Confession: I eat in order
A continuation of my “Confession” series, modeled after Alana’s “Sunday Confessional.”
Imagine you sit down at a meal of steak, french fries, and sautéed vegetables. It looks delicious, and it probably is. At this point, I understand, most people would taste the steak, perhaps much a fry or two, and eat some of the vegetables.
But not me. See, with a few exceptions, I eat in order. That is, I finish one part of my meal before I move on to the next. In the example above, I would probably eat the fries, then the vegetables, and finally the steak. If the fries don’t look that great, or I’m really excited for the steak, I might mix it up, but in general, that would be my order.
In the picture above, I’d probably eat the chicken nuggets first, and the bread, followed by the potatoes or vegetables, and finally the cookie.
I think that when people realize that I do this, they think I’m crazy. I didn’t realize it myself until my mother pointed it out when I was younger, and at first, I tried to deny it. “I do not!” Eventually though, I grew to embrace my eating habits. Most think that my eating is irrational (like my basement fear), but I argue that it is in fact more rational than not! Let’s examine some common orders for why:
- Steak scenario above: I eat the fries first because they are a finger food. Then I pick up one utensil (the fork) to eat the vegetables, and finally, I pick up the second utensil (knife) to eat the steak. Maximum utensil efficiency.
- Chinese food with multiple options: last night I had Chinese featuring three different entrees, all on rice. I ate them in order, not for efficiency but for taste maximization. If I mix the chicken and the beef, I will not be able to fully enjoy the tastes of both.
- Salad situation: If a salad is presented, or often a soup, I will eat these first, even though they may require one utensil when part of the remaining meal requires none. This is because in my head, salad (or soup) comes first. Dessert comes last.
- Indian, etc, food: There are exceptions to the rule. Foods that require the same amount of utensils, that are better mixed together, etc, such as Indian food, are not generally eaten in order, but altogether.
When I was younger, my mom often made mish-mosh. This combination of multiple foods, in my mind, was amalgamated as one. Similarly, if foods touch on a plate, I don’t freak out. I may still eat them in order, I may not. But I am not against food integration or overlap.
Nonetheless, the next time you share a meal with me, don’t be surprised when I eat everything in order. I may be saving the best for last, I may be maximizing efficiency or tastiness, but in any case, I’m enjoying my meal the way I always have.
