Poll: What silly things are you picky about?

[lindrusso]

Okay, we're expecting a blizzard here in Indiana and the kids are over at the neighbors house, so I'm "playing" (with a sink full of dishes and a house in disarray http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif )....

I was looking at my patterened paper towels and hating them and realized that I'm picky about weird and trivial things. I just DON'T like patterns on my paper towels, toilet paper, etc. I will search and search until I find the Bounty towels, selec-a-size, plain white. It was quite difficult, but I broke down the other day and bought the patterned kind when the whites were just nowhere to be found.

Do you all have any quirks like this?????

I know, I know - get a life!!!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif

[BernK]

You know, I thought I was the only one to have that particular aversion. I will only buy white bounty and toilet paper too.
I also won't buy a white egg to save my life, only brown ones. I never saw a white egg until I moved to the US and I still think they look awful.

[sneezles]

Ditto on the white paper towels and tp. Bern-had to laugh because when we moved Scotland my kids didn't believe that chickens laid brown eggs!
Won't even smell the milk if it's close to the date!

[Laura B]

I also detest patterned paper towels and toilet paper. Always white Bounty for me.

I am generally very picky in my kitchen about where things go, so my husband is practically banned from going in there! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif He has one of those male disorders where he can pick something up, use it, and put it down in an entirely different place and not think anything of it. Drives me nuts. And it isn't even a different place that would make sense and maintain some kind of order, it is usually the middle of the counter or some other nonsensical place.

[junietoo]

Oh my gosh! So THAT's where all my white, select-a-size Bounty disappear to. I do the same thing (while self-consciously looking around to see if someone is observing this obsession. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/redface.gif) I once had to settle for a printed roll and ended up putting it out in the garage for my husband to use.

I try very hard not to let these picky things rule my life, but here are a few I grapple with:

Crooked counter mats (they MUST be parallel to the sink.)

Eating among miscellaneous papers on the table (not the morning news, but mail or other publications my husband or children can't seem to deal with.)

Lights left on when no one is anywhere near the room and hasn't been for awhile.

Arrrrgh!

[buddie]

i can't stand a dirty kitchen... i am uneasy going to work or bed with dishes in the sick.. oh and the bed has to be made also before going to work http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif

i also don't like people other then hubby and i cleaning my kitchen. that also goes for cooking. i rather my friends sit and talk to me while i cook. dumb huh

i like all my meat cut on a plate and anything else on the cutting board. scared of meat bacteria in the cutting board

oh and i hate toys on the dinner table! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by buddie (edited 12-11-2000).]

[Gina O]

Okay, so what is it about white TP and paper towels and a love of cooking? All you college students out there may want to consider this as a research topic! I am the same way, I always seek out the white only variety. At least now I know I am not odd in this obsession... I seem to be among very good company!

I check every date on everything that comes with a date on it... milk, other dairy, salad dressing, ect. (Okay, so I have never looked at the dates on soda or beer, but then again, I almost never drink either of these) And, all leftovers must be either covered or in a container. My ex-husbands family would put leftovers away without covering them... I could never understand that. Gina

[Wendy w]

I also prefer white paper products except for napkins. I hate the wasting of food and am very particular about:

having "science projects" in the refrigerator,

dogs underfoot while cooking and eating

dairy products past the expiration date

a dirty kitchen

an unmade bed

[Mandy]

I think I'm a fairly laid back person, but one thing I can't stand is coffee with anything other than REAL half and half. None of this non-dairy stuff, none of the powder stuff, not even whole milk...it MUST be real half and half! I've VERY picky about that. When we go to visit friends out of town I always have to stop at the store on the way to their house to pick some up, just to be sure.

[junietoo]

Gina: My grandmother's refrigerator was full of uncovered food. I can still hear her say that HER model didn't require that food be covered! I'd forgotten about that until you mentioned about your ex's family habits. And, opened cans with the lid pushed down over the remaining contents...ugh!

[carolyn.1]

My picky obsession is::::my dh helps me put clean sheets on our bed, while making it I cannot stand any wrinkles with the sheets or blankets. It drives him crazy because he will be on the other side of the bed and I'll say"you need to straighten out that wrinkle" It has to be perfect. But the funny thing is after getting in, I can go all week without making the bed in the morning. Its just while putting them on the bed. Isn't that strange--sure hope there are no psyco analysis reading this.
Carolyn--

[SusanJoy]

I'm another white only paper products person. I justify it by thinking that I don't want it to comptete with my kitchen or bath decorating scheme. Of course the kitchen is nearly all white so what would it compete with? There's a question not worth probing.

This is my other (and most embarassing) picky thing. Even though I'm pretty much a grown-up (see how embarassed I am) I don't like.... my food touching other food on the plate. I like casseroles lots, but not my individual foods running into each other. There, I said it! Whew. See, liking only white paper towels isn't really that picky!

Susan

[emilycat]

Oh, this is too funny...you see, I can't stand white paper towels; I must have the ones with the patterns on them! I look through them to see which ones I like the best, usually the Friendship ones.

Kleenex boxes.. they have to be pretty, flowery things that match whatever they're around.

I will ditto the dirty kitchen and un-made bed...arrgh!

Picking out bananas and bagels...I must find THE perfect bananas in the pile, and the most uniformly round, plump bagels of the bunch. I hate dry ones, and the really irregularly shaped ones. I'm ashamed at how long it takes me sometimes to pick them out. It's funny, I'm not like that about any other items in the grocery store.

Oh, and my food must always be hot...not steaming, but I tend to heat up my food 3-5 times during the course of a meal...well, unless I'm at a restaurant or someone else's house. Um, excuse me, waiter, could you please warm this up for me real quick? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

Huge one: wasting food...it makes me so ill! And although this probably isn't advisable, it hasn't killed me yet...I pretty much ignore dairy expiration dates (or anything for that matter) and use it unless it smells bad or looks funny.

okay, I'm done http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif (but I promise I could come up with a lot more)

[luv2cook]

*I don't allow my dog now dog(s) in the kitchen when I cook.
*The dishes in the DW have to go in a certain way
*I don't like people bringing food when I invite them to dinner. I like to prepare everything. Whenever anybody asks, I always say, oh, no, I've got it under *control* as the key word here, as my DH says...
* mismatched lids in the fridge on food. My mother does that and it drives me nuts! Everything in my cubboard has a matching lid and by golly it better be used with the right container! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[mightyh]

I have to have the toilet paper going over the roll....

And I like white paper products--but am only a stickler about paper towels.

[Norma]

Yes, toilet paper going over the roll.

Dish cloths and dish towels drive me crazy. I use a clean dish cloth every time I wash dishes and a clean towel every time I dry dishes. Then they go into the laundry. I just can't stand the thought at the stuff that might be on them if they lay around.

[kwormann]

I am also very laid back, except for when it comes for 1 thing: FOOD SAFETY!

I run around MILs house putting food in the fridge (she doesnt seem to think food sitting out all day is a problem.) I am soooo picky about food sitting out.

The other side is dairy products and the sell by date. That date, to me, is the EAT by date, or maybe even the day before.

Kim

[Heidi]

I have to second the being picky about the way the dishes go in the dishwasher thing. This used to be a constant issue for me in college, because I never seemed to have roommates who could load them the 'right' way (ie, MY way). I remember particularly one time my roommate and I were loading it together and every time she would put something in the dishwasher, I would rearrange it when she went back to get another dish from the sink! The funny thing is, she was doing the same thing to me! We had to agree to disagree on that one, and vowed not to load the dishwasher at the same time so as not to drive each other crazy.

Come to think of it, though that is one of the most important things I learned from living with roommates....that there IS more than one right way to load the dishwasher so that the dishes will get clean; in other words, COMPROMISE is a valuable tool!

[Natasha]

Hmmm... I would still love to have you all over for dinner sometime, but the dress code will have to include blindfolds ... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif there s no way I could please all of you at once!

[Gail]

Originally posted by Natasha:
Hmmm... I would still love to have you all over for dinner sometime, but the dress code will have to include blindfolds ... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif there s no way I could please all of you at once!

Aw, Natasha...Only thing I'm picky about is blindfolds. Otherwise, I'm easy to please. Can I still come? Pretty, pretty please? I'll bring wine... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/tongue.gif

[Mamasue]

Well, you can have all my paper towels. I don't buy them that often....waste of money. Some how I manage without them. When I do breakdown and buy some they will be white ones only because colored and design type are unsafe for microwave use.

I hate the toothpaste all over the top of the tube or pump. Also, hate it when no one puts the cap back on....I guess its too heavy to back on. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

Natasha.....I promise I won't look! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[Laura]

I only get white paper towels and toilet paper as well, but must admit this is more likely because I am cheap and I buy those mega packages that only seem to come in white. I have various idiosyncracies (sp?) about my home, but I will spare you lest you think I am really off the wall. However, my absolute "A" number 1 one pet peeve, is pen marks on the hand, arms etc. I freak. I hate it when my kids come home having
written on their hands. Don't know why but this bugs me big time. Guess I won't be getting a tatoo any time soon.

Oh yeah. When people fail to fold down the bag inside a box of cereal, crackers, etc. Drives me nuts. If you invite me to your house, you your crackers and cereal will be well secured by the time I leave. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by Laura (edited 12-11-2000).]

[emilycat]

Ooh, ooh, I thought of another one! I cannot stand it when people leave empty boxes of things in the cupboard. Like when all the oatmeal packets are gone, but the box is still in there and you think there's some left? I hate that! Put it in the recycling bin already!

[HARRYET]

OK I too am a white paper towel and toilet paper kinda gal. I have alot of the same adversities as most of you...

I don't like anyone folding my laundry or do the laundry, making the beds, or dusting (all of which I hate doing, but no one else does it quite right) I will let my DH vaccum though! I also cannot stand a dirty sink!

mamasue - if you could see my sons toothpaste tube you'd have a stroke, I don't no why or how, but no matter how many times I show him the correct way to squeeze toothpaste, he doesn't get it, i'm surprised anything comes out the hole, i don't believe there is a hole anymore http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif

Ann

[kentgirl]

I hardly ever buy paper towels, and if I do, I hide them because then my DH and sons always use the paper towels as napkins instead of real napkins (a pet peeve). Consequently, I run out of paper towels very quickly - or I just don't buy them!

I always check the date on products---very picky about that. I hate it when the my family uses the ketchup bottle and never cleans the lid area. Nothing grosses me out more than grabbing a bottle and it's all hard around the edges.

My bed has to be made before I leave the house, but the rest of the house can be messy.

That's all for now.

[lanie]

I really like the Royale Ultra tp - always buy that now. I guess the thing that annoys me most would be that the dishes never seem to make it to the dishwasher - rather than put them in - however, as Heidi pointed out - they DON'T put them in correctly (and perhaps I don't in their estimation) - no win situation here! hahahah

My house is so lived in - I just can't get too upset, I think when we/you all get a little older and 'they' start to leave - little things don't matter - and, I for one, will surely miss the 'things' that were peeves...... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif amen!

[Natasha]

Okay, Gail and Mamasue, your reassuring words have convinced me. Everyone is still welcome, and I ll simply split y all up into three groups for dinner: 1. one group in a room with white paper products, 2. another group in a room with decorated ones (chosen by Emily) http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif, and 3. there will be a room with no disposable paper products (Mamasue, that s for you, but I m afraid you ll have to eat in seclusion, unless Kentgirl joins you...).

While I m at it, I may as well set up a wino lounge or bar (with only 2 chairs/stools, unless anyone else wants to join in) http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif .

But don t worry, everyone - the kitchen is clean, the beds are always made, the food is covered, and the toothpaste tubes are neat. So who s coming? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

Oh, Gail, I read this proverb yesterday in a cookbook and thought of you:

Scallions are for babies;
Onions are for men;
Garlic is for heroes.

Do you want that inscribed on your statue?


[This message has been edited by Natasha (edited 12-11-2000).]

[karen w]

Laura B,
I thought it was just my husband who could pick up an item from the fridge/pantry, and return it to a totally unrelated spot...and he does that consistently. Maybe it's just something inherent to the male chromosome. That's my quirk, too. Everything has a place. I run a tight ship...I mean an orderly kitchen, so please return things from where you took them. It's such a simple request. Isn't it???

With regard to paper products, It has to be white for the paper towels, but I do have a preference for decorated napkins. And TP-no question...white all the way!

[JHolcomb]

Oh, Emilycat my husband leaves empty boxes in the pantry and freezer all the time and it makes me insane!

Also, I refuse to eat anything that has even been near mayonaise. The smell, the taste...blech!

Only white paper towels,too.

[venus]

Oh, Natasha, may I join the wino corner?

Emily, the empty box thing drives me nuts! Especially when it's a carton of milk.

My real pet peeve is smelly things. I am terrified of eating spoiled food, probably because I have had food poisoning three times and it is h**l. I don't use meat that it more than 2 days old. I throw out mayo and salad dressing and just about anything if it has been in the fridge more than two or three weeks. My hubby teases me constantly, because I am always asking him if things look okay or smell okay. This is why I food shop every day, besides the fact that my fridge is itty bitty. Food has to be very fresh for me to eat it.

Now you all probably think I am very neurotic, but I am trapped by the snow on business in Chicago and very bored.

Jae

P.S. I don't use paper towels but I am most definitely a white TP girl!

[56grapeape]

ok, we are really laid back also, but I have gotten some awful picky moods since being married: (rofl!)

Roll up the cereal bag in the box!!! DH never does, and I hate that!!!

Through away the chip bag, and dont EVEN leave a few crumbs, thinking I'll eat them! I HATE that!

DH POURS sugar on his cereal! TONS! ICK!!! I get so mad when he does that!

Empty gatarade bottles left ON TOP of the fridge! The garbage is RIGHT there!!!

(is this turning into a dh vent post??? lol)

OK, i dont mind printed towels, just not ugly printed ones, lol.

White TP for me too, and must be soft! NOT PAPER toilet paper!(like some public bathrooms) ICK!

I load the dishwasher! DH does NOT!

I do the laundry, he'll go down and get them out of the dryer for me, though! hehe

I clean up the kitchen, dh will leave it greasy! ick! (same goes for cooking, he makes too much of a mess!)

Oh, since meeting dh, I only buy JIFF creamy peanut butter and Miracle Whip for mayo!! And his Foldger's coffee, and liquid flavored creamers! Oh, and we drink Pepsi only, not Coke! lol

I better quit, before I start getting mad thinking about what else he does! rofl!!

rachelle ~:0)

If only I could live by myself, and keep the house CLEAN! lol

[SusanL]

I am with the majority here with the white p.t. and t.p. I prefer to use cloth napkins. Have been trying for over 10 years but dh just doesn't get it, his aversion. I think I will use them and give him the paper napkins. Also, he doesn't like how I fold t-shirts from the dryer, he has been trying to train me but somehow I can't get it right. So he continues to do the laundry until summer, when school lets out. I "try" to fold but after two weeks, he caves in and takes over the laundry.But I always cut the grass until we moved into a home with a large bank in the front, now a service cuts our grass. I hate the way they cut it but I am not complaining out loud!
I, too, have to load the dishwasher because I unload it faster. You barely have to look at it to know where everything is. If the cups are on the top shelf, not the bottom, it is a quick empty! We are not being anal about these things-just efficient?
Natasha-I am torn between rooms 1 and 3. I hate paper towels but my husband loves them! You can barely find a room without them (ok, I exaggerate a little). I will have to go to the lounge with you, I will bring an extra chair!


[This message has been edited by SusanL (edited 12-12-2000).]

[kwormann]

Karen..I see your husband (who puts things in an unrelated place) and raise you one who just forgets to put them away at all.

Of course, its not things like cereal, its things like ice cream and milk...wondr where his mind is?????

Kim

[Lauren]

OK, I don't think I'm really anal, but some of my petpeeves have been mentioned.

1. Stuff all over the kitchen table. I make piles for my family to remove, but they don't!

2. Empty boxes left in the pantry (kids only, I don't think my DH does that?!)

3. The way my husband loads the dishwasher. I rearrange it before starting it.

4. The way the bed is made when I change the sheets. After 12 years of marriage, my husband can not make a hospital corner to save his life! Those of us with boys should work on that!

I think that is about it. I would never eat/serve food that is past it's prime. Oh, I only buy printed paper towels. Prefer fruit motif. But always buy all other paper products in white.

[SusieO]

What does it say about me that none of these posts sound particularly odd, picky or even slightly obsessive-compulsive? OK, maybe slightly obsessive-compulsive. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

I hate to cook at my parent's house because they have cats that jump up on the counters.

I also hate it when my husband spoons sugar into his coffee and leaves sugar granules all over the counter.

[junietoo]

I'd forgotten about not folding down the cereal and cracker bags. Do they think the cardboard slot and tab closures keep the food fresh? We lived in Utah for 20 years where the air is dry and so my family's excuse is that they're not used to the humidity in Maryland. Well, we've been here for almost 8 years -- time to get with the program.

Also, gone are the days when we used up a roll of paper towels every 3 months or so. We adopted a Jack Russell Terrier that had been abused for almost 3 years. This dog has more issues than CL! He piddles for any reason you can name. We are considering holsters for the Shot Spot and Bounty. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif

[This message has been edited by junietoo (edited 12-12-2000).]

[BevP]

Natasha, can I go to the wine room?

My only pet peeve is to squeeze the toothpaste from the bottom not the middle. DH and I use different tooth paste, thankfully otherwise we'd have been in divorce court years ago. "Your Honor, he squeezes in the MIDDLE!"

Oh, and tp rolls off the top.

Thanks for sharing everyone. Ya'll gave me a giggle. Feel free to laugh at my pet peeve too.

[mightyh]

I thought of one more pet peeve... when I make brownies or cake or something that we're just going to have at home (i.e., not take to a school potluck) and Brian cuts it up into 18 square serving pieces...like it's going to go that quickly.

I only cut what I want to take and take from the same row each time. Brian just chooses any row and takes the EXACT piece he wants out.

I also hate when anyone besides me (the cook) picks and tastes at stuff before I serve it. If I set the salads out early, it's likely that Brian will pick out all his blue cheese and croutons and eat them before we even sit down. Arrrgh!!

[lsdesign]

Another vote for the white paper towels and tp. The pet peeve my DH and I share is that soft squishy tp. We take out own tp with us whenever we visit the inlaws because Charmin makes us cringe.

[ElinorC]

I'll go along with the white paper or patterned but it absolutely can't be scented! I can't stand to have 15 different scents in the house. I don't like incense or scented candles either. Must be something about my nose?

[Wendy w]

I must add that although I do it often, cooking at my sister's house makes me nuts.

When I do, I MUST have wine or a stiff adult beverage, because there are lots of "decorator" items that are not necessary for cooking that clutter the counter. I have threatened to bring a dumpster!

The refrigerator is filled with "science projects", the pantry with "dust bunnies" and I have found items from Thanksgiving on New Years! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif She tends to overbuy at Costco and there are only 3 of them!!

Natasha, may I please have a stool in your wino lounge?

My sister is wonderful but she is "culinarily challenged", that's why she needs me.

[This message has been edited by Wendy w (edited 12-12-2000).]

[Wendy w]

I must add that although I do it often, cooking at my sister's house makes me nuts.

When I do, I MUST have wine or a very stiff adult beverage because there are lots of "decorator" items that are not necessary for cooking that clutter the counter. I have threatened to bring a dumpster!

The refrigerator is filled with "science projects", the pantry with "dust bunnies" and I have found items from Thanksgiving on New Years! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif She tends to overbuy at Costco and there are only 3 of them!!

Natasha, may I please have a stool in your wino lounge?

My sister is wonderful but she is "culinarily challenged", that's why she needs me.

[cas]

Definitly agree about the white paper towels and tp.
Food must be hot and especially COFFEE!
I hate when my MIL puts things away in the kitchen because it never goes back in the correct spot. I was thinking of labeling the shelves!

[MrsReber]

White is the only way to go- no dyes! I only buy white tp and paper towels- and only bounty paper towels, I think the others are a waste of money!

I am very weird about "germs". I will not eat off the same fork or drink out of the same can of soda as anyone else- with the exception of my husband. For some odd reason, it never bothered me with him. That was how I knew he was the one. My mother is shocked. She'd be so insulted when she'd eat off my fork and I'd get up and get a clean one. I also won't eat out of a bag of anything (popcorn, chips, etc) if there is a little kid eating out of it, too. I love kids, but they're always into something, petting the dogs or picking their nose (hey, they just do stuff like that). I especially hate when they try to offer me food. I think it's adorable, but I'm grossed out it.

My husband also does the switcheroo on me. If I wash something and he decides to dry it and put it away for me (twice a year this happens), it is likely that I will never see that item again. Don't mess with my bakeware! I couldn't find my small frying pan for weeks. I finally asked him if he saw it. "sure, you don't use it so I brought it to work". To work?!?! MY frying pan!??!? It still hasn't come back yet- boy is he gonna be in trouble.

[luv2cook]

Originally posted by Gail:
Aw, Natasha...Only thing I'm picky about is blindfolds. Otherwise, I'm easy to please. Can I still come? Pretty, pretty please? I'll bring wine... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/tongue.gif

aww, me, too? I am grateful to anyone wanting to have me/us over for a meal. And I'll bring dessert! I need to practice my baking...

[lindrusso]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by MrsReber:
I am very weird about "germs". I will not eat off the same fork or drink out of the same can of soda as anyone else- with the exception of my husband. For some odd reason, it never bothered me with him.

Maybe that's because if you're going to lock lips anyway, what's a shared fork???

I also won't eat out of a bag of anything (popcorn, chips, etc) if there is a little kid eating out of it, too. I love kids, but they're always into something, petting the dogs or picking their nose (hey, they just do stuff like that). I especially hate when they try to offer me food. I think it's adorable, but I'm grossed out it.

I bet that'll change. When your sweet little one offers you one of his/her chewed on food items and looks at you with those sweet eyes as if she/he were handing you a prized posession - how can you say no? Of course it's ALWAYS different with your own kids....I have turned down many a soggy item from other people's kids!

My husband was always the one to be grossed out even over our own kids' food! I guess as a mom you get soooo used to seeing all sorts of things you thought you'd never be able to stomach, it just becomes part of the deal.

[SusanD]

Originally posted by SusanJoy:
This is my other (and most embarassing) picky thing. Even though I'm pretty much a grown-up (see how embarassed I am) I don't like.... my food touching other food on the plate. I like casseroles lots, but not my individual foods running into each other. There, I said it! Whew. See, liking only white paper towels isn't really that picky!


Phew! Glad to see I'm not the only one. I've been that way since I was little - it drove my parents NUTS! Another wierd quirk I have is when I'm grocery shopping, all packaging must be PERFECT. If the soup can at the front of the shelf is dented, or the label on the spaghetti sauce jar is torn even the slightest, or the cereal box is scratched, I'll dig way to the back of the shelf to find one that's not. Does it sound like I need help? Perhaps we could start a support group... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[phantomcg]

Oh Susan, I thought I was the only one who wouldn't buy a dented can or damaged box. Not only that, but I hate it when DH opens cans from the bottom -- it just drives me nuts. I guess I'm also a "little anal" about my kitchen too, cause DH made the comment over the weekend that my kitchen is the "most organized and cleanest room in the house".

Cheryl

[emilycat]

Cheryl and Susan,

I'll join you! I, too, must have the perfect packaging on any food items I buy (see my earlier post about my bagel fetish). I NEVER buy the item in front, even if there's nothing wrong with it; and if there's the teeniest dent in a cereal box, whatever, I won't buy it, assuming that all the contents are smooshed as well. Just call us perfectionists http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif
Emily

[Anne]

I don't like flowers on the table while we are eating. When we have a vase full, I move them off before the table gets set. Sometimes the smell contrasts with the food, but I think this 'tradition' started when my kids were big enough to start bringing me bouquets they picked all by themselves. The beautiful poseys often included lively additions along with the flowers and other assorted vegetation. While this did not enhance our dining experience it did make for some good memmories, but how many stories about 'the spider (or ....) that dropped in my soup' do you need in one household? So, now the flowers are moved off before dinner and back on again after clean-up.

[Danielle]

Just had to weigh in on the whole paper towel issue! I only buy Bounty, but unlike the majority, I do like the designs. But I only like certain designs. I don't care for the designs that are too "cutesy." I like the cherries, the funky cats, and the crotchedy old lady from the Hallmark cards. And of course for the holidays, I care for the festive string-o'-lights design. But if I can't find those, I use white.

And my husband has a huge pet peeve about Kleenex. He hates it. He claims it leaves a dust residue in his nose which makes him sneeze even more. He prefers to blow his nose with Charmin Ultra with Aloe, which is my toilet paper of choice. I didn't realize that and one day bought a huge 24 pack of regular Charmin bathroom tissue. He had a fit. So I bought the kleenex with the aloe in it, thinking it would appease him. Apparently it has the dust as well. So now I always buy his favorite toilet paper.

[BarrieCov]

I, too, am a white paper products fanatic!

I also cannot cook until everything in the sink is cleaned and put away.

Also, the house can be a mess, but if the bed is made I feel much better about the world....

[Beth]

Originally posted by lindrusso:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by MrsReber:
I also won't eat out of a bag of anything (popcorn, chips, etc) if there is a little kid eating out of it, too. I especially hate when they try to offer me food. I think it's adorable, but I'm grossed out it.

I bet that'll change. When your sweet little one offers you one of his/her chewed on food items and looks at you with those sweet eyes as if she/he were handing you a prized posession - how can you say no? I guess as a mom you get soooo used to seeing all sorts of things you thought you'd never be able to stomach, it just becomes part of the deal.


This reminded me of a joke our pediatrician told us years ago: There's a table of women eating lunch when a child loses his. How can you tell which of the women is the child's mother?

A: She's the one lurching towards the child with her hands held out like a bowl while all the others move back.

So true!

Back to the topic: I'm a white tissue and TP person too, but my Bounty can have certain prints (cherries, cats, alphabet or Peanuts seasonal), but only white for certain cleaning jobs. TP over the roll AND the seat down, please.

I don't understand why empty cans, if they make it to the sink counter, why they can't find their way to the trash just below the sink. I don't understand milk cartons or juice bottles in the refrigerator with less than an ounce in them. Ditto the chip crumbs or the single bite of ice cream in the carton. But that said, life's too short to get too hung up on it.

[venus]

I'd like to join the "perfect packaging" group. I don't buy things if they are dented or torn or smushed. I usually dig back on the shelves for newer boxes, and I think I drive the stock clerks crazy because I get the eggs out of the back of the egg case.

Someone told me that dented cans grow bacteria inside them, so I think it's just another fear of spoiled food...

[Marcie]

Not my peeve, but my husband's - he will not tolerate anything to be microwaved without being covered first. Sometimes I microwave a plate of spaghetti sauce with no wax paper over it just to watch him squirm.

[SandyM]

Food touching other food used to be a huge issue for me when I was a kid - corn next to the mashed potatoes??? ARRRRGHHHHH - It's no wonder my parents weren't insane.

It's not so bad now; I have been known to eat corn and potatoes on the same plate. However, at a birthday party, if I'm offered cake and ice cream, I will eat the cake first, then have the ice cream afterwords. NO SOGGY
CAKE!!!!! I still can't eat tiarmisu.......

[tovie]

Kind of odd (g) Both the seat and the lid have to be down on the toilet. I guess I could blame my mom for it, as the whole family still does it. When I was a kid we had an older cat that got to the point where she couldn't jump very well anymore. And she always drank water from the bathroom sink. After we all fished her out of the toilet several times, mom laid the law down and everybody obeyed. The cat's long gone and we all live in different places now, but all still put both lid and seat down.

tovie

[SusanD]

Marcie, our husbands must be long-lost relatives! Mine is the same way - he'll even go so far as to stop the mic. in mid-reheat to put a piece of waxed paper over whatever I've got in there.

And I'm so glad to see that there are others who have the damaged-packaging peeve. I honestly thought I was the only one!

[Beth]

I think I was brain dead yesterday (jury's still out on today, but if my typing is any clue....). The things I am most picky about are hot coffee and cooked eggs. Both must be hot and eggs must not be runny or wet.



[This message has been edited by Beth (edited 12-15-2000).]

[Gail]

Originally posted by Natasha:
...Oh, Gail, I read this proverb yesterday in a cookbook and thought of you:

Scallions are for babies;
Onions are for men;
Garlic is for heroes.

Do you want that inscribed on your statue?




This would be a definite possibility. I am also considering: Veni, vidi, (help me out Latin students-- how do I translate "I drank?") For you completely Latinless types, that translates to "I came, I saw, I drank."

Or a simple: Hic!

P.S. Looks like you're going to need a bigger wino lounge... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[MrsReber]

Oh no! SusanD and Marcie- my husband argues about the microwave with me all the time! I had to remind him who actually CLEANS the microwave. He wants me to at least put a papertowel on top of things before I put them in there. I found the paper towel creates more of a mess because it usually falls into the food and soaks up and liquid. This coming from a man who consistently forgets that he even put things in the microwave in the first place. I come home from work to find soup and coffee in there- very cold.

[Laura B]

Add me to the list of perfect package fanatics. And OF COURSE the toilet paper must go over the top of the roll. How could any one do it a different way? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

About the toilet seat. Since we got cats, we now put the seat and the lid down. However, before the cats, I was a firm believer in equality in the toilet seat area (I guess I still am because we BOTH have to close the lid). I think if it is just one man and one woman, then he should not have to put the seat down any more than I should have to put the seat up! In any event, now that I am used to having both the seat and lid down, I love it. I think it looks a lot nicer and that will be how it is forever!

[venus]

About that toilet seat...

I live in a turn of the century high rise apartment building. Needless to say, it has very *interesting* plumbing. Sometimes our toilet makes deep gurgling noises, reverses direction and becomes a bidet. We found this out when my husband was sitting on it (!) and his morning quiet time was interrupted. So we now leave the seat and the lid down at ALL times, to keep the poor bathroom rugs dry.