Aibu to wonder if this eating habit is weird?

[Mangosmoothiesprinkles]

Would you class it as strange for someone to eat their food by ensuring they have a little bit of everything each bite? This is only for hot meals, not for things like dessert or sandwiches. They also make sure as they eat a hot meal, that as they finish, they have a bit of everything. Pic attached.

YABU: yes this is odd.
YANBU: normal, loads of people do this.

I push various bits onto my fork, so if I'm eating for example a bean chilli and rice I'll also pop some guac, jalapenos and salsa on the fork if some on the plate. But I don't divvy it up at the beginning and worry that much, if I'm left with just a bit of one or two things I eat it like that.

I wouldn’t do that. It seems odd to me. But I can’t say I notice what other people do.

I wouldn't do it, but then again, a PP describes the way I'd have a burger, chips and drink as weird.

I do remember people getting strangely cross with me because I didn't want to 'mince my meal' but, from my point of view, the thought of everything mushed up together so each forkful looked and tasted exactly the same wasn't very appealing.

I wouldn't ascribe any particular condition to it, if that's what you're hinting at.

I think that's a pretty normal way to eat a meal - maybe not as rigid as that, but if you have food that's served together then I think a lot of people will have a little bit of all of it on a fork together, depending on what it is.

My husband is the opposite and if we had, say, chicken and chips, he will eat all the chips and then eat the chicken. I think it's bonkers

I do this for certain meals and like pp I save the best bit till last .
It is rare that I have a full sunday dinner but when I do I always load each yorkie with a bit of everything and save one to the end .

Many years ago I did this and I picked up my last one ( always ate the last one with my fingers ) and it slipped out of my grip , heart broken I tell ya !

Wouldn't say it was odd, but personal taste? I don't do it, but I know a former work colleague that used to (and probably still does, to be fair).

That looks revolting. 🤢

Why are people being so rude about OP's meal? Revolting? Horrible? FFS! No one is making you eat it!

It looks like lamb hotpot maybe? Sliced potato, meat and carrot...

OP, can you do this with all meals?

Thinking of a roast/Xmas dinner you must struggle to get everything on the fork..

It’s lamb hotpot! 😂

I'd say it depends on the meal and its components. A roast dinner, I'd maybe eat all my veg first, then put my meat, gravy/sauce and roasties as mouthfuls together.

Other meals, e.g. pasta, you are kind of 'forced' into eating a bit of everything in every mouthful.

But I wouldn't say it's weird at all to eat a bit of everything in every mouthful? I know some ASD friends wouldn't like that, but for NT people I'd say it was fairly normal (in a well-balanced meal that's been planned to fit together) to experience all the elements together to some degree.

That's what my partner does. He also creates a 'best bite' for last.

I mix it up and do like a bit of lots in one bite, but that's recent. Up until I was 22 I ate everything in order - vegetables first, then meat, then carbs. I think that's weirder though and now I like mixing it all together.

It's common to get a bit of everything in each forkful although personally I eat everything separately. If it's meticulous grouping of the food on the plate beforehand that might be a bit obsessive.

@WomanStanleyWoman

A friend of mine does the opposite and won’t even switch between foods from bite to bite. Say she’s eating a McDonalds: she will eat her burger, eat her chips, then drink her drink. Now that’s weird.

Nothing wrong with that! Except your friend has it the wrong way around, its clearly chips first then burger (and then the cheeseburger 'side'..)

@Tlollj

I eat things one at a time. Depends what I’m having but if I’ve got mash I start there.

How does that work with dishes that are naturally mixed eg a stir fry, paella, lasagne etc?

If it was a meal with separate components (e.g pork chop, potatoes and carrots), each forkful would have one single ingredient on it (e.g pork), but the sequence of each forkful would be entirely random (e.g pork, potato, potato, pork, carrot, pork, pork, potato)

If it was a meal that has mixed components, or ones designed to be eaten together (e.g curry and rice or spaghetti bolognese) each forkful would contain both elements of the meal.

But, tbh, I don't give it a whole lot of thought.

@WomanStanleyWoman

A friend of mine does the opposite and won’t even switch between foods from bite to bite. Say she’s eating a McDonalds: she will eat her burger, eat her chips, then drink her drink. Now that’s weird.

That's a travesty - her chips will be cold by then!

My sister eats each bit at a time and DD does the same. It’s bloody weird IMO, taking a forkful of floor mixed together is how food is supposed to be eaten.

I don’t know if it’s normal but I often do this. If I can be bothered!

My ex did this. Drove me mad.

*food

What other concerns do you have?.....

I'm usually too busy enjoying my own food and having a conversation with the person I'm sharing the meal with to notice the order in which they're eating tbh.

Late DH did it and it drove me mad. Every forkfull had to contain a bit of everything which meant it took him forever to eat a meal and made me look like a Gannett who'd wolfed down my meal, but also meant each forkful was quite big and required a wide open mouth to shovel it in.

He maintained it was perfectly normal. I think it was actually the way he was "taught' to eat as a child.To me it was playing with his food, which I was taught is definitely not the done thing.

Normal I'd say. I do both. I usually put a bowl of fruit out to have after my kids' main course. My 17 year old mixes sweet and savoury - bite of steak then a strawberry and back to steak, chicken and a grape. Just no. He can't understand why I dislike it.