Food-related quirks and neuroses

[Ericanyc]

...I can't bear to use food colouring in cooking at all, even though I do know that it isn't that bad for you and also it's not like I avoid it in prepackaged foods and drinks.

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I have one that drives myself nuts- I must eat m&ms two at a time, and they have to be the same color.  Then when you are at the end of one color and you only have one left of that color, you have to decide whether to eat it by itself, or mix it with another color.... I've tried to stop myself, and the only good strategy is not eating m&ms at all.

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[

Apparently there are two of us in the world who do this! ............

And only with the plain M&M's, not the peanut.

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Good Lord, I didn't know this was classified as nuts But, I just realized I do the same thing with Skittles....except it has to be two different colors UNLESS it's the purple ones. The purple ones go in two at a time I'm not going to sleep tonight worrying about this.......

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I only eat 'broken' chips, pretzels, animal crackers or any packaged item in that vein.  I will also eat curled/folded potoato chips.  I  adore the texture of curled/folded potato chips. As for the 'broken' chips and things, well, I feel sorry for them. Yes, you read that correctly, I.FEEL.SORRY.FOR.THEM.

I know, it's crazy, I know! I just can't help it.

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And Good-n-Plenties...  Must eat them two at a time, never mixing the pink and the white...      And Smarties (the American kind--I think the Brits have a completely different idea of what these are)...  I open a package, arrange them in groups by color, then in a "pyramid" from most to least, throw away the orange ones (which taste like baby aspirin), and eat the color with the largest quantity first, working my way through to the color with only one representative...  Unlike May, I'm pretty sure I need help.  

On the other hand, Necco wafers can only be eaten one at a time.

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On the other hand, Necco wafers can only be eaten one at a time.

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After crinkling open the packet and taking out the black ones. And tossing the two on each side that might have touched. There's just something transferrable about that dusty powder that conveys the licorice taste to its neighbors.

And I LOVE fennel and basil and anise stars in stuff---just no black lickrish.

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I think there is the invitation list to a perfectly delightful party here.

Easter's coming - may I invite y'all over?

We can display our oddities, laugh at each other & ourselves, and secretly cringe when forced to watch someone who's ticks dont conform to our own.

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When I eat M&M's or Skittles (or any multicolored candy for that matter) I group them in rainbows and eat each rainbow in ROY G BIV order. It brings new meaning to "tasting the rainbow" from the skittles commercial.

WHile we are confessing our "issues" I might as well add my others :

I won't eat even a hint of runny white in my eggs (that gets scraped aside and my dog gets it at the end - I do like my yolks runny though!

Also - I won't eat pancakes unless they are neatly stacked, cut into eight wedges (after buttering each one) then pouring syrup on them. I eat from one stack at a time going counter clockwise - it's my mom's fault though - that's the only way I know how to eat them.

My husband dissects burrito's like he is a surgeon, studying the top and making a very precise incision on the top, then turing it into a square window and proceeding outward - it's very weird!

[LoneSavant]

hah... I guess my neuroses would be:

1) Blue food. Food is not blue. If it is blue, it is not food (I'm not talking blueberry-blue, I mean blue-popsicle blue, or anything close).

2) I can't watch people eat mayonnaise. SO gross. *note: i have no problem eating it myself.

3) I've been getting better, but I've ALWAYS and still do have problems eating soup that other people made. Between my love of classic english murder mysteries, and my Uncle teasing me about eyeballs sneaking their way into soup, I always hear the voice in the back of my head going "...you don't know what they could've slipped in there!!"

[Lilija]

We went out to dinner the other night with some relatives and close friends, and it was quite the enlightening experience.

First off, I rediscovered a quirk of my own that seldom rears its head, but is impossible to ignore when it does. I. Can't. Mix. Pasta. (or most starches, besides bread, but mixing pasta shapes is the worst) There can NOT be two kinds of noodles on my plate, period. It makes me extremely uncomfortable.

A piece of penne bounced off my friend's plate, when the waitress set it down, and it had a piece of spaghetti threaded through it, by some freak occurance. It sat close to the rim of my plate for the duration of my meal, and it really bothered me. I kept trying to subtly move it, or cover it, without making a scene, but it stayed right there, just taunting me. My husband noticed my silent distress, and picked the thing up and dropped it in my plate of fettucini, and I lost my appetite. I have no idea what it is, or why, but mixing pastas really affects me.

I also can't eat potatoes and rice together on the same plate, or noodles and rice (pilaf, gross!), and some people like mixing different kinds of cereal in the same bowl, and it just sends shivers down my spine. I kinda forgot about that till the whole penne/spaghetti incident.

The second thing that was genuinely entertaining, was trying to watch my food neurotic friends sit across from each other and try to function. One of them was the typical "no food touching, one thing at a time" kind, where he seperated everything on his plate, and ate it clockwise, till he finished with his entree. The other friend was the one that I mentioned upthread that has to eat everything in exact proportions, one bite at a time, equally. Sometimes, to make it happen, he has to shove two bites of different things in his mouth. Watching them kinda stare at each other, and look uncomfortable was well worth my pasta ordeal.

Edited March 4, 2008 by Lilija (log)

[Kikyo]

1) Blue food. Food is not blue. If it is blue, it is not food (I'm not talking blueberry-blue, I mean blue-popsicle blue, or anything close).

I won't eat blue things either. I don't count blueberries, because when they are in a baked good, you can see that they are really kind of purple.

I think it's true that blue is not so much a color that food occurs naturally in, so I balk at eating it, despite the fact that I am sure I eat food that's artificially colored in some manner all the time. Mentally I cannot deal with blue. And I especially hate things like "blue raspberry" flavor. There's no such thing as a blue raspberry! It's not nature's fault that so many good foods are shades of red.

I also have the thing where I have to balance out what I eat, so that I finish everything at the same time, but I'm not compulsive about it. I can easily shrug it off it it's not going to happen. In addition, I try to save the best bite for last. (PS - to the other person who said this, but worried about eating too much, you can solve this by just eating the best bite once you start to feel full and stop there).

Until it was pointed out to me, I used to always leave something on my plate. I never completely cleaned off my plate. I never noticed it, and no one else did either because I have a small appetite and rarely finish a meal unless I prepare and plate it for myself. But a German friend who stayed with us for a summer pointed out that I NEVER cleaned my plate. Even if I ate almost everything, I would always leave one small piece behind. As soon as she pointed it out, I started paying attention and noticed it was true. Once I noticed I was doing it, I stopped. But I have no idea where that came from.

[barbhealy]

In reading all of these posts I keep thinking about what really constitutes food neuroses? When does a food preference end and an actual food neurosis begin? Preferring white eggs over brown or yellow sliced processed cheese over white when there is neither a taste nor nutritional difference between them both seem neurotic to me. Ditto with "having" to methodically pour syrup into each square of a waffle instead of just pouring it on freestyle as it were, though that one's kinda cute.

Most of what I've read here so far sounds like food preferences IMHO, even if they are a bit odd or gagtastic (believe me, I have several of my own that fall into those categories).

Big difference between having to eat the same number of green peas or corn kernels every time after carefully counting and arranging each pea and kernel, and preferring that at Thanksgiving your mashed potatoes don't even come near the cranberry sauce--my rule, which is completely normal of course. So now, can anyone explain the difference? When does one cross that fine line?

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We all know people who won't eat certain things and generally classify them as preferences. For me the reason why is what pushes the 'preference' over the line into neurosis.

I, too, won't eat meat with bones because, as a kid, I had nightmares featuring bloody skeletons of slaughtered animals talking to me and bemoaning their plight. Eating meat on a bone (or seeing a vein or other evidence that the meat was once alive) reminds me of those dreams and I would rather not go there.

I also think different pasta shapes taste different and prefer cavatapi to any other even though I KNOW there is no reason why I should.

I've eaten tongue (without knowing it) and it tasted good, but I can't knowingly eat it because of what it is. Ditto for tripe, heart, and brains even though none of them have bones. I CAN eat (and adore) sweetbreads and foie gras (if they're meticulously cleaned). I can't figure out why I differentiate.

The best reason I've seen in this thread so far is the one about chickens not washing under their arms! In fact, the next time someone offers ME wings, I'm going to use it!

I'm also going to remember the bit about it being polite to not clean your plate.

Great thread, BTW.

[sazji]

As a kid, I always used to eat everything one at a time on my plate. My mom would try to get me to eat some of one thing and then something else...but I wouldn't hear of it.

I always ate grapes in even numbers. One on each side of my mouth. Or two on each side.

I hated fresh tomatoes - I would have to try them once and a while, and I remember running back to the bathroom to spit them out. These were garden tomatoes. But I didn't learn to like them until I was in Greece, and the tomatoes were really good. Still I'm ambivalent. I can't eat tomatoes with breakfast to save my life, and eating a piece of unaccompanied fresh tomato is still kind of nauseating to me.

[austramerica]

About that colour of the egg thing ... as the cook in the household of two, I buy brown eggs this week and white eggs next week so I know is the freshest. DH wouldn't eat brown eggs for no reason at all...nor does young sonny boy (thank Mr. Big Boy up yonder he doesn't live here full time anymore!) When it comes to food neuroses, no one can beat my son...he will be happy just eating Tombstone Pepperoni Pizza everyday...

[jgm]

Oh, how I love love love this thread! I can't think of any food neuroses I have, other than refusing to eat canned asparagus (the real stuff is so good and so easy; the canned stuff is so mushy...) but I probably would if I were hungry enough.

My niece, who is now a beautifully grown woman, had a long spell when she was little, in which she would only eat foods that were white. Yogurt. Cottage cheese. Rice. Noodles. Etc. The exception: chocolate. One day she managed to talk my dad out of a Hershey bar (he had a secret stash), and he grew impatient waiting for her to open it. She was smelling it, caressing it, and enjoying anticipating it. When my dad suggested she open it - obviously planning to have a piece of it himself - she indicated she wasn't through looking at it. "You know what, Grandpa?" she said. "I think of these in the night."

She's been my favorite person since that moment.

(Her daughter is Emma, below...)

[miladyinsanity]

I can't mix pasta either.

Also, I have to cut my waffles according to the lines. I'm not sure if that's the reason why I eat them, just because of the lines.

[BekkiM]

I can't mix pasta either.

Also, I have to cut my waffles according to the lines. I'm not sure if that's the reason why I eat them, just because of the lines.

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The more I read this thread, the more I discover how incredibly neurotic I apparently am! It gives me the absolute heebie-jeebies to cut waffles "against the grain"--you HAVE to cut along the lines. And french toast has to be cut in lines parallel/perpendicular to the sides of the bread; no willy-nilly chopping off pieces here and there as you go. That's just plain wrong.

And then there's the eating things in odd numbers--candy tastes better eaten in 3's (1 is too few, 5 is too many, 2 is too balanced, 4 is overkill).

I do microwave ice cream cartons because ice cream tastes better slightly melty. Really good ice cream I'll deliberately spoon around the edges in my bowl to get a combination of the still-frozen stuff and the cream that's melted off. (You can't, by the way, just wait until it all melts; that's just crazy talk.)

And I've passed on this genenic mess as well: My son won't eat any foods that have a "skin" on them, for example, cream of chicken soup that's cooled just slightly. And no crusts, no skin on apples--pretty much he hates chewy things. That does drive me nuts, since the edges of a tortilla are pretty much the same as the centers of a tortilla, but he insists they're a "crust" and won't eat them. I eat a lot of pickings off his plate...

[miladyinsanity]

I can't mix pasta either.

Also, I have to cut my waffles according to the lines. I'm not sure if that's the reason why I eat them, just because of the lines.

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The more I read this thread, the more I discover how incredibly neurotic I apparently am! It gives me the absolute heebie-jeebies to cut waffles "against the grain"--you HAVE to cut along the lines. And french toast has to be cut in lines parallel/perpendicular to the sides of the bread; no willy-nilly chopping off pieces here and there as you go. That's just plain wrong.

And then there's the eating things in odd numbers--candy tastes better eaten in 3's (1 is too few, 5 is too many, 2 is too balanced, 4 is overkill).

I do microwave ice cream cartons because ice cream tastes better slightly melty. Really good ice cream I'll deliberately spoon around the edges in my bowl to get a combination of the still-frozen stuff and the cream that's melted off. (You can't, by the way, just wait until it all melts; that's just crazy talk.)

And I've passed on this genenic mess as well: My son won't eat any foods that have a "skin" on them, for example, cream of chicken soup that's cooled just slightly. And no crusts, no skin on apples--pretty much he hates chewy things. That does drive me nuts, since the edges of a tortilla are pretty much the same as the centers of a tortilla, but he insists they're a "crust" and won't eat them. I eat a lot of pickings off his plate...

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I like the edges of tortillas and such, but I cannot stand the skin. Especially pudding skin.

[cathrynapple]

That does drive me nuts, since the edges of a tortilla are pretty much the same as the centers of a tortilla, but he insists they're a "crust" and won't eat them.  I eat a lot of pickings off his plate...

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That reminds of me when my mother would cut the crusts off my sandwiches in school lunches, and I'd still leave an edge of bread.

This is actually closely related to the need to spread fillings to the very edge of the bread. If one does not do this, he or she will be lefts with an outer edge of sandwich that doesn't have any filling, and will be forced to leave the crusts on the plate.

[judiu]

That does drive me nuts, since the edges of a tortilla are pretty much the same as the centers of a tortilla, but he insists they're a "crust" and won't eat them.  I eat a lot of pickings off his plate...

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That reminds of me when my mother would cut the crusts off my sandwiches in school lunches, and I'd still leave an edge of bread.

This is actually closely related to the need to spread fillings to the very edge of the bread. If one does not do this, he or she will be lefts with an outer edge of sandwich that doesn't have any filling, and will be forced to leave the crusts on the plate.

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My answer to that has usually been to eat the crusts off first (Yuck) to get rid of them, then to eat the sandwich. Self defense, since I was brought up in the "clean plate" club.

[JimH]

I like the edges of tortillas and such, but I cannot stand the skin. Especially pudding skin.

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The skin on the pudding is my favorite part! I eat it first before eating the rest of the pudding.

[Lilija]

I always kinda liked crusts on my sandwiches, unspread with filling. It was like getting two meals. I always pulled or cut them off and saved the naked bread strips for last. It was like a squishy pb & j sandwich, with a side of ghetto breadsticks.

[miladyinsanity]

I like the edges of tortillas and such, but I cannot stand the skin. Especially pudding skin.

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The skin on the pudding is my favorite part! I eat it first before eating the rest of the pudding.

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I cheat, and press clingfoil to the top when I make chocolate pudding so that there's no skin.

[Rebecca263]

I only like mousse without a skin, unskinned pudding unnnerves me. Cover that nakedness up with whipped cream, at least!

Edited March 16, 2008 by Rebecca263 (log)

[evongvisith]

I used to be really picky about the foods on my plate not touching each other, to the point where I'd scrape them all apart before beginning to eat, but I stopped that when I was in my mid-teens.

I do, however, loathe celery, and if I get a dish in a restaurant that has some of that unfortunate vegetable in it, I will sit there and relentlessly pick all the celery bits out and put them to the side before I'll even start eating whatever it is I've ordered. This sometimes drives other people nuts, but most of them are either used to it or don't notice

I agree with whoever said that the eating-one-thing-at-a-time and other similarly methodical behaviors sound more autistic than neurotic. Several of my friends have Asperger's (I hang around with a lot of geeks), and I've observed similar behavior in them while eating.

[HannaBanana]

I do, however, loathe celery, and if I get a dish in a restaurant that has some of that unfortunate vegetable in it, I will sit there and relentlessly pick all the celery bits out and put them to the side before I'll even start eating whatever it is I've ordered. This sometimes drives other people nuts, but most of them are either used to it or don't notice 

I hear you! In fact, my one and only time in Alinea, we were served a dish composed of a Madras Curry ball filled with celery extract, which floated in pear juice.

When you knocked it back, like a shot, the Madras curry ball dissolved and the celery extract was released. As the celery hit my taste buds, my mouth almost involuntarily ejected it's contents. I actually had to hold my mouth shut so I wouldn't splatter my Other Half with celery/curry/pear.

It took me around three minutes to convince myself to swallow the mouthful - I was nearly in tears.

Celery. *Shudder*

[Toliver]

Also, if corn was being served with dinner, another veggie must be made.

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Technically speaking, corn is a starch.

My mom does the same, though. She'll make corn but then will also make another veggie dish. Is it an Old School thing?

The thing that drives me crazy is [sTANDS ON SOAPBOX] when someone brings doughnuts to my workplace. Invariably, someone will take half a doughnut. Half. Not the entire thing.

C'mon, people! Channel your inner Homer and take the entire freakin' doughnut! Is it really that difficult?! Do you really think someone else is going to come along and take that remaining half of a doughtnut that you tore in half with your fingers that have been typing on your computer keyboard or dialing your phone. Have you ever stopped and looked at how dirty the number pad is on your office phone? And you used those same fingers to tear that dinky little dougnut in half and expect someone else to eat the remains because you just can't bring yourself to eat an entire doughnut? Grow some stones and take the entire doughnut back to your cubicle! Then eat half and throw the other half away if you don't want it. We don't want it either. Thank you. [DISMOUNTS SOAPBOX].

[cathrynapple]

My mother also does the corn / veggies thing. She and her mother both advocate having something orange or yellow AND somethign green on the plate. It's pretty, but i think it's also wise...you get a larger variety of nutrients that way.

[Katie Meadow]

Also, if corn was being served with dinner, another veggie must be made.

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Technically speaking, corn is a starch.

My mom does the same, though. She'll make corn but then will also make another veggie dish. Is it an Old School thing?

The thing that drives me crazy is [sTANDS ON SOAPBOX] when someone brings doughnuts to my workplace. Invariably, someone will take half a doughnut. Half. Not the entire thing.

C'mon, people! Channel your inner Homer and take the entire freakin' doughnut! Is it really that difficult?! Do you really think someone else is going to come along and take that remaining half of a doughtnut that you tore in half with your fingers that have been typing on your computer keyboard or dialing your phone. Have you ever stopped and looked at how dirty the number pad is on your office phone? And you used those same fingers to tear that dinky little dougnut in half and expect someone else to eat the remains because you just can't bring yourself to eat an entire doughnut? Grow some stones and take the entire doughnut back to your cubicle! Then eat half and throw the other half away if you don't want it. We don't want it either. Thank you. [DISMOUNTS SOAPBOX].

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I share your distaste for finger-torn rejects, but there's a very basic solution for those who wish to discourage such a tacky practice, grow no stones or eat only a nibble. Have some plates and a sharp knife in the mini-kitchen. If someone brings in a box of doughnuts or bagels or sticky pastries, someone like you can cut a number of them into neat quarters in a sanitary fashion and put them on a plate. That way those of us who simply want to be reminded about what a good (or bad) doughnut tastes like can have our cake and not eat it too. Or those who realize how truly bad the ones with sprinkles are can then try a buttermilk without tossing most of two doughnuts, eliminating much waste. (Although personally it gives me a heady sense of power to throw heart-stopping sugar&fat vehicles into the trash, that's a pathetic solution and trails some guilt in its wake.) If no one at your office has thought of doing this yet I would be surprised if there weren't other internal organizational issues. So, wield the knife and you will be perceived as brilliant and thoughful. Win/win!

[racheld]

I share your distaste for finger-torn rejects

Hear, Hear!! Especially when there are TWO or more in the box---relics of a double-doo, in which they wanted half a glazed AND half a chocolate, thus wasting a whole one.

But, did you not know the circumstances of the provider/cutter, would you take even a CUT piece?

But I HAVE been known to neatly incise the crust end off a piece of a particular pie I'm fond of at a dessert buffet, never touching anything save the pie-server. I like fluty, crispy crust.

[Megan Blocker]

It's not nature's fault that so many good foods are shades of red.

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Well, actually, it is!

Also, if corn was being served with dinner, another veggie must be made.

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Of course! Because corn is a starch, not a vegetable. Plus, if the corn is in season, tomatoes and other good salad-y things are, too, so why not double up? I came from a family that always had two vegetables on the table - usually salad and green beans or asparagus - in addition to a starch like corn or bread.

[pax]

I've never, EVER, turned to someone in an office situation and said, "Hey, want to split a doughnut?" and had them said no. That's my solution. Find another share-er and cut it right then. Pre-arranged sharing with another person is always good, it can help keep dieters "honest". (Please excuse that term, you know what I mean.)

I will cut something myself and leave half, because I know I'm doing it tidily. I won't take something that's *been* cut, though. I guess I figure there's always some guy coming along behind me who will pick posible germs over missing out on the doughnuts.