Why does my wife eat in this strange way?

July 14, 2009 7:50 AM

My wife eats in a different way from anyone else I've ever seen eat, and I have no idea why. Most people eat a little bit of each foodstuff at a time, but she doesn't.

Most people given a plate of food with a few different things on it will eat some of each thing, so a bit of this then a bit of that, then back to the first thing.

Instead she'll eat say, all the carrots, then all the potato, then all the beans, then all the meat, completely finishing one foodstuff before moving on to the next.

She does this completely consistently, for every meal, and never eats any other way. None of the rest of her family do this, and nobody else I've met has ever done this either.

She has no explanation for why she does this, she just says she thinks it's perfectly sane.

Do any of you do this, and has anyone got any idea of why someone might do this?

posted by winjer to Food & Drink (117 answers total)

I do. My family have always made fun of me (in a good way, not detrimental at all) for it.

I have no idea why I do it either.
posted by Hugh2d2 at 7:52 AM on July 14, 2009

I do this. I've seen other people do this. It demonstrates commitment, focus and follow- though.
posted by availablelight at 7:52 AM on July 14, 2009 [4 favorites]

I do this. What's the big deal? Can you explain how it's not perfectly sane?
posted by adamrice at 7:52 AM on July 14, 2009 [5 favorites]

My father does this. My brother in law does this. My son does this.

It is completely normal.
posted by Gravitus at 7:52 AM on July 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

How would you eat a salad or soup in this manner?

In any event, I think I tend to do this if I have a burger and fries: I'll eat the burger first and then the fries.

Otherwise, I just eat whatever is on my plate in any order I choose.
posted by dfriedman at 7:55 AM on July 14, 2009

I think everybody has a little OCD in their everyday lives and this is hers. No biggie I would think and certainly not as weird as some.
posted by 543DoublePlay at 7:56 AM on July 14, 2009

i do this too. i tend to eat all of my veggies, then all of my bread/sides/carbs, then all of my meat/protein. i'm not sure why, but a friend of mine always notices and thinks it's hilarious.
posted by gursky at 7:57 AM on July 14, 2009

My 4 year old daughter does this, with the additional step of wiping off her utensils between items.
posted by TedW at 7:57 AM on July 14, 2009 [4 favorites]

Was she in the military? I went through the US Army officer candidate school and learned to do this there. Since we had little time to eat, I would eat the most calorific food first in case I didn't get to finish.
posted by procrastination at 7:58 AM on July 14, 2009 [4 favorites]

My boyfriend does this, and I usually give him a bit of good-natured hell when we go out to eat. He's the opposite of dfriedman when it comes to burgers, though: he eats his fries first, while they're hot.
posted by alynnk at 7:58 AM on July 14, 2009

My boyfriend does a version of this. If there's any kind of potato on the plate, he saves it for last.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:00 AM on July 14, 2009

I also do this. I had a friend who used to make fun of it so I started watching to see who else did this and its actually quite common.
posted by mjcon at 8:01 AM on July 14, 2009

I know plenty of people who do this. Some of them also have issues with different foods touching on the plate, so I tend to connect these two things in my head. I think it's within the range of normal.
posted by cabingirl at 8:02 AM on July 14, 2009

Sometimes I do this if there's a type of food I particularly hate and want to get out of the way, or if there's a type of food I particularly love and want to save for last.
posted by Phire at 8:02 AM on July 14, 2009 [9 favorites]

I do this and I have a reason why but often I think it is a subconscious thing. Maybe you can ask her if she feels the same.

Sometime I eat this way because I like to end with my favorite thing. I always eat all the fries first when I go to McDonald's then I will eat the burger. I love both foods but the burger is my favorite so I like to have that as the last thing I taste, I guess.

I'm not sure if that is why I do it all of the time but I guess it is habit now as well. Definitely a normal trait.
posted by xdeliriumx at 8:02 AM on July 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

I'm curious about this and I'm wondering whether people who do this have an appreciation for food? Or is food just a way of appeasing hunger?

I don't mean that negatively. What I mean is that in many cases its arbitrary how things are presented to you and in other cases its considered. When you have a cassoulet for example, it is difficult to eat one thing at a time - its all mixed together. This is the case for most stews.

What does your wife (and others) do when served two things which are specifically served to complement each other? When served an appetizer plate of salami and cheese, does she eat ALL the salami first then ALL the cheese?
posted by vacapinta at 8:03 AM on July 14, 2009

My 4 year old daughter does this, with the additional step of wiping off her utensils between items.

This clearly proves I am four years old on the inside.

I do this. I do this because I don't like flavors to mix *shrug*.
posted by twins named Lugubrious and Salubrious at 8:03 AM on July 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

haha posted at the same time Phire. I am with you. Not that I hate something I eat, but it is a progression of what I like most.
posted by xdeliriumx at 8:04 AM on July 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

I'm like this, and used to be worse--I used to separate candy that I was eating into type/color, eat them until they were all equal in number, and then eat them in groups, from those that I like least to those that I like the most.

I realize that that sounds mildly OCD, but I'm loathe to diagnose myself. These days, I'm better--I can actually eat a bit of each item of a plate and move on to a bit of another, but I always try to end with the item I like the most.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:04 AM on July 14, 2009 [2 favorites]

I know someone who does this. In addition, none of her food groups can touch another group on the plate, salad must always be on a separate plate, and she always eats clock-wise.

It's fun to watch her expression of horror if someone allows hot gravy to touch cold salad.

Hey, whatever gets you through the day.
posted by pixlboi at 8:05 AM on July 14, 2009

I do this a lot of the time. I don't like cold potatoes while most meat isn't so bad if it isn't piping hot. I make similar decisions based on what I am eating.
posted by Silvertree at 8:06 AM on July 14, 2009

you need to approach this with the real life equivalent of Flag It and Move On.
posted by crush-onastick at 8:10 AM on July 14, 2009 [13 favorites]

I do this and when eating out at a restaraunt, if I can't finish the large protions, I'll eat my fill of one thing then move to teh next and I prefer to prepare my own doggie bag so certain foods aren't touching. Like, I totally hate it when I'm eating some really good mashed potatos and a carrot sneaks in there. Ruins the mouthful!
posted by WeekendJen at 8:10 AM on July 14, 2009

I don't do this.

At some point in life I discovered why people eat chips with sandwiches. I use to eat the all of the sandwich and then the bag of chips. But one bite of sandwich, soft, delicious, followed by a couple of chips, crunchy, salty, is just amazing.

Even given the rightness of sandwich bites intermingled with chip bites, I support all serial eaters.
posted by bdc34 at 8:11 AM on July 14, 2009

My husband does this and it used to drive me absolutely mad. I thought he was missing out. It's delicious to grab a little potato and peas on your fork at the same time, or eat your steak before it gets cold. He usually eats his least favorite itemfirst and eats his most favorite last. It's maddening but I'm used to it now.
posted by Fairchild at 8:12 AM on July 14, 2009

I've always done this, too (and have gotten teased for it). I also don't like different foods touching or mixing in (unless they are supposed to- like in soups or salads and stuff). The thought of mixing corn and mashed potatoes repulses me! Seperately and one at a time FTW!
posted by Eicats at 8:14 AM on July 14, 2009

Perfectly normal. Some people don't even like it when their foodstuffs TOUCH.

That's nothing. I used to see this girl, she was awesome. Terrible tummy aches all the time though.

Then I paid attention to her when she ate. She never chewed any bite of anything more than 7 times total ever. EVER. EVER EVER.

Like BITE, Nom nom nom gulp. Took big bites too.

2 morals: people are weird about eating. girls especially.
posted by TomMelee at 8:14 AM on July 14, 2009

Oh poop. I forgot to add that I like to eat the outsides of things first.

Like reese cups? All the chocolate must be eaten first. Or yorks? Oh yes, all the chocolate minus the bottom piece first, then minty goo. Sandwiches I usually eat most of whole, then pick apart and enjoy the individual pieces separately because I feel like they sometimes get muddled in the whole sandwich experience.

But I agree that things like corn+mashedpotatoes= nirvana.
posted by TomMelee at 8:16 AM on July 14, 2009

Why anyone should care how someone else enjoys their food (other than out of anthropological curiousity) is beyond maddening to me, Fairchild. I am not that consistent, but I also often find myself saving my favourite for last. Could I ask why this bothers you? Absolutely no trolling intended, I am truly curious.
posted by mbatch at 8:16 AM on July 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

I do this sometimes. It's normal.
posted by OmieWise at 8:17 AM on July 14, 2009

You know those little partitioned plates they give you in grade school in the cafeteria? Where there is a little section for the carrots, a little section for the potatoes, and a little section for the mac n'cheese?

I don't know if they make those plates because kids don't want to see their food touch, or if the plates make the kids think that there is something wrong with food touching, but either way, I blame them as the source of such eating habits.
posted by slow graffiti at 8:17 AM on July 14, 2009 [2 favorites]

I can't find an online cite, but a recent biography of Albert Einstein noted that he ate this way.
posted by anastasiav at 8:19 AM on July 14, 2009

I do this as well. My wife prefers to mix all of her food together. If I wanted peas with my potatoes, I would eat potato salad. Fries are always eaten before the burger. No fries after the burger. I always save the best for last to ensure I eat everything on my plate. Everyone has the right to eat and sleep the way they want. If they didn't life would be boring.
posted by jasondigitized at 8:19 AM on July 14, 2009

Well, you never said whether she CAN'T eat things together or not. I originally took the question that she eats things in a certain way all at once. I do the same, HOWEVER I CAN mix things before hand and then eat them in that order.

People above said about eating sandwiches and chips together is good. I agree, but if I want them WITH the sandwich then I put them on the sandwich. If I want corn with mashed potatoes then I put them ON the mashed potatoes. I am still eating that one thing at a time, but it contains multiple foods.
posted by xdeliriumx at 8:20 AM on July 14, 2009 [3 favorites]

I do this, although not strictly. I often eat things in the order of least to most favorite, because that means each bite is better than the last and I finish on a high note. Sometimes I have to sample each item once or twice first to establish a favor ranking.

And I sort my Skittles by color and my animal crackers by species and condition (wounded animals eaten first).

An IT manager at work said their test for hiring programmers was to hand the candidate a roll of Smarties and watch him eat them. If he sorted them by color before eating, then they knew he was wired right for the job.
posted by katieinshoes at 8:21 AM on July 14, 2009 [16 favorites]

I wouldn't say I always eat that way, but I often do when I'm worried that I will be too full to eat the healthier stuff on my plate (veggies, mostly) if I eat the other stuff first. I will also sometimes save my favorite foodstuff for last, unless it's something that is best eaten piping hot. Futhermore, I'm not a huge fan of mixing foodstuffs (e.g. getting peas in the mashed potatoes, etc.), so it helps keep things separate.
I think we have to decide on sequences for a lot of things we do. Completely normal.
posted by willpie at 8:21 AM on July 14, 2009

I tend to do this most of the time. Sometimes it's due to one thing being more time sensitive than others (for example, hot sandwich and chips, I'll eat the sandwich first and then move onto the chips), sometimes it's because I like one part more than the others and want to make sure I don't get full before I'm done, sometimes it's because the tastes don't go together, etc. I'm also the kind of person that likes a clear separation between different foods (I like my sides on the side), and if I do switch back and forth between foods I tend to drink something in between as a palate cleanser.

I'm like this, and used to be worse--I used to separate candy that I was eating into type/color, eat them until they were all equal in number, and then eat them in groups, from those that I like least to those that I like the most.

People make fun of me for doing this with Starbursts and Jolly Ranchers, although on the last step I usually eat them in equal amounts so that I run out of all of them at the same time. I blame candy manufacturers for producing the different flavors in wildly different proportions for making me do this, rather than OCD.
posted by burnmp3s at 8:27 AM on July 14, 2009

My mother does this, its not weird, not even a little.
posted by stormygrey at 8:28 AM on July 14, 2009

My husband does this too. I don't think there's any deep reason for it, it's just a habit some people have.

I'm the exact opposite--I try to make all of my foods "come out even", i.e., not have two bites of potato left after my last bite of steak.
posted by Sidhedevil at 8:28 AM on July 14, 2009 [3 favorites]

I do this, although not strictly. I often eat things in the order of least to most favorite, because that means each bite is better than the last and I finish on a high note. Sometimes I have to sample each item once or twice first to establish a favor ranking.

I was an extremely picky eater as a kid and used this same technique to choke down green beans or whatever. I still do it today, despite not being a picky eater anymore and liking everything on my plate.
posted by Adam_S at 8:28 AM on July 14, 2009

Friend of mine does this with the added stipulation that the foods are eaten in alphabetical order.

I wish I was kidding.
posted by toomuchpete at 8:30 AM on July 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

Does she eat in increasing order of things she likes best? If I strongly prefer one thing over the other, I eat the less-preferred first and save the best for last. If I almost-equally like the 2 things on my plate, then I try to alternate bites, starting with eating a bit more of the less-preferred first and more frequently and ending with the most-preferred being the majority of the bites that I take. It gets more complicated if there are more than 2 things on the plate.
posted by KateHasQuestions at 8:35 AM on July 14, 2009

When I was a child and we were really, really, really poor, I was encouraged to suck the marrow from bones. S'pretty tasty, actually.

In college I read an anthro article citing the eating of marrow as the likely cause of stepping from humanid to human...the protein is dense in that marrow!
posted by TomMelee at 8:37 AM on July 14, 2009

At some point in life I discovered why people eat chips with sandwiches. I use to eat the all of the sandwich and then the bag of chips. But one bite of sandwich, soft, delicious, followed by a couple of chips, crunchy, salty, is just amazing.

Us "one thing at a time" eaters solve this by putting the chips in the sandwich.
posted by availablelight at 8:38 AM on July 14, 2009 [8 favorites]

My husband eats this way as well. He eats all of his least favorite thing on the plate first, on up until his favorite which he saves for last.
posted by All.star at 8:39 AM on July 14, 2009

I do this. For the most part, I don't like flavors to mix, and I especially don't like textures to mix. So I'll eat all of the crunchy things, then all of the soft things, or vice versa. And no, I don't eat chocolate chip ice cream or fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt or soup with oyster crackers floating in it.

When you think about it, this is only a slightly more regimented version of what is considered "normal" eating. You don't eat a bite of your spaghetti and meatballs, and then a bite of caesar salad, and then a bite of chocolate cake, then go back to the salad for another bite. No, you eat the salad in full first, then the spaghetti, then the cake. The fact that some people like to eat all of the meatballs before eating the spaghetti isn't all that notable.

I try to eat my favorite things first. I used to do it the other way, saving the best for last, but then I found that I was often full before I got to the best part, and I didn't enjoy it as much. Plus, I want to eat the best part when it's piping hot or very crisp or however it's supposed to be. So now I eat the best part first.
posted by decathecting at 8:40 AM on July 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

I did this until someone pointed it out to me about 10 years ago and all of a sudden I became self conscious about it. I had *no idea* that I did this!

I was just talking to someone who was telling a story about her grandfather doing this, but in a very specific order, ranging from what he liked least to what he liked best. In his case, he'd start with the vegetable, have the starch in the middle, and end with the meat, in his words as "dessert" - because he grew up during the Depression and meat was scarce and it was his favorite, so he wanted to prolong the moment.
posted by chez shoes at 8:41 AM on July 14, 2009

I do this. Start with the yuckiest thing (vegetables, that must be eaten), end with the most delicious and bad for you (wonderful wonderful red meat - if eaten...rarely - and carbs).
posted by gaspode at 8:46 AM on July 14, 2009

I'm more surprised you haven't previously encountered people who do this. It's not that uncommon.

Kids' sense of taste tends to be a little more sensitive and acute, I've heard, which may be why there are so many cases of kids being fussy about certain foods -- if they have tried something and they don't like the taste, they really don't like the taste because it's a little stronger to them. This also may be part of why they don't like food "touching" -- they're a bit more sensitive to the individual taste of each individual item, and mixing them is unappealing. (I know I used to be a little like this -- I would always ask to NOT have dressing on my salad, because I liked the way lettuce tasted all by itself and I didn't want to muddy that up with dressing, dammit.)

Some people do retain a more acute sense of taste when they're adults. It could simply be because she just likes the way carrots taste, and mixing "carrot" up with "tuna" or whatever may be distracting to her, like someone changing the channel on the TV every ten seconds.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:46 AM on July 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

My wife does this...I find it slightly weird and tease her about it.

Her father also does it, as well as cutting everything up beforehand.....guaranteeing everything is cold...I don't get it.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 8:46 AM on July 14, 2009

Well, you don't take bites of dessert in between bites of your veggies and meat, do you? It's just a further example of the same thing. Some people enjoy their meals in stages.
posted by Lou Stuells at 8:49 AM on July 14, 2009

Some people do retain a more acute sense of taste when they're adults.

I'm a supertaster and my husband is an average taster, but he's the "one thing at a time" eater and I'm the "eat things in rotation" eater.

So non-supertasters can also do the "one thing at a time" approach.
posted by Sidhedevil at 8:51 AM on July 14, 2009

I do this sometimes. Usually I try to fill up on veggies first, and then eat protein, and then carbs. My goal is that I'll get to the carbs when I'm no longer as hungry and not eat as much.
posted by wuzandfuzz at 8:54 AM on July 14, 2009

I used to do this but my parents made me mix foods, because most of South Indian cuisine is mixing together rice and a curry dish. If you eat everything individually, you lose the flavor of the foods working with one another.

Phire: "Sometimes I do this if there's a type of food I particularly hate and want to get out of the way, or if there's a type of food I particularly love and want to save for last."

This is pretty common because there's even a little folktale thing about it.

In Indian weddings, they have servers walking around to refill food that you have already consumed. So when I was a kid and I selected my food, my perrima (aunt) would warn me, "Don't you try this when you go to a wedding, because they'll just keep refilling and you won't get to your favorite potato curry."

(So the theory goes. But in practice, you can say "bus!" (Enough!) when a server comes around and they won't refill. Of course, perrima would always scold you when your mouth was full so you'd never have the chance to deliver the retort.)
posted by theiconoclast31 at 8:58 AM on July 14, 2009

I prefer to come out even.

Ideally, I should be eating my last bite of everything in succession. There are some exceptions for this when time is an issue for one or more of the items, such as fries.

My father is one of you and additionally does not like food touching other dishes too much or even "messy" things, like gravy.
posted by utsutsu at 8:59 AM on July 14, 2009

My sister is like this as well. She very clearly divides all the things on her plate, and then eats them in order. She is a little eccentric, but not for this reason.

Chalk it up to the fact that she just eats that way.
posted by reenum at 9:02 AM on July 14, 2009

I do this at least 75% of the time. I usually eat the sides first, then the main dish. I've been accused of having OCD in this area, but that's not the case. I just like the taste. Plus it helps me make sure I "eat all my veggies" if I start with them.

Some foods, in my mind, are meant to be mixed: mashed potatoes with gravy with salsibury steak, or many mexican dishes, for example. I'm more likely to go back and forth with something like that.
posted by The Deej at 9:02 AM on July 14, 2009

My husband does this and it bothers me a lot. Why? Because my OCD-like tendencies have me going in the opposite direction. I have to eat everything on my plate at the same time and at the same rate so that when I'm almost done, I should have exactly one bite of everything left. I then eat the last bites all together. I delight in mixing foods, mingling flavors and playing with contrasting textures.

While I'm enjoying the mish-mash of cheeseburger and fries and keeping a mental picture in my head of how even the quantities are of everything left, I'll often look across the table and see my husband plowing through his french fries while his burger sits there still in its wrapper. That's when I rant in my head about how sad, foolish and insane he is for eating that way. BUT, I have only to look at my own habits - they look especially crazy when I type them out, and it's obvious that sanity is relative.
posted by bristolcat at 9:02 AM on July 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

I do this too. I tend to get excited about whatever it is that I'm eating and neglect the fact that there are other kinds of food on my plate.
posted by easy_being_green at 9:04 AM on July 14, 2009

I used to date someone who ate like that. When we were first going out, I was always asking her things like, "Hey, if you're not going to eat it, can I have your roll?" because I thought the roll sitting there untouched meant she wasn't interested in it.
posted by not that girl at 9:06 AM on July 14, 2009

I usually do this too. I'm also a supertaster, or really sensitive to taste, and have attributed it to just wanting to taste that one thing that I'm currently eating in its entirety before moving on to the next thing.

But reading a lot of the comments made me realize I was pretty neurotic about doing this as a kid, just for fun. I would only eat Fruit Loops by eating all of the reds one first (one at a time), then all of the orange ones, then all of the yellow ones, etc. Same with Lucky Charms - I'd eat all the oats before I touched a marshmellow. Even with chocolate chip ice cream as someone mentioned above, I'd "aim" for all of the chocolate chips I could see in the ice cream and eat those first, then when it looked like plain vanilla I'd start taking bigger bites of the ice cream until the chocolate chips starting showing up again, then another chocolate chip pass would occur...

...and I'd probably still do this as an adult if given a bowl of Fruit Loops or Lucky Charms, just...for fun.
posted by Squee at 9:08 AM on July 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

Sometimes I do this, but sometimes not. I think it was pointed out to me at a young age, so now I intentionally try to mix my eating styles for variety's sake.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 9:08 AM on July 14, 2009

When I eat a burger and fries I eat the fries first, every time. For me I think it has to do with not combining the flavors as I greatly enjoy both and want to relish (no pun intended) each taste by itself. But I mix like a fiend on my Thanksgiving dinner plate. :)
posted by judomadonna at 9:11 AM on July 14, 2009

Both me and my dude tend to eat everything sequentially.

Exception: when there's rice accompanying something else (e.g. Indian food).
posted by amtho at 9:15 AM on July 14, 2009

I usually do this. It's especially useful for restaurants' big portions - eat the expensive thing first (meat, usually), followed by the veggies and then the filler rice or whatever it happens to be. If I can't finish, I don't feel bad about leaving the pricey part on the plate.

Of course, this really only applies to the typical dish of protein + veg + starch, all separate. Something like a stir fry will be eaten concurrently with rice.
posted by backseatpilot at 9:29 AM on July 14, 2009

I'm relieved to see how many other people do this. While I have a tiny bit of OCD, my eating things by themselves relates to two things: eating the veggies first as a kid so as to save the best bits (the meat, usu) for last, and because I like the taste the thing I'm eating, not a bit smush of flavours all at once.
posted by poissonrouge at 9:34 AM on July 14, 2009

I'm like this, and used to be worse--I used to separate candy that I was eating into type/color, eat them until they were all equal in number, and then eat them in groups, from those that I like least to those that I like the most.

One of the best things about being an adult is you can eat your candy any way you want. I eat candy exactly this way, sometimes. I vary between the rotation and the one-at-a-time option, but it's usually one or the other.
posted by jessamyn at 9:41 AM on July 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

I sometimes do this. When I do, it's out of a desire to eat the foods in order of least delicious to most delicious. That way everything tastes pretty good, whereas eating some of the best thing and then some of the worst, makes the worst taste even worse.

When I don't do this, it's because I'm eating foods where the first bite tastes the best. Eating the different foods in rotation causes them to have that "first bite" effect every time.
posted by FishBike at 9:47 AM on July 14, 2009

I do this, and would never in a million years consider it even remotely OCD, nor do I understand why people would be bothered by it. It's just eating. Big deal.
posted by anderjen at 9:50 AM on July 14, 2009

See, now, I like to sort my candy out and then eat the type I have most of first, progressing to the type I have least of. And that's not OCD at all.

I used to tend to eat my food separately, but I've learned not to as an adult, primarily because I eat in better restaurants. When you're at the type of place that offers the same side dishes on every meal, the flavours aren't meant to blend, and you can eat the veg, then the potatoes, then the protein and it's all fine, but when you're eating a more composed dish, where the sides and sauces are meant as a compliment to the main, you're missing out if you don't eat things together.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:52 AM on July 14, 2009

DTMFA.

Wait, what?

No, yeah, I know people who do this too, but I've never understood. I like how the foods compliment each other, and depending on the meal, will even try to eat parts of them in the same bite.

This falls into the vein of "people who wait until their meal is finished to being on their drink" which I also don't understand, as I need to wash down my meal throughout, instead of all at the end.
posted by disillusioned at 9:54 AM on July 14, 2009

I'm a supertaster and my husband is an average taster, but he's the "one thing at a time" eater and I'm the "eat things in rotation" eater. So non-supertasters can also do the "one thing at a time" approach.

Oh, no, I apologize if I was implying otherwise. I was just suggesting one possible reason for why someone might want to portion things out like that -- but a supertaster could also find the enjoyment of the melding of flavors enhanced even more.

At the end of the day, some people just have a more minimalist style than others in things. It's all just a matter of taste (so to speak).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:00 AM on July 14, 2009

I sometimes do this. But, my wife was mildly surprised to notice that I never drink (water/juice/beer/anything) while I eat -- only at the end. No reason why, it just seems more satisfying to eat and then drink.

Maybe you should try it -- you might be missing out on a new dining experience!
posted by Simon Barclay at 10:03 AM on July 14, 2009

I eat one thing at a time, too. Especially if it's really good.
posted by kldickson at 10:08 AM on July 14, 2009

I do this sometimes, but not all the time. I tend to do it so that I can completely enjoy the flavor of each item on my plate. For example, I might eat all the mashed potatoes to enjoy the mashed potatoness of them more fully. Then the green beans to enjoy the greenbeanedness followed by the steak. I also usually save the item that I'm most excited about to the end so that I won't have to interrupt it's flavorful perfection with the merely mediocre.
posted by Quizicalcoatl at 10:11 AM on July 14, 2009

Try doing it yourself for a week or two. It's actually very comforting to eat in this fashion.
posted by jabberjaw at 10:22 AM on July 14, 2009

My brother and I both used to eat this way, and we both were incredibly neurotic about our food NOT TOUCHING. He grew out of it a lot faster than I did (the military will do that to a person) and I still don't like certain things touching, but I've mostly stopped eating one thing at a time. My son does it occasionally and he always saves a bite of the thing on his plate he likes the best and eats it at the end.

We all have our quirks.
posted by cooker girl at 10:37 AM on July 14, 2009

I did this as a kid, until my parents pointed it out - and then I was so embarrassed that I moved to the complete opposite of the spectrum. Now I am in the keep-the-foods-equal school of thought, making sure everything lasts until the end.

Somewhere along the line I also picked up the idea of making my last bite "the perfect bite." The right ratio of cereal to milk, a bite of sandwich with all the toppings on it, the tortilla chip with all seven layers of the seven layer dip. Yum.
posted by harperpitt at 10:46 AM on July 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

I do this too. What is your reason for not eating this way?
posted by dzot at 10:48 AM on July 14, 2009

I do this. Usually it's because I guess I enjoy really savoring food one dish at a time, and as mentioned above, I mix things together if I want the sensation of multiple foodstuffs at once. For the most part, though, I enjoy the simplicity of eating dishes separately. I've never been bothered by my food touching itself and actually enjoy it if its on the edges (as in: not all items are thoroughly mixed, there is only some residual mixing).

I was also the kind of child that separated candy by color or shape or whatever other arbitrary guideline I could dream up.

Also, this is usually only the case with meals that have easily separated courses, like a dinner plate. If I eat a hamburger and fries I will eat the fries intermittently because they are delicious. Breakfast at a restaurant is similar but I usually focus attention on one food group for a significant amount of time, but it isn't as utilitarian as it is with dinner.

Potentially related: when I make myself dinner, it is usually one-plate or one-bowl meals, thus negating the need for this practice.
posted by nonmerci at 11:01 AM on July 14, 2009

Well, yeah!?! It's hard enough to keep the potatoes from touching the meat. Why would you go cross-contaminate them with a fork??? Geez!...
posted by TruncatedTiller at 11:02 AM on July 14, 2009

When I was in high school, I worked at McDonalds. Burgers there have a shelf-life of 30 minutes. French fries have a shelf life of 8 minutes. So the second those fries come out of the frier, they're dying. This is why fries often taste like crap, especially if you buy the food at the drive-thru, take it home, and then eat it.

So, when you go to McD's, you eat the fries first, then the burger.
posted by nushustu at 11:06 AM on July 14, 2009

When I was a kid (1930s-40s) our health-conscious parents made us eat foods that were "good for us." I clearly remember a party where the card-table-kids spent the meal working out the best ways to get the beef liver down without tasting it (wrap little chunks in mashed potatoes or in mashed carrots). We also got to eat turnips, drink cod-liver oil, etc. No one-at-a-time for us, except there was a main course, a (distinctly separate) salad course -- after the main course in California, and a dessert course. And, rarely, a soup course and a fish course.
posted by RichardS at 11:09 AM on July 14, 2009

I do this. I'm really surprised you've never seen anyone else do it, because I've seen tons of people do it.
posted by Nattie at 11:11 AM on July 14, 2009

I do this most of the time. Exceptions are things like sandwiches, pizza, pancakes (I make stacks), or foods topped with something that are meant to be eaten together. But in general, I'm a one thing at a time eater. I'm also a supertaster, but I don't think that has much bearing since I tend to avoid anything that turns my tastebuds (mostly bitter things) anyway.
posted by cmgonzalez at 11:19 AM on July 14, 2009

I do this as well. I have no particular "reason" for it. It just always seemed like the "right" way to eat. Really, what does it matter? Let people eat how they like.

And I'm sure that, to some extent, you do this too. For example, when you sit down to a steak dinner, do you bring a sundae with you and alternate bites of steak, potato, and vanilla ice cream? Most likely you prefer to finish your dinner and THEN get out desert. What your wife is doing is essentially the same thing on a smaller scale.
posted by Vorteks at 11:25 AM on July 14, 2009

I only did this as a kid, in order to get the worst vegetables down first and save the tastiest stuff for last. Now that I am an adult, I only eat what I want. Also my tastes have expanded to the point that I enjoy many more foods, so this is no longer necessary.
posted by orme at 11:32 AM on July 14, 2009

I am amazed that so many people do this. As a cook, it drives me crazy. The whole point of menu planning is to choose foods that complement one another. It's like pairing a wine with food--they each bring out the flavor of the other. You wouldn't eat all the food and then drink all the wine, would you? Then why would you eat all of one food and then all of its accompaniment? I think people who do this are missing out on at least 50% of the pleasure of a well-planned meal.
posted by HotToddy at 11:33 AM on July 14, 2009 [5 favorites]

I had a step-sister that ate like this. I always thought it was dumb, as it robs you of the glories of combined flavors; but then, who cares? It's your wife's food and she enjoys eating it like that. It doesn't mean she's nutty.
posted by Pecinpah at 11:34 AM on July 14, 2009

Depending on the foods, I sometimes do this. I don't necessarily like to change all the flavors around in my mouth when I'm just getting into something. If I've got water handy, I'll usually have a sip before starting a new food.
posted by you're a kitty! at 11:38 AM on July 14, 2009

I've done this occassionally. I'm sure it's a sign of brain damage.
posted by blue_beetle at 11:42 AM on July 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

I do this and I know the origin (for me): breakfast cereal. I like crunchberries more than the regular Cap'n and I like the charms more than the oat bits. Therefore I started eating all the Cap'n bits first, then the crunchberries; all the oat bits first then the "marshmallow" bits. Let me tell you, as a kid there was nothing better than being able to eat three or four spoonfuls of Lucky Charms marshmallow bits followed by a quick chug of purple gray sugar milk. Bring on the cartoons!
posted by plinth at 11:53 AM on July 14, 2009

I do this. Always have. I never thought anything about it until a college roommate asked me how I decided what order to eat in. (I always basically go with salad-meat-vegetables-bread-dessert.) To be honest, I still don't understand why that seemed like a lot of decision-making to him, when he has to make a new decision after every single bite about what to sample next.

I don't think the people who do this are OCD. The people who are driven crazy by people who do this probably are.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 11:54 AM on July 14, 2009 [2 favorites]

I do this. I typically eat vegetables first because they taste better hot. Then I'll eat the rest of the items in a random order, but I'll finish one food before starting the other.

If I want to combine flavors, I'll typically mix the foods on my plate. For example, when I was younger my mother used to cook canned salmon on the stove, homemade macaroni and cheese, and peas. We would fill up our plates with three equal portions of these foods and then mix them all together. It was awesomely good.
posted by scrutiny at 12:19 PM on July 14, 2009

I also do this. If it's something + a salad, I'll eat the salad first and the main dish second. Always.

When I was little, I would just mash everything together. It always grossed my mother out that Dad would eat my leftover mush.
posted by futureisunwritten at 12:23 PM on July 14, 2009

My best friend does this for most foods. She's fine with salads and the like, but when it comes to having a main dish and a side dish, or at a buffet, she'll eat everything one food at a time. She dislikes her food touching or combining the tastes of different foods. I eat a salad one component at a time, there are too many conflicting textures in salad for me.
posted by kro at 12:31 PM on July 14, 2009

I'm certain I've done this before... get something I'm not crazy about of the way first, move on to the good stuff, et cetera. No big deal.

The one eating habit I've seen which really puzzled me was a guy I once worked with always eating his dessert before eating his lunch.
posted by usonian at 12:43 PM on July 14, 2009

I've seen it happen all the time. Always thought it was kind of funny, but hey, diff' strokes. An old friend of mine used to do this, but she was most meticulous I've ever seen.
When eating pizza (for example), she would pick off all of the same ingredients, eat those, repeat until down to the cheese. Roll up the cheese with a fork and eat that. Then scrape the sauce and soft dough off, eat that, then munch on the crust like a potato chip. She was such fun to take out to eat.
posted by elendil71 at 1:01 PM on July 14, 2009

cookie monster does this.
posted by billtron at 1:06 PM on July 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

I do exactly as your wife does. First, I eat the "main dish" - the meat or the fish. Then, I eat my next favorite thing... and so on... and so on.

To me, it seems bizarre to stop eating the thing you like most before you've finished it.
posted by 2oh1 at 1:08 PM on July 14, 2009

I do this as well. Doesn't really have anything to do with an aversion to "mixing" my foods so much as it's a holdover from being scolded as a child for filling up on sides to avoid unpalatable main dishes. My mom made a rule that I had to finish the main dish first, and now it's habit.
posted by iceprincess324 at 1:16 PM on July 14, 2009

I don't do this.
posted by grateful at 1:25 PM on July 14, 2009

I used to separate candy that I was eating into type/color, eat them until they were all equal in number, and then eat them in groups, from those that I like least to those that I like the most.

Stuff like this, paired with my uberdorky habit of absentmindedly doing quadratic equations on the back of napkins, is why I tend not to eat in public very often anymore. Too many weird looks.

Also, food touching is wrong and not right. I, too, blame the elementary school dividey-trays.

It would be awesome if all the posters in this thread got together for a meal one day. FOR SCIENCE.
posted by elizardbits at 1:27 PM on July 14, 2009

nobody else I've met has ever done this either.

You need to get out more. It's commonplace, as is what you're used to. I would argue it's less sane to be concerned about this than it is to do it, although being curious is certainly reasonable.

On the other hand, I knew a guy who always ate with his arm wrapped around his plate, hunched low. We finally asked him about it, and it's because he grew up with tons of siblings and there was no discipline at the dinner table, so if he didn't protect his plate a sibling would grab some of his food. They all ate like that, and he didn't really think about it until we brought it up.
posted by davejay at 1:55 PM on July 14, 2009

My mom made a rule that I had to finish the main dish first, and now it's habit.

Huh! With our kids, we give equal but small amounts of everything, and they have to finish everything if they want more of anything. Same result without the orderliness.
posted by davejay at 1:57 PM on July 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

I am amazed that so many people do this. As a cook, it drives me crazy. The whole point of menu planning is to choose foods that complement one another.

I'm not sure why foods that complement each other have to be eaten in a particular fashion. They are still being consumed together even if they are being eaten one at a time, unless you're eating something in between each item to clear the palate.

I tend to save the best for last, but I don't have a problem with things touching or foods being mixed. Sometimes I eat things one at a time, and sometimes I don't. However I do it, I'm tactically working up to a big finish, either a bite with a little bit of everything (bacon, cheese, burger, tomato), a final sublime bite of single item (seared pork belly), or a carefully planned final bit of something to go with something else (last piece of tortilla to wipe up egg yolk and salsa). I don't think this is the best way to eat; it is just my way. Nothing ruins a nicely thought out and perfectly structured meal than some muffinhead saying "aren't you going to eat that?" or "you're supposed to eat those things together!" I am eating them all together, thank you very much.
posted by oneirodynia at 4:03 PM on July 14, 2009

Nthing the "I do this!" statement... if it is insane, so be it.
[bdc34: You want amazing? Put some of those chips IN your sandwich!]
posted by Drasher at 4:11 PM on July 14, 2009

I do this and I know the origin (for me): breakfast cereal. I like crunchberries more than the regular Cap'n and I like the charms more than the oat bits. Therefore I started eating all the Cap'n bits first, then the crunchberries; all the oat bits first then the "marshmallow" bits. Let me tell you, as a kid there was nothing better than being able to eat three or four spoonfuls of Lucky Charms marshmallow bits followed by a quick chug of purple gray sugar milk.

Seconded. The sugar rush from eating all of the marshmallows at once was great.

If my parents weren't around, I'd pour out an extra big bowl then put most of the oat bits back.

Also seconding fries before burger. Fries are gross when they're cold, and they get cold quickly because they're so thin. (At least mine are. I don't like thick fries. It's all about the crispy surface bits.)

I'll eat most other things, though, in rotation.
posted by spitefulcrow at 4:37 PM on July 14, 2009

I eat things sequentially, out of habit and for health. I did the lifting-weights-and-count-calories thing for awhile. At the time I'd finish the meat dish first, always (can't be squandering precious stomach space on protein-less foods!)

Now, not caring about gaining weight, I do it in the reverse order: finish vegetables/salad first, then eat the main course until I'm full. This way I ensure I get a good veggie input and have more attractive leftovers.
posted by dualityofmind at 5:04 PM on July 14, 2009

Sequentially, but not in the order of most sequential eaters, it seems.

I eat the thing in order of "If I only got to eat one of the things, what would I want it to have been?" At a restaurant, that means the main item first, then the sides (starchy filler like bread or potatoes/fries last). At home it's similar, usually the protein-rich food first, carbs last, but occasionally as simple as most-least tasty, until I'm not hungry.

If I "save the best for last" I'll eat the whole thing, even if it was too much. I don't want that to happen.
posted by ctmf at 5:21 PM on July 14, 2009

I do this, and I would just like to say that I think eating the other way is what's strange. Seriously, rotating through food items such that their flavors and consistencies are blended together? Why not just mix it all up like stew if you're gonna go that route. The items were prepared and served separately for a reason. I bet you smother everything in ketchup too!
posted by cj_ at 5:31 PM on July 14, 2009

I vary on this. Things like M&Ms and dry cereal go by color, usually. Anything with fries, I try to finish it all at the same time. Salads go greens, then tomatoes, then croutons, but when we go to our local for breakfast and I get my usual ham & eggs omlet + hash browns, it all gets mooshed together with ketchup. And you really don't want to watch me eat takeout pizza.
posted by Lazlo at 6:53 PM on July 14, 2009

I do both. Things that are mixed together obviously are mixed together and are eaten that way (soups, stews, etc, etc). Spaghetti and meatballs with green beans at my parents' house, the green beans always go first, but then the meatballs and spaghetti are interspersed.

Sometimes I will even eat things together in the same forkful! I always shredded chicken and mixed it with stuffing to eat all smooshed together.

But I really like the flavors of certain foods on their own the way they are. If I really like the way that an excellently cooked steak tastes, why would I want to mask that by covering it with mashed potatoes or veggies or whatever? Complicated foods and mixed-together foods seem like they're just an overload to me. Mixing together flavors gives you new flavors, yes, but sometimes I don't like those new flavors. Maybe these people have had enough experiences with bad flavors in the past that they'd rather have everything separate and know what it's going to taste like.
posted by that girl at 9:15 PM on July 14, 2009

I've always done this, and noticed that people are generally of the "a little of this, a little of that" camp, or my camp.

The only strange thing is that you never noticed this before. It's like left-handedness: not a 50/50 split of the population, but not so rare as to be newsworthy.

In time, I predict you will learn to cope with this trying aspect of her personality, and perhaps even view it as a quirky and lovable aspect... unless she passes it along to your children, of course!
posted by IAmBroom at 10:22 PM on July 14, 2009

I think this is weird. But I've never done this before, and I've never lived with anyone who did. Plus, I've lived in Korea for a couple of years now, and no one here does this; the food isn't meant to be eaten this way (you'd OD on salt quickly).
posted by smorange at 5:17 AM on July 15, 2009

My variant on this is that I like to have a bite of this, a bite of that, but with a few exceptions, NO TOUCHING of different foods. Potatoes+corn or rice+beans are ok, and of course one-dish or stuff-on-rice meals are fine. But I almost always put my salad or bread in a separate dish, because I don't want them touching anything else. Mr epersonae has been known to tease me about it, but I don't much care.
posted by epersonae at 9:27 AM on July 16, 2009

FWIW: I did this as a kid, up until about age 14-15, when I just switched over to the bit at a time method. I believe my grandfather would also eat that way.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:55 AM on July 16, 2009