What are some weird food quirks you personally have?
Mine are:
When I eat colored candies like gummy bears, M&Ms, Skittles, etc., I have to have equal amounts of the colors toward the end. For example, if I have 3 red, 2 yellow, and 1 blue, I have to eat 1 red, so I have 2 red and 2 yellow left, then I eat 1 yellow, so I have 1 of each red, yellow, and blue.
When I eat, I turn my plate so my veggies are at the 12:00 position.
When I eat a PB&J (not too often anymore), I break 1/3 of the sandwich off, eat it, then break another 1/3 off, and then eat the last 1/3. Cut sandwiches don’t work for me. This also doesn’t apply to any other kind of sandwich.
I have quite a few food neurosis. Imagine someone who is mildly autistic then you are not too far off.
Textures: I hate slime. (Curiously, I have no problem eating okra and natto). Leeks, spring onions, fish skin (mackerel, tuna etc) are some typical examples.
Smells: certain smells induce a gag reflex. One of the worst examples is Indian food, and curries. But Indian food in general also makes me sick so it’s not just the smell. I can eat (very happily!) the strongest smelling cheese most people would scoff at, and I have eaten fermented shark in Iceland but I can’t stomach Indian food and curries. Of course I will have a taste of Swedish herring when I make it there.
As a child I…
Ate (chick)peas and corn on the cob in row. I would arrange the peas in rows and eat them one by one slowly.
Mashed (sweet) potatoes would be pressed into a shape against the bowl and eaten with a spoon, slowly. The texture has to be the same every time, too.
Would completely remove fish skin, leeks, spring onions and all the things I hate before eating.
Ate the fruits first, never at the end of a meal. I also eat as much fruits as possible in the morning before something more solid like lunch with bread and cheese or meat. Fruits take a shorter time to to digest and your body absorbs more early in the day without solid food.
Would make an assessment of the food and decide in which order it is to be eaten.
Would eat the best bits first.
Am a slow eater.
Candies/gummies etc would be arranged and eaten according to favourite flavours and in a specific order.
In short, everything has a system and structure. Just like most things in my life and how I think, really.
I very rarely eat with someone, even acquaintances (with my partner, yes of course). Sharing a meal with another person is something which I don’t indulge in lightly. Obviously I have never done the “dinner and movie” date thing.
Am a lot older now and still hate leeks and all the things mentioned above. I remain an adventurous eater, just not going near Indian food still. Eating in a restaurant is often a hellish experience. The noises and movements set my teeth on edge.
You and my kids are perfectly complementary in the fish skin dimension. I put a plate of salmon on the table. One minute later, the skins will be all gone. My wife and I have not had any salmon skin since they were born, unless we fight for the skin with them.
I did that mostly at home. But a few times I was a restaurant and forgot, and was promptly reminded that I should rethink my licking when we were outside.
Not sure if HO members would consider this quirky but in my family I am asked why I enjoy ground black pepper so much. I use it often and on most foods. I also keep a jar of Kosher salt and ground black pepper pre mixed on hand. I buy pepper seeds annually and have my favorites. This “quirk” startedin college many decades ago when I couldn’t afford many flavor enhancers but black pepper was always cheap.
Tonight, by example, I made a batch of savory waffles infused with large flecks of black pepper and shredded Swiss cheese served alongside fried, boneless buttermilk chicken thighs.
Well, on a more regular basis, I often eat one more meal/snack after my dinner. It could be something very healthy like cherry tomatoes or it could be something less healthy. I would I do this about 30-50% of the time.
During travel, I often eat more frequent than I need to be. I may have two lunches. Because I just want to try as many restaurants as I can… so I would eat a little here and then eat a little there.
