Yeah I have huge problems with this as well. It freaks me out to have different foods touching and I always have to eat them in a specific order and I can't touch the next food in order until the one before it is done. So when I am out I feel like everyone is watching me eat. And I have to try so hard to mix my food up so that people won't wonder why I am eating weird. So all of this really stresses me out when I am eating with other people. I hate it and wish that I could get over it but I can't. It is very stressful to be eating and having all these things on my mind.
frickfrak- The fact that you need to have food in a certain order- not touching one another- and you have to eat the food a certain way, might indicate Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. If you can't eat the food the way you want it, do you get anxious? I have OCD, and though I don't organize my food all of the time, I do eat things in an orderly manner: every day, since at least seventh grade (I just graduated), I took the exact same school lunch and ate it in the exact same order. Some minor things changed over the years, but I took a tuna sandwich mixed with mayonnaise ever since kindergarten... And, if we ran out of something, and my lunch was messed up, ooh! How that bugged me! Other examples would be the following: I have to eat one food at a time; for example, I can't take a bite of a hamburger and then eat some fries- I need to eat the whole hamburger and then all of the fries. When I eat Spaghetti-O's, I eat every single "O" and then I pile the meatballs, and eat them, cutting each one in half. When I get something that has assorted flavors, I always eat them from my least favorite to my favorite flavors: Starburst- orange, lemon, strawberry, cherry; Skittles- orange, lemon, lime, grape, strawberry; Gushers- watermelon, strawberry, tropical- the list goes on and on! Write back if you have any questions.
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
__________________
"Not everything that steps out of line, and thus 'abnormal,' must necessarily be 'inferior.'"
-Hans Asperger
Last edited by GatsbyLuvr1920; 09-02-2005 at 07:27 PM.
That's still a sign of OCD, though- wanting to make sure your food is properly cooked and to know that what you're eating won't harm you.
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
__________________
"Not everything that steps out of line, and thus 'abnormal,' must necessarily be 'inferior.'"
-Hans Asperger
This is an interesting thread. I too have issues with eating in public, but for a very different reason, related more to self-consciousness/self-esteem and, I suppose, a bit of paranoia! I'm a big girl, not roly-poly obese but could stand to lose a bit of weight...and whenever I eat in public I feel very self-conscious if I'm not eating something "healthy". One time a number of years ago my mother and I were in a cheesecake shop buying something to celebrate my father's successful treatment for cancer, when another lady walked in, looked at us and went "Like as if you need f_____g cheesecake !" Ever since then I've felt almost scared to eat anything 'unhealthy' when i'm out in case something similar happens...
hello!!
i have a wierd food thing too, i beleive in my head that im allergic to foods, even tho iv been tested and am not allergic to them. sothe food i eat is very simple foods, very different to wat "normal" people eat. so i cant eat in front of anyone else coz if i do i always get wierd looks and comments like "ugh, wats that it look digusting" then they watch me eat it like its some sort of sick entertainment. like before i eat anything if theres something on the back of the packet in ingrediants i dont know i get very anxious and cant eat it. i am getting help for this but its just so hard!!!!
Yeah, I know what you guys mean. Fiesty_Leo, that woman is not worth paying attention to, but I do know how this would effect someone. The truth is most people are paying more attention to themselves than others when they're out eating in public. They don't even care what your doing. You know what I think? I think this woman is self-conscious and wanted to point that self-consciousness at someone else so she wouldn't feel so bad about herself. Stay2gether, I understand what you're saying too. I'm always worried that the food I eat will give me trouble later (diarrhea, vomiting), and that I will have some sort of reaction to it. I'm glad you're getting help, I'm getting help for my problem too.
I have trouble eating in public. I don't think I am over it yet. I eat all 3 of my meals in my own bedroom. I have weird food rituals, arranging food on a certain way on my plate, certain ways of eating it, etc. So I don't want others to see how I eat; therefore, I eat by myself. I get very anxious when people want to eat out together or esp. if I have to eat one-on-one with other people.
I haven't tried anything to get over this problem yet. On occasion, I try to eat out with others.....because I am afraid that if I keep turning down the offer, they will never invite me anywhere.
fiesty_leo, I am appalled at what that lady said to you in the cheesecake shop!!! That is soooo rude.
!" Ever since then I've felt almost scared to eat anything 'unhealthy' when i'm out in case something similar happens...
