A Reddit food feed recently compiled a collection of comments from a variety of folks who eat certain common foods ‘differently’ than everybody else does. I couldn’t resist sharing a few of the more notable items…
I had to admit to myself that I, too, have certain dining preferences that defy tradition and conventional wisdom. But I reserve my personal quirks for private noshes. I most certainly don’t publicize them or try to convert others to my particular recreational gustatory gospel.
I get a lot of enjoyment out of going unconventional now and then. But my limits stretch only about as far as Peanut Butter & Lettuce on Toast…
Recurring themes
Folks who responded to the dare posed by the original Reddit post volunteered a whole spectrum of disclosures – from tame to wild. And the exercise generat-ed almost as many counter comments from readers who disagreed – some mildly, others vehemently – with the primary contributors.
What I did not expect was that the flood of ‘wrong way’ posts would resolve into recurring themes. But that’s not a bad thing. There are some interesting con-centrations of opinion…
‘Not cooking’
“I didn’t know ramen was supposed to be soup until I was 18.”
“Oh, I’ll eat [Ramen] raw when I am on a hike. I like the crunch.”
“Cold hotdogs without a bun = perfect snack.”
“Eating French’s Original Crispy Fried Onions straight from the canister.”
“I’ve never warmed a Pop-Tart.”
Bacon
“Bacon should not be crispy. It should be floppy, damn it. I want it moving like a hound’s ear in a wind storm.”
“[Bacon] should be crispy and chewy at the same time. Rendered chewy fat, crisp meaty bits”
“I want my bacon so crispy it shatters when you touch it.”
“No no no, it should be chewy. Thick slices, oven baked and [confit] in their own fat at 400F for 15-20 minutes.”
“Bacon bits, the fake ones. I eat them straight out of the jar.”
Spaghetti
“The number of times I’ve been scolded for ‘overcooking’ my pasta. I don’t want it to be hard and chewy (aka al dente) so let me eat my mushy pasta in peace!”
“My mother eats all her noodles [overcooked]. She will also often throw a canned cream soup and or can of tuna in with the overcooked noodles. We refer to it as her joker mush.”
“I […] cut my spaghetti with a fork and knife [because] I hate having stringy bits all over my chin making a mess. Instead of spinning it around on the fork. I just find [that] so messy.”
“When I make spaghetti or other long-strand pasta for myself, I break the pasta in half. It fits on my fork, and in my mouth better that way.”
Counter-comment:
“If you listen closely when you [break your pasta in half], you can hear a choir of Italians crying…”
Bananas
“My preferred way to eat bananas is when they’re green to the point where most people wouldn’t enjoy them. To me they’re just less sweet and have a better texture.”
“I don’t like ripe bananas. Taste like death rot to me. But a semi green banana. Love ‘em!”
“I prefer yellow when [they’re] just starting to get those sugar spots on them.”
“I’ll eat a banana that’s ripe to the point of near total blackness – lol.”
“If you push on the very end of the banana it will split into three perfect segments. Like orange segments kind of, but three of them that go the length of the banana. Truly the only way to eat it!”
Counter-comments to the green banana lover:
“You are a sick man for this one. But…. I’ll respect it.”
“What kind of monster are you?”
Pizza
“Pizza. I eat the crust 1st, because I don’t want to finish the pizza with [only] crust [left].”
“We have a mom and pop pizza place here where the crust is so good I save it for last”
“When I eat pizza I take all the toppings off and put them in a pile, eat the crust, the nice soft stuff that still has a bit of sauce on it, throw away the hard edge crust. When I’m all done eating the crust, I eat toppings with a fork.”
There are many more recurring themes among the hundreds of comments and counter-comments in the thread. You could spend an afternoon… I haven’t the room here to list them all. However, I simply must pass along a few more ‘Wrong Way’ food tips under the heading…
Potpourri
“The looks I’ve gotten for eating a kiwi like an apple. The skin is delicious.”
“Dr. Dew: Half Dr. Pepper, half Mountain Dew.”
“I like savory French toast. Keep the sugar and syrup; I want mine with black pepper.”
“Peanut butter with cereal. [Put] a little bit of peanut butter on your spoon for each bite. It’s wonderful.”
“I’ve eaten Indian food for years, and it was only upon marrying an Indian woman that I learned that I am not supposed to take all my favorite ingredients and make a naan burrito.”
“I like my hot sauce cold. I know it doesn’t need refrigeration, but I like the temperature contrast.”
My take
Although this Reddit thread is supposed to be spotlighting weird ways to eat foods we’re all familiar with… I managed to take away several tips I’ll at least try for myself before discounting them.
When it comes to food – the old French ‘rule’ never rang more true: Chacun à son goût! (Each to his own taste!)
~ Maggie J.