MetaChat - What's your little foible?

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16 May 2006

What's your little foible? →[More:]The other day when a friend was visiting I prepared a lunch for us of cheese, bread and fruit and she was surprised and a little amused to see me prepare the fruit (apples and pears) thus:

I cut the fruit in half (from the top down) and then, using a melon baller, I scooped out the cores. I then trimmed the stalks off at both ends, leaving each apple or pear in two pieces with a perfect semi-sphere of core removed from each half, and all ready to eat.

I always do this with apples and pears (I have a little knife at work I use for this purpose) and I also always, always slice peaches, nectarines and plums and remove the stones before I eat them. I absolutely hate having to bite into fruit without knowing what's inside of it.

Does anybody else do this?

And what little things do you do almost by second nature that others might think are weird?

post by: essexjan at: 08:38 | 27 comments

when I rinse my mouth out after brushing my teeth, I don't use a cup but take it straight from the tap. Sometimes I'll have forgotten that it's the hot water on, which can be unpleasant.

I check my door at least 3 times after leaving the building.

I pronounce "wolf," as "woof," which pips finds funny for some reason.

Can't think of any more right now.

posted by jonmc 16 May | 08:46

I eat the whole of the apple.

posted by seanyboy 16 May | 09:00

even the mouse, seany?

posted by jonmc 16 May | 09:02

The old ball mouses were lovely, but I don't really like the taste of the newer optical ones.
So no... Not the mouse. Not any more..

*shakes fist*
Damn you - Steve Jobs.

posted by seanyboy 16 May | 09:06

Oh, to have quirky little foibles instead of huge honking ones that border on the criminal or the neurotic.

posted by rainbaby 16 May | 09:13

Can one dandle a foible?

posted by rainbaby 16 May | 09:14

or fondle a foible? with a goibal? while smoking something hoibal?

posted by jonmc 16 May | 09:15

When I'm washing my hair in the shower, I always rinse my hands of shampoo before putting my head under the shower to rinse my hair.

This is despite the fact that I put my hands back immediately on my head.

posted by gaspode 16 May | 09:25

gaspode has an adorable foible

posted by rainbaby 16 May | 09:50

I peel the labels off anything that has a peel-offable label.

posted by Capn 16 May | 10:09

I like my sandwiches cut across into rectangles, not triangles. Points disturb me.

I knock four times on my forehead instead of wood (wooden head?) to ward off the evil eye (though, of course, I don't believe in such things).

*knocks on head four times*

I prefer most leftovers cold (most recently, corn-on-the-cob and fried clams).

I find it difficult to sleep if there's a spider on the ceiling.

posted by Pips 16 May | 10:10

I have to eat the entire fortune cookie before I look at the fortune.

I have to push down all of the little plastic buttons on the fast-food cup lid before I can take a sip.

posted by initapplette 16 May | 10:20

I also have to leave three paragraphs between the end of a post and the line with my name.

posted by initapplette 16 May | 10:23

I sleep in an uncomfortable bed at home for the sole purpose of rendering hotel/guest/other people's beds extremely comfortable. I always sleep better away from home.

Given the chance, I rearrange people's forks, knives, pens, and pencils so the points are facing the other way. Sometimes I'll even do a sink of dishes at a friend's place so I have an excuse to rearrange their pointies.

posted by Hugh Janus 16 May | 10:31

I peel the membrane off each individual edamame bean before I eat it. If I don't, they give me killer painful gas from hell that makes me pray for death.

posted by chewatadistance 16 May | 10:32

Just one? Only a little one?

posted by matildaben 16 May | 10:34

How I eat a baked potato:

1) Cut potato in half.
2) Take knife, make several careful passes longways through the interior of one half. Do not break the skin.
3) Make several careful passes perpendicular to the first cuts.
4) Make several diagonal cuts.
5) Test potato for something resembling mashed consistancy. Repeat 2-4 as necessary.
6) Remove cut up potato pulp.
7) Add generous portion of butter. Ideally, the knife is still hot from slicing up potato and cuts pleasingly through the butter like a hot knife through butter.
8) Replace cut up potato pulp. Tamp down and smooth surface.
9) Take fork, make several holes in potato pulp down to butter level. With the correct amount of butter, this creates little butter wells.
10) While butter is melting in first half, repeat steps 2-9 with second half.
11) After eating buttery good potato pulp out of each half, salt generously and consume skin.
12) Look at wife, other family members, say "What? What'd I do?"

posted by PinkStainlessTail 16 May | 10:34

I always sleep on the left side of my bed. I like cold oatmeal better than hot.

posted by Orange Swan 16 May | 10:48

Whenever I see my wife, I use my thumb to give my wedding ring a little twist.

To, you know, make sure I'm not dreaming or anything.

posted by robocop is bleeding 16 May | 11:31

If I'm eating half a grapefruit with a spoon and the segments line up symmetrically so there comes a point when I've eaten a perfect-looking half of the half, I get to make a wish.

posted by tangerine 16 May | 11:52

Peccadillos! That's what I have. Not foibles.

posted by rainbaby 16 May | 11:57

I pick at paint chips relentlessly. My high school english teacher yelled at me to leave the damn wall alone.

When I'm eating artichoke hearts (whole ones, after I've picked the leaves off), I cut them in quarters and then eat from opposite quarters alternately (nibble from one, then nibble from another). In my head I'm pretending I'm Alice In Wonderland eating the magic resizing mushroom.

posted by Fuzzbean 16 May | 12:14

We have pasta bowls with pictures of different herbs. I must eat from Basil. If Basil is dirty, I must wash him out and use him. Do not give me Parsley. Do not give me Thyme. Do not give me whatever the hell the other ones say. Only Basil.

And robocop, that is the sweetest thing I've ever heard.

posted by jrossi4r 16 May | 12:23

Just one? Only a little one?

As many as you like, matildaben, but, yeah, just little ones. Too big and they become neuroses. And far too many and, well, then you become a weirdo instead of a person with a few weird foibles.

posted by essexjan 16 May | 13:09

I have food foibles similar to those of PinkStainlessTail.

foible foible foible. OK that word has lost meaning for me now.

posted by gaspode 16 May | 13:18

I can't think of one. I find this very disturbing.

posted by deborah 16 May | 14:30

I don't like it when people warm up my bed.

posted by flopsy 16 May | 15:07

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