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Monday, July 12, 2025
What About You?
Over the weekend, a bunch of us were sitting around after dinner yakking away about everything, anything and nothing in particular. As usual, food was a topic that we kept coming back to. At one point, the conversation veered onto a rather inane, yet highly entertaining, funny, insightful and interesting path; certainly, it evoked quite a few chuckles and some ribbin’ of each other.
Someone had started us on the topic of odd or unique eating habits. And I’m not talking about such things as eating ice cream with ketchup or anything downright weird like that. But everyday, normal things… like eating toast or using cutlery. It’s fascinating how each person has very individual and unique ways of going about the daily business of eating food. Little quirks that we do not give a second thought to, maybe are not even really aware that we do them, and yet they can potentially be very revealing. 
There was much humor as everyone’s “deep dark eating secrets” were exposed. And so I’m thinking it would be quite a fun way to start the week with a small online version… just to get to know you a little better, and for you to know me a little better. 
Here’s a pick of 20 of the “questions” that came up during that evening’s conversation; please join in, have a little fun and post your answers in the comment box below…
1) How do you like your toast: light, medium, dark or charred 
? Or… toast?!? But that’s a carb!
2) When applying spreads to your toast, must they cover every square millimeter and extend right up to the edges of the toast? Or do you always leave a little margin all the way around? After all, there is more than enough real estate on a piece of toast.
3) Do you automatically fold the toast in half before munching down, or do you keep the toast flat and have the spreads exposed in their full luscious glory?
4) When it comes to drinking tea or coffee, which goes in first? Milk? Sugar? Or who cares anyway?
5) Before you chow down on an apple or pear, do you automatically try to break the stem off, or just let it stay where it is and simply ignore it?
6) Peeling bananas: do you keep the peel attached to the tip of the fruit to keep your fingertips clean? Or… urgh! Have banana peel flopping over your hand? No way! The skin comes off – totally!
7) What’s your papaya strategy? Which part do you eat first: the head section (the part where the fruit was attached to the branch), the tail section or the middle? Or… huh?? What papaya strategy? It’s only a papaya!
8) Are you a “swopper” or a “stayer”? When it comes to using the fork and knife that is. Do you do the American thing, and switch the fork from hand to hand? Or are you definitely European in this sense? None of all that to-ing and fro-ing for you, thank you very much!
9) Staying with cutlery… do you hold your fork and spoon horizontally with the four fingers wrapped securely around the handles? Or, do you let the handle rest in the valley between your thumb and index finger, like you would a pen?
10) It’s burger and fries time! Do you always eat the fries first? Or the burger first?
11) Pass the ketchup please. Or… heaven forbid! What scandal! Ketchup on burgers?!
12) Devouring an ice cream cone… do you lick, suck or bite into the ice cream? Umm… remember, we are talking about eating an ice cream cone here…
13) More sexy food… do you always chew on chocolate, or let it melt slowly and sensuously in your mouth? Or… chocolate? You feel a headache coming…
14) Aahhh… the cheery beauty of a sunny-side up or over-easy fried egg… You eat around the soft yolk, carefully preserving it, and keeping it for last. Or, you tear into it, spilling its golden treasure and mixing it all up?
15) Are you a horizontal or vertical person when it comes to bread rolls? Do you break a bread roll in half down the vertical or along the horizontal?
16) You’re all for excess: your cereal must come swimming in milk. Or, maybe you like the cereal just barely covered?
17) What does it for you? Tea in a cup or mug? Juice in a glass or a mug? Or anything as long as it doesn’t leak?
18) Are you a food purist or a “hippie”? You taste one flavor at a time, you never mix the foods on your plate? Or, the more the merrier?
19) Oops… I can’t count! You’re done! And that was only 18 questions… and you thought it would take a long time, huh?
So, to start the ball rolling… this is me…
1) Medium brown for me please! But I’m okay with dark if I’m half-asleep and forget to turn the knob.
2) Oh, always! Right up to the edges! The thicker the spread the better. I like the spreads almost spilling onto my fingertips. Plus, I always “clean” the knife on the edges of the bread… I get a “clean” knife, and a well-filled piece of toast all at the same time! Woo-hoo…
3) Nope, the toast stays flat. I love the look of my luscious spreads. 
4) Uhh… not a coffee or tea drinker, I’m afraid. But on the rare occasions I do drink tea that is not green tea or chamomile, it’s milk only for me please.
5) I’m compulsive… I must try to twist the apple stem off… and I even still do the childhood game of saying the alphabet as I make each twist! 
What can I say? It’s an ingrained habit. And yep, I also try my darnest to snap off the stem of a pear too. If it doesn’t yield, a knife always does a clean job.
6) Either way works for me. I’m strangely not fussy about this.
7) No conscious strategy… but I always end up digging into the middle first, then the head (which is less sweet) and finally the tail (the sweetest part)… I like ending on a sweet note.
8) I’m a “stayer” alright… although I do, on the rare occasion, get afflicted by a bout of Americanism.
9) Definitely… the fork and spoon rests near-vertically between the thumb and index finger.
10) Ummm… it’s usually a few fries first… okay… a couple of dozen fries first (who can resist piping hot fries?)… then the burger… then the fries again.
11) You got to be kidding! Ketchup??!! *scrunches nose in horror*
12) Lick or suck… depending on mood.
13) Bring on the chocolate, I say. And it’s never ever chewed… okay, maybe with one exception… if the chocolate comes filled with biscuits or wafers.
14) I save the best for last… the whites are carefully eaten first… and then the yolk is popped into the mouth whole… yum!
15) Usually, I break the roll horizontally, around the “equator” of the roll… then, I eat the bottom half first, because it’s not as nice (in my opinion) as the top crusty half.
16) Just a light coating, please. I want cereal with milk, not milk with cereal.
17) I realize I hardly think of using anything but a mug when making a drink for myself. It’s a mug all the way… for hot drinks, for water and even juices… A glass just isn’t in my regular food consciousness… 
18) Somewhere in between? It’s usually just one or two flavors/types of food in each mouthful for me… maximum three. Otherwise it’s just taste chaos in the mouth, and my taste-buds go on strike!
Okay, now your turn…
Copyright © 2004 Renee Kho. All Rights Reserved.
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» Silly Food Quiz #2 from delectation
Renee of Shiokadelicious posted this quiz some time ago, but I had a little time to respond to it now... 1) How do you like your toast: light, medium, dark or charred? Or... toast?!? But that's a carb! Medium: golden... [Read More]
Tracked on July 30, 2025 05:44 AM
Comments
Hi Renee
What fun questions! Ok, here are my answers:
1) I like my toast medium brown - slightly darker bordering on burnt is ok too. Talk about taking risks!
2) Strangely, I leave a bit of margin all over - what ever for?!! Ok you're right - every bit is precious and should be covered just to maximise the enjoyment of a good piece of toast with your favourite spread. Marmalade and Marmite are two of my favourite toast spreads (uh, separately of course!). Hey I "clean" the knife on the edges too... :))
3) Prefer them flat to show the spread in its full glory!
4) I'm more of a tea drinker but I enjoy coffee occasionally. Milk is a MUST unless it's more delicate tea like Earl Grey. I LOVE lemon slices in hot/iced teas while the amount of sugar depends on my mood. You can tell I'm stressed or depressed if I throw caution to the wind and put in two full teaspoons of the sweet stuff!
5) I just let the stem be if I'm eating it whole. If it's cut up into halves or quarters then off goes stem and core!
6) I let the peel remains attached to the tip of the fruit. I don't want to get my hands dirty...
7) I go for the middle first then work my way either upwards or downwards. And I always try my best to get as close to the skin as possible to avoid leaving any of the sweet, soft flesh behind!
Is it a telling sign that I want as much as I can out of life? Hmm...
8) Oh I'm a stayer without a doubt.
9) I'm a serial gripper - all four fingers are always securely wrapped around both fork and spoon or fork/knife.
10) Fries-burger-fries - I prefer eating fries whilst they are still hot and crisp. Cold, soggy fries are just so yucky!
11) Like all Malaysians, I used to drown everything with chilli sauce. Not anymore! Now I'm - ahem - more restrained and only uses salt, pepper and any other condiments if the dish is really bland or really, really below par.
12) I prefer to lick my ice-creams - it's my way of prolonging the sheer enjoyment of such an indulgent treat. Sucking is an option depending on the shape of the ice lollies. Bite it? Never!
13) Depends on the type of chocolates and if they come with filling. I like to bite into nutty-type of pralines and truffles whilst those with soft centres of heady liqueurs, caramel, fruit, etc. are left to melt in the mouth - oooh...heavenly!
14) I like to tear into the runny yolk and eat it all mixed up!
15) As a kid I'm a horizontal splitter when it comes to bread rolls. Over the years, as I learned about proper table etiquette, I'm now in the habit of breaking the rolls up into dainty, bite-size pieces! Blame it on all those hotelling years!
16) Yup, I want enough milk just to cover my cereals. Mostly I prefer to use yoghurt if it's available.
17) Mugs, mugs, mugs. I don't know about you but mugs have an amazing way of creeping into my life and multiplying with such speed that I find my cupboards and shelves loaded with them! I have yet to buy a mug in my entire life - and for every one that gets broken or two that's given away to a recycled bin, at least five new ones will magically appear to take its place!
18) I'm a purist - I can load my plate with different foodstuff, but then I will carefully consume each type of food separately just so that I can taste the real flavours of each.
This has been really fun Renee! I wish I still have a fun food quiz that can actually foretell the type of personality you are from the way you eat food ... too bad I thrashed that email a long time ago! Let me look for it - I'd send it to you if I can find it. Thanks for initiating this one!
Posted by: Alice Yong | July 12, 2025 03:43 PM
Hi Renee,
Here goes...
1. I like medium brown or medium-dark. One thing I really hate is "raw" (light) toast!
2. I like it spread all the way to the edges! Yeah!
3. I normally keep it flat. Love to eat the crusty part first and finish with the middle.
4. I don't drink coffee with milk or sugar. For tea, I may or may not add milk. If I don't add milk, I may add a little honey.
5. I wouldn't normally bite into a fruit, I would eat it cut. But yes, the stem has to be removed first.
6. I peel the entire banana and hold it with a napkin or paper towel.
7. I start with the middle. =)
8. I'm American aren't I? =) But seriously, the only time I use a fork and knife is when I'm eating meat (such as a steak). In this case, I do move the fork from left to right (I'm right handed). Most other times, I'll use chopsticks (which I prefer).
9. Fork/spoon are held horizontally.
10. I eat a bite of burger then a few fries, alternating until they are all done.
11. I normally like burgers plain, however, I do enjoy them with ketchup at times. =) Definitely no ketchup for fries!
12. Lick.
13. I let it melt.
14. I don't quite care for sunny-side up eggs, but if I do eat them, I mix it all up.
15. I break the break horizontally.
16. I like just a little bit of milk with my cereal.
17. A glass for juice, water and soy milk. A mug for coffee and tea (unless they're iced).
18. Mmmm. Depends on what I'm eating, but normally, I'll "rotate" bites. Meaning, I'll take a bite of meat, a bite of rice, a bite of veggies, and hopefully end up with one last bite of everything at the end. If I seem to be running out of one more than the other, I may skip a bite in between. =)
Posted by: Reid | July 12, 2025 03:48 PM
Oh boy!! I remember ages ago, reading about psychological studies conducted to determine personality characteristics--based on how you peeled an orange. As I recall, biting into the orange to remove the orange peel WAS NOT A GOOD SIGN OF MENTAL HEALTH!!!!!! I've always felt secure about myself, because I peel my orange by using my thumbs. Here goes.
1) Oh, I usually try to get it medium, but have eaten some horribly burned toast. I never scrape the burned stuff off--I figure it's my punishment for not paying attention to the toasting process.
2) Jam must be applied lovingly onto the bread, right up to the edges. I'm not saying that a person who slaps it on with no concern for jam aesthetics is a sociopath. But, I would keep my back to the wall around such a person!
3) Fold toast????? That's crazy talk!
4) I always put the milk in my cup first--when I'm drinking coffee. I never put milk in tea. Shudder.
5) Ignore the stem? I never do that. Oh, just remembered. I love to leave the stems on my cherries. See! I'm flexible. Good personality trait.
6) I always peel the banana completely. Well, unless I'm making that dessert where you pull the peels half way down, layer fine dark chocolate around the banana, pull the peels back up, and throw it on a grill, removing it when the chocolate and banana have melded into a dark gooey entity. AHH.
7) Oh,I want instant gratification. I start at the end.
8) I've always hated that American style of using cutlery. And I'm lefthanded, so I don't do it. That's always been my excuse. For a long time, that worked with avoiding ironing too.
9) Hmmm. OK, it rests in the valley.
10) I alternate back and forth, from burger to fries. I wouldn't be able to ignore either one for very long. I don't want my fries to get a complex because I'm favoring the burger. See, I'm compassionate.
11) Ketchup on fries, not burgers.
12) As I recall, I start by licking all the way around the perimeter of the cone. Then, I gently take small bites out of the center. I feel flushed.
13) I let it melt in my mouth for as long as possible. But, eventually, I wind up slowly chewing it.
14) This sounds way too much like the research on how people peel their orange. OK, I admit it!!! I tear into my egg. I usually eat it with rice and I like to see the yolk coating the rice. But, I do it in a very artistic way. It always looks like a Jackson Pollock painting.
15) Oh, I admit that I do it both ways. What does this mean???
16) OK, I feel better now. After those last two questions, I feared for my sanity. But, I see that I'm OK. Cereal must never swim in the milk!!! I use just enough, so that the little cereals are resting there in the bowl, with just a slight glint of milk around their edges.
17) Tea in a cup. I prefer that the cup be rather thin. Juice is best in a glass.
18) Well, I think I do tend to mix things together a lot. And I like to fix one bowl recipes a lot--so everything is already piled up on top of each other. But, I don't do it all the time. Obviously there are meals where you want to take your time with each dish, savoring each bite and paying attention to the flavors.
This was fun, Renee!!!!! Thanks!
Sher
Posted by: sher | July 12, 2025 04:37 PM
Hi Renee! I think I may have deviant eating habits. Will eat in secret from now on.
1) Light, and only toasted on one side - spread on the untoasted side. Must be eaten immediately to preserve warm toastiness.
2) Right to the edge and then some.
3) Flat, glistening with butter.
4) Milk first. But I actually have a good reasons for this; when I was a student, I used to work for Wedgwood in the holidays. They were the kings of tea lore, and taught us that apparently the habit of putting the milk in first came from the early days of teadrinking, when the glaze on the teacups wasn't well-developed, and it tended to crack when hit by something hot. Adding the milk first makes the tea cooler and stops the cracking.
Of course, this is all academic now that the glaze on teacups actually works. But it's a nice nod to the past.
5) I ignore it. Although I sometimes slice the apple or pear into quarters, and then remove it.
6) Bananas flap all over my hand, I'm afraid. Although when they're the gorgeous sweet tiny Malaysian bananas, they're not around for long enough to do any flapping anyway. I hate being English sometimes.
7) Head section of a papaya first.
8) Cutlery swapping depends on the meal. If it's a meal that doesn't really require any cutting up, the knife goes back on the plate, and the fork ends up in my right hand. Otherwise, I don't swap.
9) Cutlery gets held like a pen.
10) Burger first; hopefully there's plenty of juicy tomato and lots of meat juices to drip on my chips.
11) I like ketchup. I am ashamed.
12) Suck. And try to make it last as long as possible.
13)I can take or leave chocolate. But when I'm in the mood to eat it, then NO CHEWING.
14) I keep the yolk separate and dip whatever's to hand in it. Toast soldiers, bacon etc etc.
15) Horizontal. Leaves more surface area for spread.
16) Lactose intolerant, so bathed in a light dusting of soya milk.
17) Coffee in a giant insulated beaker in the mornings, later on in a mug. Tea has to be in a cup, and cold drinks in a glass, preferably a tall one.
18) Food purist. To the degree where if I'm eating a chocolate bar that comes in layers (like a Double Decker or a Twix) I scrape the layers off with my teeth and eat them separately. Although I do not deconstruct dim sum, and I am a firm believer in the usefulness of chili sauce.
Who would have thought that someone who eats so indiscriminately should be so darned fussy?
Posted by: Liz | July 12, 2025 05:27 PM
Great questionnaire, Renee!
1. Medium toast...crunchy on the outside and just soft on the inside.
2. I leave a margin. And not too heavy on the toppings either!
3. Flat. Folding the toast never gives me an even fold.
4. Nothing in my tea. Sugar first in the coffee to dissolve and then milk. Sometimes the milk/cream is served cold.
5. Ignore the stem.
6. The peel flops everywhere.
7. Papaya strategy? I tend to peel and then chop up my papaya into bite sized pieces. Squeeze of lime and you're good to go!
8. Don't hate me! I'm a swopper!
9. Single handed (right hand) spoon or fork holding in the valley. Otherwise, it's wrapped.
10. Bite of burger, bite of fries. Alternate until burger is completed. Finish the fries. There are always more fries to burger bites.
11. Ketchup? Ick. Chili sauce!
12. Lick the entire thing. It takes forever to finish a cone. Everyone gets annoyed since I take so long. Oh, and sometimes...it looks really obscene.
13. The chocolate must melt! Taste the flavours in your mouth! How can you taste it when you just chew and swallow?! Well, hang on, I do chew if it's just a cheap chocolate bar.
14. The yolk will be slashed apart so my toast can get into it! And over-easy for me, please!
15. For sandwiches at home, I am a horizontal roll splitter. At restaurants, I tear it up into bite sized pieces.
16. Just barely covered...that is, if I take cereal at all.
17. For years, it has been everything in a mug. But now I have glasses so it's hot drinks in the mug and cold/lukewarm in the glasses.
18. I am a purist. In a Chinese/Malaysian family style meal, each dish must not mingle with others. I cannot stand having gravy from one dish poured all over my rice as then the entire meal will just taste of that one dish!
Posted by: Su-Lin | July 12, 2025 07:42 PM
1) light to medium... but em, yeah... it's a carb...
2) just like you, every sq mm, and clean the knife on the edge! yum!
3) Depends on the spread. Depends on the bread. Depends on the mood.
4) Umm... not much of a tea/coffee drinker. Tea tends to be chinese.... or straight.
5) Let it stay - it'd just be one extra piece of garbage I have to deal with!
6) I need my fingers clean! So I'll only peel the banana clean if I'm feeling.... adventurous....
7) I hate papayas... I don't know why....
8) Stayer.... too much work to swop. Gotta make the trip from plate to mouth more efficient.
9) I hold my fork and spoon horizontally with the four fingers wrapped securely around the handles. Didn't realise there was a "style" to it. Always thought a colleague who did it the other way looked kinda odd.
10) A bite or two of fries... and BURGER TIME! http://www.livejournal.com/users/oiseauxbleu/52016.html
11) If it's a real, juicy burger, and not those anemic things from fast food restaurants, then no ketchup! The juicy burger and fresh salad fillings are flavour enough!!
12) Bite. I love sinking my teeth into the cold and crunch of a cone.
13) Chew. I only eat dark chocolate, preferable at least 55% european style bittersweets. They don't melt in the mouth so easily....
14) Mix it all up! I lurve a runny yolk and spreading the flavour around...
15) No preference - depends on the bread roll and if I'm feeling like butter.
16) Loads a milk! Hate when I underestimate how much i need. Grrrr.
17) Tea in a mug, juice in a glass!
18) Purist or hippie depending on the food in question. Some foods just cannot be mixed up!
Kewl questionnaire :D Thanks!
Posted by: fimo | July 12, 2025 10:39 PM
Hi Renee
Cool quiz - just the thing for those of use experiencing a mid-afternoon slump... OK, here goes:
1) Medium to dark – also depends what I am planning to spread on it – darker for savouries, lighter for sweets.
2) Up to the VERY EDGE!! Is there another way?? The only time I may leave a margin is if I am having peanut butter & honey – this is an attempt to stop the honey ending up everywhere down to my elbows.
3) Fold the toast? Given the texture of my dark, crispy toast, folding it would snap it in half and cover me in crumbs!
4) Don’t have milk – but if I make for other people, it’s the sugar.
5) I always break the stem off an apple, but tend to leave pear stems where they are.
6) Bananas are the devil’s fruit. I can’t stand them – even as a baby the texture just put me off completely. My mom could not get me to eat even one spoonful! So peel on, peel off, who cares? Just don’t bring that thing near me!!
7) Umm, don’t really eat papaya either. It’s a texture thing, I think. Soft and tropical = not for me!
8) Boring, boring – I’m a stayer. Once I have a firm grip on a utensil, why relinquish it??
9) Trying to visualise this… OK, if I am, say, eating dessert using only a fork or a spoon then the handle rests between thumb and index finger. But when wielding a kinfe and fork, both are gripped firmly between thumb and index with the index finger straight and extending towards the tines/blade and the other 3 fingers in a fist around the handle. No pencil grip for me when eating with a knife and fork!
10) Start with a couple of fries (as an amuse bouche!), then burger, then fries. Whatever takes my fancy, really.
11) Ketchup only (and I mean ONLY) on fries.
12) Well, when you say devour, does that include eating so slowly that the latter part of the eating process involves more licking ice cream drips off the end of the cone than anything else? ;-) Licking. Definitely. All the way.
13) Don’t often do chocolate, but when I do there’s no way you can actually CHEW chocolate!?! It MUST be left to melt in the mouth – this prolongs the taste & emphasises the silky texture and… aaaaarrrrgggh! Must have chocolate, must have chocolate!
14) I mix everything up – which is quite funny as usually I leave the best for last, whatever I am eating.
15) Definitely horizontal. And then I usually eat the bottom first (especially if I am having cheese rolls!!) – see previous answer re. saving the best for last.
16) Cereal is meant to be crunchy. So why drown it in milk to the extent that it’s jut s a soggy mess?? As little milk as is decent, thank you!
17) Tea in a mug, juice in a glass. Have been known to have whisky & water out of an enamelled mug – but I was young & broke – don’t hold it against me!
18) I tend towards the purist – I like to keep everything separate but then I like to eat everything in sequence – a mouthful of meat, a mouthful of rice, a mouthful of vegetables etc etc – so the tastes may mix, but the foodstuffs should never EVER mix on the plate!
Posted by: Jeanne | July 12, 2025 10:48 PM
1. Medium to dark, preferably slightly burnt at the edges.
2. Come to think of it, I always tend to leave a margin around it. I think it is due to laziness. :)
3.Flat, definitely.
4.It's either sugar or condense milk.
5.Ignore the stem.
6.The banana peel flops all over.
7.Err...what strategy? I only eat papayas that are sliced for me.
8.I'm a big swopper!
9.Very securely wrapped around. Things tend to fly easily with me.
10.I tend to eat a little bit of fries first followed by burger than fries. But I have to change strategy when I'm eating with my hubby. He eats all the fries first then burger so I have to keep up with him before he starts attacking my fries too!(which happens all the time!)
11.I dip my burgers into ketchup.
12.I am one messy ice cream eater. I have to bite into it to avoid dripping all over myself.
13. I am too impatient - I chew but I make up for it by having loads and loads of them!
14. I do not discriminate.I make a huge mess on my plate. ;)
15. Vertical.
16. I don't like my cereals in milk.
17. Mug for the hot beverages and glass for the rest.
18. The more the merrier!
Thank you very much! I Had fun! :D
Posted by: Carolina | July 13, 2025 12:01 AM
thank you everyone for taking the time to join in the fun...
(*phew* at least this blog has 8 loyal readers : p)
it was so much fun reading all the replies... and alot of them brought a much needed smile to my face on this manic, crazy, stressed-out monday... and even a chuckle or two... : )
so thank you for sharing!
hi Alice,
yep! my kitchen cupboards seem to grow mugs too! : o
all by themselves! no fertilizers or even attention needed! lol.
yeah... even at a buffet, I'm neatly positioning the food on the plate so that the flavors don't get "adulterated" : P
hi Reid,
hehe...
for me, when I'm eating Chinese... it's max 2 flavors to a mouthful... either rice with meat, rice with vege or vege with meat... never meat with meat... or for that matter, vege with vege... don't ask me why...
come to think of it, when eating Western, I'm more of a one flavor at a time sort of person... haha...
hi Sher,
I've never peeled an orange (always cut)... hmmm... so what does that say about me?? : p
sometimes when I burn my toast, I'm *secretly* happy... I actually quite like the burnt (okay, not too burnt) bits... but usually don't take my toast so dark for health reasons... so hey, when the toast gets burnt... what better excuse to let my *darker side* out... ; D
haha... I'm a *compulsive* cherry de-stemmer!
oh my! I have never heard of that banana/chocolate dessert before! it sounds wonderful!
for some reason, as I was reading that... I started thinking about nutella and bananas on a grill...
oh, I have to try your banana/choc dessert SOON!
hi Liz,
wow... how do you manage to do that... get the bread toasted on one side only?
haha... now that's a first for me... scraping the chocolate off a double decker/twix first... : )
as a kid... I would *always* try to break the kit kat fingers into separate thin wafer layers before slowly nibbling on each layer!
hi Su-Lin,
I'm not a gravy-over-rice person myself either... but when I do (eg curry, or sweet soy sauce chicken) it's only over a small section of the rice so that the other foods don't end up tasting like that dish too : )
hi fimo,
: D good ones!
hi Jeanne,
now, why have I never thought of that before... peanut butter with honey... sounds good... that's happenin' tomorrow morning I think : )
heh... me too... my plate has invisible "dividers" running all over it... keeping the food separate until I'm ready to put them in my mouth : )
hi Carolina,
wah... a pampered papaya eater, I see : P : )
so, what do you eat your cereal with... just curious... or no cereal for you? ; )
Posted by: Renee | July 13, 2025 01:54 AM
I don't know why but I have an aversion to plain milk. I eat the cereal out of the box on its own :)
Posted by: Carolina | July 13, 2025 05:34 AM
Good idea Renee!
1. Medium light with a soft crunch
2. I leave a margin (don't want sticky fingers!)
3. Never fold
4. I like both straight - no milk, no sugar
5. With pears I use the stem as a handle to hang on to while eating. With apples I usually do that ABC game you described! In my version, it was the first letter of your future husband's name!
6. I take the whole skin off - I don't linger over my bananas and the skin just gets in the way!
7. I don't think I've ever eaten a papaya
8. In polite company a swapper, sitting on my couch in front of the TV a stayer
9. like a pen
10. I can't remember the last time I had a burger and fries! But, I would definitely alternate between the two, probably more burger in the beginning and more fries at the end
11. Mustard and relish - no ketchup!
12. Usually I bite only to get an over-filled cone under control and of course at the end when the ice cream is level with the cone. In between I lick and suck.
13. I let chocolate melt in my mouth until I just can't resist and then I chew it!
14. Sorry - the only way I will eat an egg is scrambled
15. Horizontal - always
16. OK, now we're into skeleton territory. I used to use just enough to cover the cereal. But I am now of an age where I must start worrying about future "bone loss" so I use exactly 1 cup of milk on my cereal each morning. With the amount of cereal I eat, this means it's swimming.
17. I always use a glass for juice. I almost always use a mug for hot drinks, but get a kick out of occasionally using a cup and saucer.
18. Guess it depends - usually I keep things separate, but there are times when I happily mix it up.
Posted by: Cathy | July 13, 2025 11:37 AM
1) Hardly eat toast :p its usually plain bread for me
2) I love thick spread except butter right till the edge and like Renee, I usually clean the knife on the edge of the bread haha
3) No way
4) Brew the tea first then add in the milk. No sugar.
5) I usually peel and cut up pears/apples
6) I keep the peel attached to the tip of the fruit
7) Well depends who cuts the papaya hahaha I'm lousy in dat department, the papaya will end up mushy. Mom will cut them into squares so no chance to pick. Hubby will sliced them the usual way but I whack them in no particular order.
8) Stayer... unless I've got lots of grains to pick up
9) Horizontally definitely with the four fingers wrapped round the handles
10) Fries > burger > fries > burger hahaha sometimes I'll lay some fries inside my burger as well. I oso like to dip hot fries into cold milk shake or sundae... wahhh liau... its hot and cold, nicesh :D
11) No way haha
12) Lick first and towards the cone part, I'll bite together wid the cone.
13) Don't like chewing on chocs cos it gets stuck all over my mouth :p
14) Break the yolk and scoop up them up then only finish the remaining parts
15) I break them off in tiny pieces, butter them as I go along
16) Hate mushy cereals... Just enuff milk to cover them will do.
17) Mugs esp huge ones so I don't need to refill so many times kekeke I'm sooo lazy!
18) One at a time... savour them slowly
Hahaha this is utmost fun!
Posted by: babe_kl | July 13, 2025 12:02 PM
Great idea, Renee!
1. I like my toast medium brown. I really hate charred toast!!
2. A small margin at the top of the slice for me. The spread goes right the way down to the bottom edge though, and I always "clean" my knife off there. Coo, I'm fussy!
3. Fold toast??? Never!
4. If its instant then the sugar goes in with the coffee. If its proper coffee, then the sugar goes in last. I never make myself tea. Tea = nasty shocks.
5. I twirl off the stem before eating the apple. Can't remember the last time I ate a whole pear!
6. The peel stays firmly attached (unless I'm feeding the banana to my niece. She likes to play with the peel)
7. I've never bought a papaya. The only times I've eaten them, have been pre-sliced in breakfast buffets whilst in the tropics. I'm not overly fond of them actually.
8. I'm a "swapper". As I'm European I'm not convinced that this is an American trait. I think its just sheer laziness (at least on my part). It does make eating peas much easier though.
9. This depends on what I'm eating!
10. I eat the fries along with the burger. The extra salt often helps the burger to be palatable (I'm rapidly going off McDonalds)
11. Ketchup rules! As does BBQ sauce! There is no shame in this :)
12. Heh! I lick and suck the ice-cream. My teeth are quite sensitive, and biting hurts!
13. Let the chocolate melt! Its the only way to get all the flavour (especially when dieting)
14. I would rather hold a spider in my hand than eat a fried egg. I can't even watch someone poke the yolk open with a knife. I feel queasy thinking about it.
15. Decidedly horizontal. I'll eat the top section last as it's the tastiest!
16. I like the cereal to *just* be moist. If its porridge, then it *must* be thick enough to stand the spoon up in.
17. Tea (well, coffee) in a mug. Cups are too small! Juice in a glass though (unless I'm out of glasses).
18. I like to mix flavours. Surely that's the whole point of food? Unless you're eating something incredibly expensive like kobe beef...
Posted by: Angela | July 13, 2025 12:21 PM
Renee, I don't remember if the study mentioned people using a knife to peel the orange. Obviously, that is such a direct and inspired way to do it---you must have a very centered personality. :):):)
Nutella and bananas!!! That is a wonderful idea. By the way, when you grill the chocolate stuffed banana, let the peels get almost charred. Then take it off the grill, pull down one of the peels and eat the heavenly filling. Some people like to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream too.
Sher
Posted by: sher | July 13, 2025 12:22 PM
Hi Renee
Thanks! It's so much fun answering and reading! it's interesting to see how different and how similar we are to each other.
1) the darker the better!
2) every single inch and up to the edges of the toast. when eating, i apply more spread to the sides of toast that hasnt been spread. it's more like i am eating my spreads with toast and not toast with spread.
3) depends on what kind of spread i am having. when having 2 different spreads, i like to slab 2 toasts together and eat them. my favourite combination includes peanut butter & honey (I am with Jeannie on this ^^), peanut butter & condensed milk, peanut butter & nutella. yeah I am a peanut butter gal! in general, i dont like folding my toast. it gets messy when you fold them.
buttered toast is also nice with kimchee on top.
4) milk only please!
5) ignore the stem.
6) banana is not my thing. strangely, i dont mind eating banana cake or banana ice cream.
7) i am a pampered papaya eater too. *grin*
8) I didnt even know there is a difference between American and European! I think i am more on the european side when dining western. I love my chopsticks the most! i even eat my fries with chopsticks.
9) i am a pen-holder
10) burger-fries-burger-fries. i alternate them but always finish with burger first so i can slowly enjoy my fries.
11) no ketchup on burgers but i like my fries with ketchup mixed with sugar. the mixture produces a sweet and sour sauce effect.
12) lick around the perimeter of the cone first to rid the already melting bits then lick the rest of the ice cream very slowly or eat with a spoon if i can get hold of one. (yes, Renee. I know you are talking about an ice cream cone. I eat my ice cream cone with a spoon and the spoon has to be a tiny one else I will just lick the ice cream.)
13) i actually suck on it so i guess it's more on the melting slowly and sensuously side? as with chocolate with wafers or biscuits in it, i bite them and then suck on the chocolate leaving just the crunchy bits at the end for me to slowly chew on them. When eating twix, i suck on the chocolate first, then eat the caramel followed by the biscuit. this is done on a per bite basis ;-) i like to take all my food apart when eating. i take off all the layers in kit kat too!
14) Cant take sunny-side eggs >.< dont like yolk.
15) i tear them up in bite-size pieces as i go about eating the roll.
16) no milk in my cereal please. in fact, i eat my cereal dry and drink milo or any other drinks on its own.
17) mug all the way for me. i enjoy my milk in a mug-shaped glass. i think this still makes me a muggy person.
18) i eat my food one by one. if there is a dish of stir fried mix veggie, i will eat the different type of veggie one by one with a little bit of rice. the rice has to be plain with no sauce on it. i eat the rice with sauce on it on its own. you can say i am a "picky" eater. if i am given a plate of char kuey tiew, i pick out all the bean sprouts and eat them. then i proceed to other ingredients beside the noodles. Eventually I am left with a plate of plain kuey tiew. ;-) very picky!!
phew~ this certainly takes me a while to answer. but it's so much fun! i think i have just discovered i certainly have some strange eating habits! hopefully there is someone out there like me.
Posted by: pinkcocoa | July 13, 2025 02:03 PM
Renee,
I didn't know you used to peel the layers off of a Kit Kat! I do that all the time! I also eat all of the chocolate off of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup before I devour the peanut butter middle. And with Twix? I'm like Liz...I scrape off the chocolate and caramel first. I let them melt in my mouth and then...gobble down the cookie center! =)
This is so much fun...thanks!
Posted by: Reid | July 13, 2025 02:53 PM
1) medium-light and possibly done only on one side. But I usually eat bread rolls or slices.
2) I leave a little margin especially if I'm eating a nice slice of country bread... love to munch on the "undressed" crust first. The crust is always a good hint of how good the bread is.
3) Fold!? Fold??!!!! Are you crazy??? ;-)
4) Milk only for me, sugar only in espresso and then no milk please, that'd be a gastronomic crime.
5) I do the stem game too, twisting till it comes off.
6) Keep a bit of peel on to keep my hands clean... if I remember :-)
7) I eat way too little papayas to have developed a strategy :-(
8) Stayer, I find it more comfortable too. I'm right handed but have always eaten like a left handed person so fork in the right and knife in the left.
9) Hold it like a pen. I had to learn quick as a kid. In Italy if you eat holding your fork or spoon like a shovel, as we say, gets really bad looks.
10) burger-fries-burger-fries and so on. I try to finish both at the same time, though usually the burger is the first to go.
11) I don't particularly like ketchup but every now and then I really get cravings, especially for fries and ketchup. With burger I prefer BBQ or a chilli sauce. And mustard, at least a tiny bit must always be there.
12) Licking, sucking if it starts getting runny and biting only when it comes to the cone.. if the cone tastes good. As a kid I loved to bite the tip of the cone off and suck the ice through it... I grew up so now I'd feel silly doing that... not that I wouldn't if I was alone ;-)
13) I usually bite a chocolate piecein two, to test for the texture and then let it melt while enjoying the aromas it has... I guess that chocolate tasting lesson spoiled me alright!
14) No eggs over easy without toast. I cut the toast in sticks or triangles and dip them in the stiil warm yolk. Once most of the yolk has been mopped up I eat the rest. This is probably the only exception to my "best bite last" rule.
15) Splitting rolls is painfull...especially when I've made and shaped them myself with love. Still, one has to. I take small bite sized pieces working from one end to the other. Unless I'm going to fill it, then horizontal.
16) Cereals? What's that? I thought it was bird feed! :-) Pass another bread roll please.
17) tea: mug, juice: glass or... ehm...ehm...straight from the bottle
18) one by one unless the flavours are supposed to support or contrast each other. For example if I eat a caprese salad (mozzarella, tomato and basil) each bite should have a bit of each.
Posted by: Alberto | July 13, 2025 05:31 PM
1) medium - nothing else will do.
2) Every single mm SHOULD be covered.
3) Depends on the spread. If it is a dairy product or derivative it is not folded, if it is not, more often than not, I fold my toast.
4) I dont like either milk or sugar in my tea or coffee.
5) Let it stay. It keeps the grip better. I like to dangle the fruit by the stem and then bite into it.
6) I rarely eat bananas, but when I do, the peel flops all over my hand.
7) I wasnt aware papaya tasted different in different areas. I normally eat it diced and I have no clue what goes in first. I guess all of it is mixed up?
8) Swop, swop, swop. :)
9) Like a pen.
10) Both together.
11) No ketchup with burgers, but with fries, yes.
12) I'm a biter. :)
13) If its milk chocolate, let it melt, other kinds I chew.
14) I amnt fond of runny yolks, and avoid them mostly.
15) Vertical.
16) I like more milk and less cereal. I guess I am unfashionable, I love milk and dairy products excepting cheese.
17) I drink everything in mugs at home, including wine and champagne and I just cant break out of the habit.
18) I like to taste everything separately. I dislike mixing everything up.
Posted by: plumpernickel | July 13, 2025 07:04 PM
hi Carolina,
crispy and crunchy is always good, I say ; )
hi Cathy,
oh yes! now I remember... I was told about that once before... how the alphabet at which the stem of the apple breaks relates to your future husband ; )
and I used to wonder about the poor men who had names starting with "z"! they would never get their name matched to an "apple stem twisting gal". : D
as kids, we would "compete" to see whose apple stem would last the furthest along the alphabet... the ultimate goal was to try to get to "z" before the stem broke off! I think kids in those days were so easily entertained! lol.
hi babe kl,
in the past, a few friends tried to convince me of the deliciousness of fries with ice cream... I have to admit that I have yet to take a walk on *that* wild side ; D
hey Angela!
nice style! margin on the top edge and knife cleaner on the bottom edge... ; )
the margin presumably is to allow fingertips a nice grip without getting dirty? and maybe also to enjoy the extra nice crispy top crust?
I like your style : )
hi Sher,
wahaha... another brilliant idea... adding ice cream to the mix... even better! yum!
hi pinkcocoa,
I'm a fellow peanut butter fiend... but mine's ALWAYS with nutella... that is one addictive, moreish combination I tell you.
as a teenager (when I was at my "biggest") I used to eat peanut butter straight out of the jar by the heaping tablespoonfuls! I shudder at the thought now. lol.
kimchee on toast?? really?? wow...
come to think of it... the only time I would fold my toast is when I eat it with ice cream... it helps prevent the ice cream from falling/dripping onto my lap... I hold it sort of taco style with the ice cream sandwiched in the middle... yum!
wow! how long does it take you to eat a plate of char kuay teow? ; D
hey Reid,
yeah... but haven't done it in ages... I figured it was time I "grew" up... muahaha! ; D
and now that my current kit kat fix comes in the form of the kubes... not much chance to do it that way anymore... ah! but what sweet memories!
hee. Reese's peanut butter cups get gobbled too fast for me to even think of deconstructing it. lol.
hi Alberto,
how interesting! what made a right hander eat like a left hander? (boy! that had my brain doing a little twist there ; D)
and hey, I still do that... sometimes... sucking the ice cream from the bottom of the cone... once or twice even in public! haha! picture that!
I'm also fussy about ice cream cones... don't like those puffy, airy ones... and not particularly fond of the sugar cones (I think they are called that... those regular ice cream cones)... like the waffle cones tho' - especially when freshly made. yum!
hi plumpernickel,
ah! another spread-to-the-edge fan I see ; )
Posted by: Renee | July 13, 2025 11:42 PM
I never know you can eat peanut butter straight out of the jar until i saw the actor in the movie, gosford park, ate peanut butter straight out from the jar! I went home and tried it. it's heavenly! ;-)
yes!! kimchee on toast. it's yummy ;-) if you like spicy korean food that is.
once you master the skill of picking out veggie from your food, it doesnt take long to finish the plate of food. but i dont eat like this everyday anymore, all thanks to busy lifestyle!
Posted by: pinkcocoa | July 20, 2025 04:50 PM
hi-ya pinkcocoa,
cheers to eating PB straight out of the jar, I say! : p
as for kimchi... I have to admit I'm still learning to like the stuff : )
Posted by: Renee | July 21, 2025 03:41 AM
