What does my aversion to wet food say about my personality? Nothing, if you ask me, except that I get weirded out by spreadable liquids. But that’s not the consensus view. For many, my gravy-less mashed potatoes and plain bagels hint at a sort of puritanical stodginess, as if the blandness of my meals reveals a similar blandness of the soul. Periodically when I’m lunching on salad in my office, coworkers will stroll by and ask if I forgot to splash on a little dressing. When I mention that I prefer my salad this way, they raise their eyebrows and say, “Huh. Guess I never knew that about you,” as if my penchant for undamp spinach somehow penetrates to the root of my being.

*I really connected with this article. Yes, I am a “food plainist” but that doesn’t make me plain. Why is food so connected to identity?