Foodies Told Mashed The Faux Pas That Bothers Them The Most - Exclusive Survey
When humans evolved from ripping their meals apart with their bare hands, it seemed like proper dining etiquette had finally been achieved. It turns out that it hadn't. Instead, people have developed a myriad of social norms and eating rules that must be followed. Breaking one is considered a major faux pas.
Apparently, you should never eat pizza with a knife and fork, your elbows should not make contact with the table, and your cheese should never go "under" the burger, but instead perch comfortably on top. And these are just a few of the epicurean edicts that diners must adhere to.
In Chicago, one must never order a hot dog with ketchup. Yes, this is an actual thing. In fact, Newsy reveals that when Bruce Rauner was running for the position of Illinois Governor, he got into hot water with Chicagoans after requesting a hot dog with (oh, the horror) ketchup.
Ordering your steak well done is widely considered an insult to beef by restaurant staff. The TakeOut confesses that while most chefs will prepare a steak to the customer's doneness preference, they will still recognize that in this situation, the customer's taste is improper.
And, finally, there is the odious act of double-dipping. The BMJ says that this disgusting habit could result in the sharing of up to 100 bacteria with other dippers.
But, wait! There's more. A Mashed survey reveals a multitude of other dining sins and how Americans feel about them.
Survey respondents are bothered by orange juice in cereal
When Mashed asked 604 people which food faux pas bothers them the most, an unexpected response placed first. Apparently, the thing that respondents find most irksome, with 41.89% of the votes, is having orange juice on your cereal in place of milk.
If you didn't even know this was a "thing," you'll be surprised to learn that a survey by Kellogg's revealed that one-fifth of participants eschew milk in their breakfast cereal and, instead, opt for OJ (via Vice). This culinary no-no has become so rampant that Today says the purveyor of orange juice Tropicana once marketed Tropicana Crunch, a cereal designed to be eaten with their citrus beverage.
What other faux pas annoyed survey participants? In second place is combining pickles and ice cream, with 19.70% of votes, while eating pizza with a knife and fork came in third (15.40%). Perhaps surprisingly, ordering pineapple on pizza only garnered 13.25% of votes. The least aggravating of bad habits is breaking spaghetti noodles in half before cooking them, earning a mere 9.77% of the votes cast.
Clearly, humans are bothered by a myriad of eating habits — many of which have no direct impact on them, personally. Perhaps, it would be easier to return to devouring our food with our hands (which is already the most acceptable way to eat pizza).