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Keeping your food separate on a plate points to common phobia
Keeping your food separate on a plate is an everyday habit for some, but a refusal to break it points to a common phobia.
For many people, eating is one of the great pleasures in life. Books, documentary series, YouTube channels, blogs, and so much more have been dedicated to the wide and wonderful world of food. Eating is something that’s celebrated, and we are all unique when it comes to sitting down at the table and approaching the plate. One’s dream meal is another’s nightmare, but it’s not just our tastes that can differ but our habits too, and there’s one habit that’s quite common&
Brumotactillophobia is a food phobia
Are you somebody who likes to keep the food on your plate separate? If it’s something that regularly stresses you out before sitting down to a meal then you’re likely experiencing brumotactillophobia.
The word may not be edible but it’s certainly a mouthful. It’s a term used to describe experiencing the fear of different foods touching. While some mix foods on their plate with abandon, some are adamant that the different foods are kept separate and tasted on their own. You may have heard people tackling a meal in such a way as food compartmentalizers.
Taste Of Home reports that brumotactillophobia is essentially a mild form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Those who have it may have their enjoyment of a meal made or broken depending on whether the food on their plate has touched. In more severe cases, the potential for the foods to touch may bother you before you’ve even seen the plate or begun to serve.
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The habit of keeping food separate is more common than you may think, and even professional cooks can feel the need to compartmentalize.
I, much like my three-year-old son, like the different food items on the plate to be kept separate, Chef Yotam Ottolenghi told The Guardian, for example. Possibly even served in a sequence and not all together. I love tasting each item and then moving on to the next one.”
Why do people like their food separate?
Most people who like to separate foods on their plate will cite a variety of reasons, and it depends from person to person.
One potential reason can be control, in this case, control over the way the food is consumed. The Guardian reports that food psychologists view brumotactillophobia as something of a hangover from childhood eating habits. Something that begins in infancy or youth that may persist into adulthood.
This leads into the next point& when you’re younger it’s unlikely you’re choosing what to eat personally. Instead, you’re eating what an adult has given you. If you became a picky eater when you were younger, the tendency can remain when you’re older.
One reason that people I’ve spoken to have cited is the preference to taste separate flavors. Simply, they prefer to taste things fully without being tainted by combinations.
Additionally, people will argue that food combinations may create a texture or appearance that they don’t like. It can be off-putting or bad enough to make them swear off their meal completely.
Experiencing food is different for us all, and we all have our individual quirks.
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