about a million years ago. She loved to eat corn starch with a spoon, straight from the box. I admit, I used to like to eat paper reinforcements. You know, the gluey little rings you used on your paper from 3-ring binders. I still like to chew a bit of paper from time to time. ::: shrug ::: Are there any other weirdo's out there?

[Pan]

Nope, we're all normal here.

[Mudpuppie]

FREAK!!!

Must admit I had to look up "pica" when you accused me of having it.

Didn't ever eat reinforcements, but I did munch on the pieces of paper created by hole punching. This wasn't a craving, though, so much as an attempt to be bad and make spitballs. Always having too guilty of a conscience to spit the spitballs, I just ended up eating the paper.

I'm pica free. Raw potatoes are good food.

[Pickles]

I just ended up eating the paper.

Hah! You just said you ate the paper! PICA PICA PICA!! Neener!!

[Comfort Me]

As a sophmore in high school I was assigned a senior girl as a lab partner in physiology. She was really strikingly beautiful, and I spent as much time as I could taking in her delicate beauty without being noticed. One day, as I peared over my book at her across the room while the class was supposed to be reading an assignment, I saw her, engrossed in her reading, stick a finger half-way up her nose, then pop it into her mouth.

After that she wasn't quite as beautiful.

I guess she was a pica picker.

[elfin]

There was a girl in my high school who pulled out her eyebrows and ate them.

[Mark Sommelier]

One of the funnier/stranger syndromes we learned about in psych class in the 70's was called Prater-Willys Syndrome: children would open the refrigerator and eat the entire contents of it including whole jars of mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup.

[lamb]

One of the funnier/stranger syndromes we learned about in psych class in the 70's was called Prater-Willys Syndrome: children would open the refrigerator and eat the entire contents of it including whole jars of mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup.

I would also call that the Teenage Boy Syndrome.

Have a few of them in your house for any length of time and watch the contents in your fridge and pantry disappear!

[cakewalk]

My friend's son loves to eat uncooked pasta, especially lasagna noodles. Does that count?

[srhcb]

A local euphemism for little kids, especially when they do something foolish, is "Paste Eaters".

BTW, Gastronomica Magazine's Spring 2002 issue contained this article:

Women Who Eat Dirt, by Susan Allport

(Reviewed by Carolyn Tille on eG's Media Discussion Board)

"Very fascinating article about dirt (specifically, various types of mud) which are digestible, usually eaten by pregnant women, in Nepal, Africa, India, Central America, and the American South.

With a full-page, full-color photograph of A trader from Western Nigeria sorting bags of eko clay at the market in Uzalla, Nigeria, a half page, black-and-white frontispiece from B. Annell and S. Lagercrantz’ Geophagical Customs (Uppsala, Sweden, 1958) depicting a Brazilian slave with mouth lock, and a full-page, black-and-white photograph of edible clays at a market in Accra, Ghana."

[Carolyn Tillie]

I've been known to suck on whole, roasted coffee beans -- does that count?

I learned it as a trick from a coffee buyer for Whole Foods about 15 years ago - when travelling into foreign countries, before he buys bulk coffee, he will suck on a single bean to determine its quality. It sounded romantic so I did it for a while...

[tryska]

My friend's son loves to eat uncooked pasta, especially lasagna noodles. Does that count?

heh - this reminds me of when my brother was younger - he used to put uncooked spaghetti in his mouth, and then pull on his neck as if to crack it, whilst crunching down on the pasta. the first time i was shocked and apppalled that his neck was making that sort of noise, but the joke got real tired real quick.

my mother used to chew on uncooked rice for some unknown reason.

[tanabutler]

My older sister ate string and dirt as a child. I used to love raw hamburger, until puberty. Funny, puberty also changed the scent of gasoline from something I liked to something to be avoided.

[fischwlu]

I read an article in Self magazine a few months ago that discussed the issue of pica. A lot of times it is a result of an eating disorder where a person will eat pebbles, dirt, cigarette butts, chalk, etc., to make themselves feel full. See

this site for more info. I think as long as you are still eating something that is a real food product, such as uncooked spaghetti, you don't have pica, you are just a little weird.

[JennyUptown]

There was a girl in my high school who pulled out her eyebrows and ate them.

This is known as trichotillomania. Even when I was studying psych in college, I had a hard time getting my brain around this one.

When I was a kid, I liked...oh this is gross. I can't believe I'm about to admit this. Frozen hotdogs. Not cooked. I can't believe my mother let me do this (both for safety and also for how it must have looked to see a little girl gnawing on a frozen weiner).

[Mayhaw Man]

A local euphemism for little kids, especially when they do something foolish, is "Paste Eaters".

BTW, Gastronomica Magazine's Spring 2002 issue contained this article:

Women Who Eat Dirt, by Susan Allport

(Reviewed by Carolyn Tille on eG's Media Discussion Board)

"Very fascinating article about dirt (specifically, various types of mud) which are digestible, usually eaten by pregnant women, in Nepal, Africa, India, Central America, and the American South.

With a full-page, full-color photograph of A trader from Western Nigeria sorting bags of eko clay at the market in Uzalla, Nigeria, a half page, black-and-white frontispiece from B. Annell and S. Lagercrantz’ Geophagical Customs (Uppsala, Sweden, 1958) depicting a Brazilian slave with mouth lock, and a full-page, black-and-white photograph of edible clays at a market in Accra, Ghana."

There is a well documented history of women in a certain geographical section of Mississippi (east-central I believe) who have been eating dirt for a couple of centuries. When I googled on this (dirt eating Mississippi), I got a number of hits and this site was the most interesting one.

I heard about this when I was growing up (I grew up in the Delta Region of extreme Northeast Louisiana) but I never saw anyone doing it.

As far as I go, according to my mother I used to eat wafer type goldfish food. I also used to consume whole sticks of butter coated in sugar (this was before I learned how to bake cookies )

[srhcb]

I've been known to suck on whole, roasted coffee beans -- does that count?

I always take a whole bean out of the bag to suck on while I grind and brew the coffee. If it's a variety I haven't tried before this gives me some idea as to how strong I want to make it.

SB (expecting a package from Peet's tomorrow!)

[JennyUptown]

Incidentally there was a paste-eater in my kindergarten class. I wonder whatever happened to him (disappointingly, a google search of his name turned up zilch).

[srhcb]

[There is a well documented history of women in a certain geographical section of Mississippi (east-central I believe) who have been eating dirt for a couple of centuries. When I googled on this (dirt eating Mississippi), I got a number of hits and this site was the most interesting one.

I heard about this when I was growing up (I grew up in the Delta Region of extreme Northeast Louisiana) but I never saw anyone doing it.

After reading the article be sure to click the link for pickle and ice cream scented soap!

SB (really)

[srhcb]

... I did munch on the pieces of paper created by hole punching. This wasn't a craving, though, so much as an attempt to be bad and make spitballs. Always having too guilty of a conscience to spit the spitballs, I just ended up eating the paper.

I've always eaten little pieces of paper. Usually it's just for neatness sake; like if I tear a check out of the book and a little extra edge comes with it, or open a box and a corner tears off. When there's nowhere within arms length available to properly dispose of the scrap I'll just eat it.

There was one of those newspaper column doctors back into the 50-60's (Dr Brady?) who actually advocated eating paper. A great source of fibre I suppose, but I've seen the plants its made in and don't reccomend eating more than little scraps.

[melkor]

When I was a kid, I liked...oh this is gross. I can't believe I'm about to admit this. Frozen hotdogs. Not cooked. I can't believe my mother let me do this (both for safety and also for how it must have looked to see a little girl gnawing on a frozen weiner).

For what its worth, hotdogs are fully cooked when ya buy them - so other than being incredibly gross, your beef/pork lip&ass popsicles were completely safe.

[Callipygos]

One of the funnier/stranger syndromes we learned about in psych class in the 70's was called Prater-Willys Syndrome: children would open the refrigerator and eat the entire contents of it including whole jars of mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup.

My SO will do this, in minuter quantities -- but just the condiments. He will every so often wander to the refrigerator, pull out a bottle of something like salad dressing or worcestershire sauce, have a little sip and put it back.

Is THAT what's going on there?

[hillvalley]

One of the funnier/stranger syndromes we learned about in psych class in the 70's was called Prater-Willys Syndrome: children would open the refrigerator and eat the entire contents of it including whole jars of mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup.

My SO will do this, in minuter quantities -- but just the condiments. He will every so often wander to the refrigerator, pull out a bottle of something like salad dressing or worcestershire sauce, have a little sip and put it back.

Is THAT what's going on there?

No. P-W Syndrome is a serious condition that is not to be taken lightly. Other symptoms of P-W are mental retardation and enlarged penis and testicles.

Your SO is just wierd

Pica is actually a very serious problem and one that is difficult to treat. It is also somewhat disturbing to watch. I've seen kids try to eat everything! Often they know their behavior is wrong and start to hide their eating habits.

It is not uncommon for special needs children to eat wierd things just as dirt, paper, crayons. In some cases it is because they do not know better. In others, their sensory system is so screwy that one of the best ways for them to learn is orally.

As for paste, I personally prefer Elmer's to other brands, but then again I am a food snob.

[Pickles]

your beef/pork lip&ass popsicles were completely safe.

I think I'll stick with paste, or boogers after THAT little tidbit of 411! Great posts, everyone!

[Lyle]

I may have you all trumped. I used to eat economy-brand hand lotion. I remember it being somewhat sweet. The expensive stuff was too fortified, along with my value-concious mindset. That couldn't have been good for me.

Edited February 9, 2004 by Lyle (log)