Hi friends! 😀
I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only one who gets a little sad when a delicious meal comes to an end. It seems that most people experience the “post-meal blues”, especially when it comes to breakfast. Which isn’t surprising, really. Breakfast is, after all, the best meal of the day.
And speaking of breakfast… does anyone else eat theirs in a really particular way? Observe:
This is what my bowl of oats typically looks when I’m halfway through it. I start by nibbling away near the top of the bowl, move to the bottom, and I’m left with a strip in the middle that’s piled high with all the good stuff [read: the almond butter]. In other words, I save the best for last.
That’s how I eat my breakfast every. single. time. Without fail. Without thinking. It just feels right. I actually can’t even imagine starting from the middle and working my way out… it boggles the mind 😯
And breakfast isn’t the only meal where that happens. Lunch is also eaten in a specific way…
The salad is the first thing to go. Always. When that’s all gone, only then do I start on whatever’s left.
I guess you could say that I’m pretty particular when it comes to how I eat. Or what I eat with…
That little spoon probably sees more action than all of our other cutlery combined. I use it to eat pretty much any meal that can be eaten with a spoon. Even if it’s dirty, and there’s a drawer full of other clean spoons to choose from, I’ll still take the extra time to wash it before I sit down to enjoy my meal. Because, call me crazy, but it really does make a difference in how much I enjoy my food.
As do mini bowls…
… which are supposedly measuring “cups”, but hey, what’s in a name?
I have no idea where these quirky eating habits came from. I don’t remember ever being so particular when I was younger. I’d eat from any bowl, with any spoon, and wouldn’t give it a second thought. But now? Now I play favorites. Now I’m pretty particular.
Part of me wonders why such seemingly meaningless things hold so much value to me, especially because I remember having such particular eating habits when I was in the depths of my ED, that if I couldn’t eat in a specific way or with specific utensils, I simply wouldn’t eat. Of course, the habits that I have now aren’t nearly as extreme, but are they lingering remnants of past disordered thinking?
Maybe I’m just over-analyzing things; I have a tendency to do that. Maybe my particular-ness is nothing more than innocent preference. After all, everyone prefers to do things in certain ways…
…like preferring not to bite into ice cream bars 😉
. – . – . – .
Are you pretty particular when it comes to how you eat?
Any quirky habits?
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Haha! Love it! I don’t know if I’ve ever really paid any attention to the way I eat my oats in the morning…or um, evening! 😉 I do know that I used to be a dedicated stirrer, but now I prefer to “save the best (read: biggest) clump of toppings for last”
I borrowed…ok, maybe smuggled would be the correct terminology…a spoon from my parents house a couple of months ago. It’s a “tea spoon”…small with a long skinny handle (do they call them handles? Stem? Eh…) But anyway, I haven’t been able to find it in over a week and it’s driving me crazy!! It has quickly become my “oatmeal spoon” and now I’m sad that it’s MIA…I mean, seriously, who LOSES a spoon?! It has to be in this house somewhere! Grrr!
Hey Amanda!
I came across your blog recently through a bunch of others–i.e. fitnessista, Healthydivaeats. I really like your writing style. It’s honest, quirky, and real!!
OMG–I felt like I was reading my own eating habits.
I always eat ginormous salads in one big green bowl–and of course it must be a particular bowl. I also have a special tablespoon when I ladle into my salads “goody stuff”–like hummus or cottage cheese. And.. I alwaaaays eat as much veggies as possible before I eat “real” food like my piece of fish or something.
It’s been like this for awhile–but it’s a pattern and it feels comfortable. It’s so nice to know I’m not alone. Keep writing!!!
I have a thing where i always need to wash my bowl.plate.spoon.fork and whatever just before i use to eat/cook with before i use it to make sure it’s clean! I don’t want any gunk or any dust on it! GROSSS.
I eat my meals the same way — with oatmeal I definitely eat the “boring” parts first and save all of the toppings for last. And for other meals I usually eat my side dishes first and then eat the main course.
I sometimes eat with a small spoon to help slow me down — only because I usually wolf my food down and then my stomach kind of hurts because I eat in such a small period of time. By slowing down I enjoy it more and don’t end up with a hurt tummy!
I thought it was just me that had a favourite spoon 🙂
I’m definitely with you on saving the best till last too and I always eat puddings with the smallest spoon possible, wherever I am!
it good to have quirky habits, its what makes us all unique 🙂
i’m so similar to you though, i eat all, if i can meals with a small spoon, and i always leave the middle bit of breakfast or anything with that texture in the middle of the bowl to eat last.hehe
I also always like smaller than average dinner plates.
eating out of measuring cups reminds me of my ED days =(
now, I can only fit a measly BITE in those! I don’t know how you get full eating out of them hah!
but I totally get where you’re coming from with the weeetle spoons =) they make everything taste a million bajillion times better!
another “weird” thing I do– when I make cereal, I alaaayyyss mix a ton of kinds together. but when I actually eat the cereal, I like to pick out the same kinds and eat them in the same spoon…eating different kinds in one bite is gross. but for some reason it just tastes better if it’s all SITTING in the same bowl. if that made any sense at all….haha
allllwaaayys* 😉
Hehe oh I don’t get full from eating out of them… they’re too small for that. I just use them to hold small parts of my meals/snacks. And for mixing 😀
I think I’m more particular with some types of food and not others. Like, I love to eat sandwiches so that I eat all of the crust off first and then have the yummy inside part for last. Also, if I’m eating a bowl of cereal, I can’t have any milk left when I’m done. 🙂
I always mix my toppings very well into the oats. I really mean very well. I spend at least a minute or two on it. Then I start from the top, when I hit the bottom of the plate I begin from one side and work my way to the other until the oats are gone 😀 Wow I never even noticed my weird habits until now. I have my favorite utensils of course too. About 3 favorite spoons, one fork, 3 bowls, and two cups. Anything that’s a small size and cute would grab my attention though haha.
I LOVE YOUR MEASURING CUPS/BOWLS!! How cute are those! 🙂
I eat my oatmeal the same way! I always start on the edges, though I take a little bit of the nut buttah in each bite. SO delicious! 🙂
I have to mix my food together. If I am eating fish with rice, I cut the fish then mix it all in with the rice and veggies. I like mixing things hence why I like yogurt bowls so much.
And everything is better from a bowl.
Since I’ve been younger I’ve ALWAYS eaten w a baby spoon/fork (well, I call it the baby spoons, but the small spoons/forks) and always find it so annoying when I eat out and I’m given the biggest spoons of life… I feel like it certainly takes away from my meal.
I am also one of those people that eat’s around my meals to save the best stuff for the last few bites, it’s not even something I notice that I’m doing, it just happens.
Your oats look deeeeelish!
Samantha
http://flavorator.blogspot.com/
I love saving a big blob of nut butter at the end of my oatmeal too. It’s always the best bite! 😀 But other than that, I don’t think I have too many food “rituals” that I can think of. I do prefer eating meals out of bowls though. They just taste better that way!
😆 I’m the same way with bowls… I actually hardly ever use plates.
Yes I am sooo particular. I have a specific spoon I love to use … and I only use certain bowls… Okay I’m not too particular with the spoon but if there are no “small” spoons left in the drawer I will wash one off before I sit down to eat. I also only like to eat off of certain plates. haha I’m glad I’m not the only one who does this! I don’t think it’s really obsessive I think it’s just a thing. It doesn’t prevent me from going out and doing things in my life so I don’t see the problem with it!
YES! I am very particular about the way (and when I eat)…although, I am starting to loosen up a little about that. I was really set in the way things were with food during my ED days and recently was reading a book written by a recovered ED person who did a study on it and found that it is a common trait in people with an ED. I thought that was interesting… Happy eating!
I’m definitely a particular eater too! Everything has to be somewhat “robotic” for me – so I suppose that’s somewhat quirky (well, really quirky lol)
YES I am particular! I have my favoruite plates, bowls, spoons (I’ll wash up mine if it’s dirty instead of something else :-p), I always save the best til last…I wouldn’t be surprised if it is a leftover ED thing, BUT I don’t see it as a bad thing. I save the best til last cos .. it’s the best!? I do it with a lot of things! I eat off of pretty bowls and plates because I LIKE how they look – white plates are so dull!!
I just scrolled up – I totally agree with Debbiecutieface! It is a leftover ED thing probably, but it’s not doing me harm, I’m not obsessive (someone else has my spoon? Oh well, use a boring one) and so It think it’s ok 🙂
I’ve always saved the best for last! So glad to hear I’m not the only one who does that! 🙂
Whenever I eat oatmeal with peanut butter, the oatmeal goes first, and then I’m left with a big blob of peanut butter… mmmm. And I always eat my veggies first too. I definitely love my veggies, but I generally love my carb/protein part of the meal even more 😉 And those measuring cup bowls are too cute! 😀
<3
The measuring cups are super cute! 🙂 I really like all of your photos, lots of good color.
Whitney
I eat my oatmeal the same way! Unless it is chocolate peanut butter oats. You have to stir up those! I also eat my pizza backward, because the crust is the best part on any pizza. I eat my salad first. I like little bowls, plates, forks, and spoons in comparison to large ones. And I don’t like drinking from plastic cups.
I don’t think being particular about these things is a sign of a remaining ED. As long as you are flexible it is okay to have preferences. Like, if you would rather die than eat with a big spoon, you would want to analysis your habits more in depth. The only habit of mine that I kept from my ED is using small plates and utensils. I didn’t like the big plates during my ED because the it was more apparent to everyone else that I was starving myself. Little plates didn’t show that as much. But now, I like using them because little plates make me feel like I am eating a lot. I fill them up and I feel like I am eating the way I am supposed to.
Hahaa love this! I think it’s so funny how we all have our little quirky habits of doing things in life 🙂 Makes us all individual!
I totally agree with eating with small spoons, I think it’s to savor the taste for a little bit longer – not that it works with me because I eat so fast anyway! I definitely have certain bowls and plates for certain meals though and prefer to eat my snacks from little bowls and ramekins 🙂 I love kiddy stuff too and brightly colored cutlery and bowls hehe!
I always leave my roasted squash until last because it’s the best bit 🙂 But I was watching a show recently and they were talking about it and saying why do people leave the best until last because it goes cold…and I thought haha, that’s a good point!
But I LIKE eating my food cold… I think it tastes better that way 😉
I eat my breakfast in exactly the same way. Saving the best things till last is the best, as you know that you have always got something to look forward to. 🙂
I have certain cutlery for certain foods. Certain bowls, depending on whats in my oats, pumpkin oats go in the brown bowl, chocolate oats in the blue (although this has recently not been the case only because im adding more and my oats seem to be becoming more voluminous and are needing a bigger bowl)
I always prefer smaller spoons for my sweet snacks, it makes them last longer 🙂
When it comes to oats I always have a spoon with extra nut butter on the side, that way I can add it in, because if I dont do that it will all be gone by the first bite 😛
Since I came back from Japan and my host family gave me simple, cute chopsticks (with bunnies), I always eat with them. (Well, except if it’s better to use a (tea)spoon. But when I don’t have a spoon for a yogurt, my chopsticks save me!) It’s a way for me to think about them every day! 🙂 And, really, chopsticks are more convenient.
I know it’s not very common in Occident, so I was so happy when I saw that Chocolate Covered Katie does the same! 😀
Honestly, I don’t thing these habits are bad as long as they make you (in general) happy, and as long as you can do well without them. If no, I would check it deeper…
I’m also a major baby spoon fan. Although in public settings I eat with “normal” utensils as well – if I’m on my own I eat with a small spoon. I think it’s partly because I want my food to last longer, and partly because I have a slight fascination with cute, little things (possibly stemmed from the fact I’m not too tall myself).
Odd habits – I guess the first one that come to mind is that I always eat my sandwhiches open faced. Even if they’re not ment to be that way I just open em’ up, devide the toppings on both sides and enjoy 🙂
I oats/green smoothies in the same manner/order as you do. In fact I eat everything that way, saving the best for last. I also always eat my salad or veggies first and then move on to the other bits.
Quirky habits…hmm, I have a lot, but the oddest one has to be biting into things like peas (yes, the individual pea) and tomatoes and looking at what’s in the middle. Why biting them in half and looking at what half a pea or tomato looks like is beyond me. Oh, and with sandwiches? I cut them into four triangles or squares, eat the first one like a ‘normal’ sandwich, the second and third I pick apart and eat the filling then the bread, and the fourth I take any veggie bits out, leave the rest of the filling in, put the bread back together and then eat what’s left of the sarnie. Four different taste experiences in one 😉 And yes, I make a royal mess whenever I’m eating anything 😛
xxx
P.S I am also with you on the little spoons: makes the meal last longer and puts off the ineviatable ‘my bowl is empty and I am sad’ moment.
I’m not really particular when it comes to how I eat, except that I always save the best part for last, too! I eat the ends of the sandwich first and save the middle for last. I also find eating out of bowls with a spoon more enjoyable, but I rarely do it. I don’t bite ice cream, either, because it it gives me pain in the eyes (that also happens if I eat ice cream too fast).
I do have some other quirky habits, though. If I set an alarm, I always make it even – for example, 6:26 instead of 6:30.
Yep I eat my oats with a teaspoon too and I think it is remants of the ed as I think it started to make the food last longer. It is probably linked to control too where if I eat I have to eat it x way ya know?
I guess you have to say would I be able to eat it a different way and not be bothered.
Xxx
Oh, I always save the best part (the nutbutter part that is), for last!
And, I have this annoying habit that I always want to cut my food into “couples”- like 4,6,8,10 etc.. I want every piece to have a “partner” when they enter my tummy 😛 Same goes if I eat small things like grapes or berries. hard to keep track sometimes 😉
I eat my oatmeal the same way. And I also would much rather eat with an itty bitty spoon. And I very much believe these behaviors are sort of “remains” from my ED.
Why do I say so? Because when I was in my ED, whenever I ate, I had to make it last (after all, I wouldn’t eat again for HOURS). Hence, the tiny spoon. And saving the “best” part for last…because who knows when we’ll get to have it again, right?
It seems pretty obvious to me…but I also enjoy eating this way and it’s not causing me any problems (e.g. if there’s no little spoon, I’ll happily eat with a big spoon), so I’m not exactly worried about “fixing” it.
As long as you’re not obsessive, you know?
Hope I made sense.
That’s pretty much how I see it too. I prefer to do things in a certain way, but if I can’t, it doesn’t make me freak out and I’ll just go with the flow. As long as it’s not interfering with my life, I don’t see anything wrong with it…
I am very very particular 🙂 I eat from the same bowls with the same little spoons all the time. And I have my special ways of eating oatmeal – I usually eat a thin top layer, then I wait a bit so a “crust” forms on the top, then I eat the top layer again and then I waited for the crust again etc etc…very strange 🙂 When it comes to salads, I always eat the toppings first, then the rest and I eat the bread or other pastry I have with it after eating the whole salad, never together..And I could come with other quirky habbits, but I don´t want to scare anyone 🙂
baby spoons all the way!!!!! i got it from my mom… who i think got it from my granny… and one day i shall pass the baton- er baby spoon- onto my (non-existant) kids!!
I think most people save the best for last, some may have it first so they don’t get to full, but I don’t seem to have that problem 😉 Sure I have some preferences and such, I think its normals to an extent. because I don’t obsess over it. I think when it becomes an obsession, if not having it “your way” or the “right way” causes anxiety or worry then there is something wrong ( like if someone couldn’t eat at a friends because you didn’t have your special bowl for ex.), but little quirks are totally normal I think, especially if they are for enjoyment! and ohh, I can NOT bite ice cream, I shudder just thinking about it…yikes!