For some people, mashed potatoes touching vegetables is perfectly normal. For others, it can completely change the eating experience. They may carefully keep rice away from curry, separate vegetables from meat and eat each item individually rather than allowing flavors, colors or textures to mingle. It can look like a simple food preference, but psychology suggests that the experience may involve sensory processing, predictability, food neophobia and perceived control. Research on adult picky eating has specifically found that some people who identify as picky eaters are more likely to reject foods because of sensory characteristics and to avoid foods touching or mixing on the plate. This does not mean that everyone who separates food is anxious, unusually sensitive or a “picky eater.”
Instead, for some individuals, keeping foods apart may create a more predictable sensory experience in which each flavor, texture and temperature remains distinct.
