Lettuce

I would love to see research comparing how a person approaches a buffet as it relates to their personality.  Beyond the obvious fact that those who are regulars at all-you-can-eat establishments are also the same people you’ll see riding a Hoveround at Wal-Mart, the way a person approaches selecting food likely correlates to other behavioral and philosophical standards.  For instance, compare the person who goes to a pizza buffet and loads up sixty slices on two plates so they won’t have to get up once they start feeding with the person who makes several trips, getting a couple of slices at a time, to ensure they get the hottest and freshest slices each time.

I stumbled across an interesting case study at lunch today.  I’ve been fairly regularly going to this pay by the pound spot at lunch and I’ve gotten really good at building a half-pound salad with protein just by eyeballing things.  It’s a pretty good three dollar lunch; veggies are light.  On the other hand, you’d be surprised how quickly meatloaf and mashed potatoes becomes an eleven-dollar lunch.  There are no scales until you hit the register, so you’re taking your wallet in your own hands when you go in there.

Today I saw a woman who spent an inordinate amount of time selecting lettuce.  She was standing over the chopped romaine picking up the lettuce one piece at a time with the tongs.  She was very careful to select only the greenest parts.  She actively avoided any pieces that contained the rib of the leaf or had come from near the stem.  I was equally as enthralled by her compulsion as I was annoyed by her compulsion.

When she finally noticed me standing there and moved on, I had to take a moment to inspect the lettuce myself.  I wanted to know if there was a reason she spent so much time and care selecting lettuce one piece at a time.  Was the lettuce old, brown, and slimy forcing her to fish for good pieces?  Nope, it was as fresh at it usually is.  Nothing had turned.  She was actually taking the time to inspect each individual piece of lettuce for quality, at a buffet in a food court in a mall in downtown Atlanta.

I’m curious to know if such obsessive and compulsive behavior is tied to any particular personality quirks.  If you know someone like this, or are someone like this, please, let me know.