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Are You a Compartment Eater or Proportional Saver? Do You Know One?

OK, these may just be points on a weird continuum, but do you ever/generally:

(A) Eat all of one thing on your plate before moving to another thing (e.g., all the fries before the hamburger)?;

(B) Eat everything, but keep winnowing it down so that at the end you still have one bite left of everything?; or

(C) Eat haphazardly?

I'm definitely a (B), and I can't help staring whenever I'm in the presence of an (A). Which are you and why?


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  1. Generally a B but have been known to switch to an A if a particular component is extremely good or extremely bad.

      1. B. Completely and totally, every single meal, unless I hate something on the plate, of course. But even then, the remaining items are eaten in the same balanced manner.

        I think A eaters are weird. I have two friends who are type A, and I just find it so peculiar. One says he could not eat the way I do. He must eat one item at a time, and nothing can touch each other.

        If I had to eat like an A for some reason, I could do it. It wouldn't make me cry or feel sick, or gross me out. But it wouldn't be right, either.

        1. Mostly B with some slippage into C. Re: your A example, I know a few people who do that because they want to eat all the fries while they're still piping hot, whereas the burger will still taste good if it sits for a few minutes. I can understand that.

          3 Replies
          1. re: cookie monster

            Thanks for explaining this so well. I guess I am a "C" as the temperature of the various foods on my plate determine how I eat that particular meal. I generally enjoy food at room temp but exceptions are hot soups and deep fried foods; if these are present I am all "A" and consume them exclusively until they are gone. Otherwise, I tend to "B", but I do make certain that I consume all of the food I like the best. If I get too full I want to be sure that what is left on my plate is not my favorite.

            1. re: cookie monster

              I am also a B, but the burger and fries is probably my only A situation. I hate cold fries.

              1. re: Kontxesi

                I agree with the A philosophy in the case of (cold) fries. But I stick to B in that case anyway, assuming that it is nature's way of making sure I don't eat all of the fries!

            2. I guess sort of a combo of A and B. I tend to eat all my vegetables first because I'm not much of a veggie fan but I know I need to eat them. So, if they're being served separately (ie not in a stir fry or casserole or whatever), I'll eat them first, but then alternate between whatever else is on the plate.

              2 Replies
              1. re: juliejulez

                I find it easier to eat veg if I also have the other two components in my mouth simultaneously. Yesterday, I ate cauliflower, meat loaf, and green beans, and I would not have been able to stomach the cauliflower had the meat loaf not been hiding the cauliflower nastiness.

                In fact, the cauliflower was the last thing on my plate, and I didn't eat one more bite.

                1. re: juliejulez

                  Me too, exactly. I like to get rid of the "have-to eat" and save the "get-to eat" for last.