When do you eat your pickle?

[barondave]

Sandwiches often come with a pickle on the side. When do you eat the pickle? Do you have a set order to the meal, or is it random? Do you eat it all at once?

I almost always eat the pickle in between halves. Slightly more problematic if the sandwich is cut in thirds, but the principal is the same: In the middle of the meal, starting and ending with the sandwich. If I try, I can usually finish the chips/fries before the last bite of sandwich, or not eat the last chips at all. I'm not a fanatic about it, but use this paradigm more often than not.

A luncheon group of five fen had no agreement on pickle management, and clearly this is a matter of, um, taste. So I throw the field open for discussion.

Comments

[jbru.livejournal.com]

For me, pickle timing has to do with the nature of the sandwich. If it is one that is enhanced by the taste of pickle, then I'll eat the pickle first or take bites during the consumption of the sandwich. If the pickle is jarring to the taste of the sandwich (as it would be with a PB&J, for example) I save the pickle to the end. I almost never mix in eating chips or fries while eating the sandwich, saving those for the end as well.

[barondave.livejournal.com]

To be fair, I don't recall a pickle being served with a PB&J. I'll frequently add the chips to the sandwich, if there's not something crunchy already an ingredient, eg a BLT.

[calimac.livejournal.com]

You may have my pickle.

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Deal! You may have my onion straws.

[bibliofile.livejournal.com]

Mine, too. Love the smell but don't like to eat 'em.

[freeimprov.livejournal.com]

I don't eat my pickle. My wife or daughter do, sometime shortly after saying "Are you gonna eat your pickle?"

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Okay... when do they eat your pickle?

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

If I like the sandwich better than the pickle, I eat the pickle first. If I like the pickle better than the sandwich, I eat the sandwich first. Sometimes this involves taking a bite of each first to determine.

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Pickle quality varies considerably, true enough, though I can usually ascertain approximate quality by smell and sight. The principal is the same: End with the most favored flavor.

Another reason I often don't have dessert.

[asimovberlioz.livejournal.com]

I usually have my pickle after my burger or sandwich, particularly if I know it's going to be good.

What I really like is to get a sandwich at Quiznos and get a few pepperoncini from the condiment counter. These go particularly well in between bites of a beef sandwich, especially pastrami. (Did you know that I, a nice Jewish boy from L.A., never tried pastrami before I lived in Minneapolis? Now I can't get enough of it!)

[barondave.livejournal.com]

I think (he says expanding the subject further) that there's a difference between condiments (such as pepperocinis) and side dishes (such as pickles). You're supposed to add the pepperocinis to the sandwich, or not, to taste. Pickles are like chips or cole slaw, an extra.

[asimovberlioz.livejournal.com]

How would you differentiate between a side dish (a pickle served with a sandwich) and a garnish (parsley)? And what of some dishes which get served on a bed of lettuce, which the patron may or may not eat -- is that lettuce a garnish, a side dish, or a part of the meal? Lots of people seem to throw the parsley away, but I've found that it is pleasantly minty, and helps reduce bad breath. (lyzard13 used to keep pet hens, so at lasfs aftermeetings of the time, everybody would give her their parsley; the chickens loved it.)

The food preparers at the lunch spot I frequent during the week (an outlet of a chain (http://www.trimana.com/) specific to southern California) generally ask me if I want the pickle. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't; so if I don't, the pickle doesn't go to waste. My usual lunch companion, one of our accountants (with whom I often discuss the previous week's episode of "Doctor Who"), will let the food preparer know if she wants a pickle, so I really only ask for it if I do intend to eat it.

And they do let me have a few pepperoncinis when I ask for them.

I hate ordering a meal and having any of the food go to waste... with the result that it goes to my waist. This may be because of my mother telling me, "clean your plate, because there are starving children in China." Well, that famine was from around 1958-61, and things really have changed (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4106212.stm) since then.

[barondave.livejournal.com]

You can date a person by what their mother said to get them to eat. "There are children starving in ____" might be China, Europe, Ethiopia, Oklahoma or whatever area was hurting at the time.

To me (without looking it up), a garnish is mainly decoration for the eye, though it can be eaten such as parsley or a bed of lettuce. A condiment is an optional spice or taste additive. A side dish is a small course unto itself, and could be eaten by itself as a snack, and may be served on it's own dish.

Yes, I've eaten pepperocinis on their own, but they weren't filling and didn't count as a meal. Pickles, especially big ones, are their own small meal.

[ebongreen.livejournal.com]

I avoid dill pickles entirely. Ugh. Send'em back/take'em away! :-,

[barondave.livejournal.com]

What about other kinds of pickles? Are you a gerkin jerker too?

[ebongreen.livejournal.com]

Generally speaking, I'm not up for sour and/or salty pickles, and I'm not savvy enough to generally differentiate. I know sweet in relish & rounds; everything else is viewed with extreme prejudice. :-,

[artpaulrocks.livejournal.com]

It's a conspiracy of the pickle industry to sell restaurants the idea that they should give pickles to everyone because everyone loves pickles. But actaully I bet more people don't like pickles. The pickle industry thinks more people will buy pickles and more restuarants will give away more pickles if they get restaurants to give away pickles. The pickle industry is worried that if people discovered that the sandwich taste alright with out a pickle there would be no more purpose for the pickle.I prefer my burger or sandwich without pickles and I do not like the taste of pickle juice on my sandwich.What really bothers me is if I order no pickles on something at some restuarants I will have to wait longer.

[barondave.livejournal.com]

See above re condiments vs. side dishes. If you order a burger that comes with pickles in the burger standard, it will take longer to make a special order without them.

I like pickles, which makes me a victim of the vast green conspiracy, I suppose.

Culinary Choices

[castleclear.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'll trade you pickles of any variety, including pickled ginger, for onion; I love onion, don't particularly care for cucumber and am allergic to vinegar. However, I do squeeze my lemon, applying lemon juice to various dishes, almost immediately, sometimes even into the drinking water.

Re: Culinary Choices

[barondave.livejournal.com]

How can one be allergic to vinegar but not lemon juice? Ah well. I add lemon juice to water all the time, even at home (where I have a bottle of RealLemon in the 'fridge).

And yes, I'll take your pickled ginger. Yum.

Re: Culinary Choices

[castleclear.livejournal.com]

Um, I'm guessing it may be because vinegar is fermented and lemon juice isn't. I've known folks who were allergic to soy sauce, but not soy, due merely to the fermentation.

[nuttynugget.livejournal.com]

You know what I've noticed and maybe you have too. A lot of people eat their chips before they eat their sandwiches. Is there anything connecting pickle eating and chip eating? In my case, however, I usually take one bite before I eat my sandwich or whatever, and then leave the rest of the pickle unfinshed. In restarants I find they don't serve quality pickles. They are either too hard and green tasting, or too soggy and mushy to finish. I will eat them at home, but I really only like the Mt. Olives, bread and butter pickles. I agree with artpaulrocks though...pickle juice sogging your bread up is pretty grody.

[barondave.livejournal.com]

I had speculated there were two modus operandi common: Eat the side dishes first (or during) to finish on the entre, or to chow down on the main course and fill in with side dishes until full. So far, the former is in evidence and the latter has not made an appearance, with a large contingent that doesn't eat the pickle at all.

Go fig.

[rvrjoe775.livejournal.com]

Definitely in the "no pickle" camp, but I will comment that I tend to balance the portions in every meal so they disappear at the same rate. I like to have one last bite of each as I finish. I know people exactly opposite, who eat one entire food item before moving on the next.

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Hmm... pickles aren't nearly as popular as it seems; perhaps artpaulrocks is right about it being a conspiracy.

I tend to eat one chunk of thing before moving on to the next but, like mrissa, will often taste everything before deciding on dining order.

Gosh, nutrition is so complicated.

[idea-fairy.livejournal.com]

I tend to eat side dishes (pickle, fries, etc.) first, then the sandwich (or the entree if it isn't a sandwich) last. I usually don't get dessert.

Related question: When you eat a sandwich at a restaurant, do you just pick it up and bite into it without looking, or do you open it up first to look at what's on it? Do you often add, rearrange, or remove items such as pickles or onions or whatever?

For example, if the sandwich has the meat concentrated in the center to make it look meatier when it's cut in half, I will sometimes redistribute the meat more evenly. If there's a pickle as part of the sandwich, I'll take it off and eat it separately. If there is (in my opinion) too much onion on a burger I'll take some of it off. And so on.

So how do you deal with sandwiches?

[barondave.livejournal.com]

I order a sandwich to taste, or know what's on it from the description. I never remove items (unless they screwed up the order) though I've occasionally pushed things around to make them even. If I'm not adding mustard or whatnot, I see no need to open a sandwich: You can see what's in it from the side. Especially hot sandwiches, where opening them would cool them faster.

beleive it or not different foods affect ones digestion & nutrition

[faunhaert.livejournal.com]

actually pickles-alost anything that is Pickled cucumber, beets or pepper-etc.
have a biological purpose
they cause your tummy to increase acid
and aid you digesting the sandwich

so bite of the pickles are to be ingested first
and in between if you need it

parsley helps clean you palate and teeth
thus is to be eaten last

- I don't like most deli pickles
but my aunties bread and butter pickles were sweet
and I liked those and pickled beets

most food really should be eaten in the order you body digests them
fruit -n fruit juices- lower intestine
vegetables then grains

your stomach is designed for digesting meat
so it should be last

its why folks can have problems with mixed up food
or say eating your breakfast and them dumping OJ on top
it just sits & ferments and makes you feel ill
while it waits for your food to empty out of your stomach

part of the reason many folks think oriental food isn't so good
the start with warm soup that starts your tummy going
and then proceed,,, it doesn't stick in your tummy and
you don't endup feeling full like a other meal might
i think it means you ate better

while we're at it- desert coffee is a scandinavian tradition
that actually is healthy...
cafeinated food like coffee is best eaten after a meal
eaten first it inhibits one from asorbing nutrients like iron
thus
folks how drink too much coffee or diet beverages can end up anemic

fun hey?

Re: beleive it or not different foods affect ones digestion & nutrition

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Makes sense, sort of. But if your whole body is digesting at once, because you ate things in the proper order, won't that make you sleepy?

[faunhaert.livejournal.com]

actually I found when I started paying attention to food order
I had less digestive problems- like heart burn and gas-
Feeling more comfortable I was less likey to be sluggish.
and everything is there ready wo work any time they don't really shut down~
by the time the fruit sugars were used up~ the veggies were being digested et so on.
I actually looked better with a happier digesteive system
and did loose weight in the long run.

other foods are naturally soporific-help one sleep sooner
like ice cream or warm milk before bed- milk is lower in calories
but i love ice cream- wry grin so much for weight loss.
the craving for milk indicates the need for calcium for nerves and menstral proceses

food in high triptofan(sp) like turkey will put you too sleep too.

an incidental food thing~
the kosher rule of not cooking a meat in it mother's milk
wasn't just an ethical guideline~
turned out to be a dietary aide guideline
milk inhibits the digestion of meat creating gastric distress.

-but then the europeon custon of drinking liquids warm
means they are more readily digested the cold drinks
cold liquids cause the things in the stomach to clamp down
and inhibits digestion-
thus the effectiveness of warm soup aparratif
for a first course.

Re: beleive it or not different foods affect ones digestion & nutrition

[castleclear.livejournal.com]

Having been vegetarian for around 7 years, I've learning that there's a lot of information on "Food Combining"; i.e., what foods are best eaten with other foods, what foods are best eaten by themselves (e.g., melons), etc.

[vgqn.livejournal.com]

I usually eat my pickle at the end if it's a spear or whole. If it's sliced so it can go into the sandwich, in it goes!

I used to only like dill pickles, and utterly despised sweet pickles (except for watermelon pickles -- I think I liked them because of the cinnamon flavor). I had a grade school friendship whose main basis was love of dill pickles, hatred of sweet pickles. But one day she decided she liked sweet pickles after all. Oh, the betrayal!

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Pickle betrayals are the worst!

[sethb.livejournal.com]

It varies. At a real deli, I have pickles before, during, and after.

Around here, I generally eat the pickle during the sandwich (maybe alternating bites, maybe between halves).

[mle292.livejournal.com]

The nature of LJ is such that a person can post deep, emotional or insightful stuff - the result will be few or no comments.

Posts that are about opinions or feelings of no significant consequence (such as what is the worst alcoholic drink you've ever had?) tend to get TONS of comments.

It's not good or bad, it just is.

So, I always used to save the pickle until last.

Parenthood is different though. I have a child with tastes and mannerisms similar to my own. If I don't eat my pickle right away, I run the risk of an entire meal peppered with "Are you going to eat your pickle yet?" Now I eat it first.

vanaabegra does not like pickles, Squeaky and I tend to trade off on the extra pickle.

[barondave.livejournal.com]

(Gin and peanut butter)

Hmm... two observations insisting pickle consumption is affected greatly by the concerns of a nuclear family. I must digest this info.

[wouldyoueva.livejournal.com]

I alternate between bites of pickle and bites of sandwich. Unless I'm eating at the Parkway Diner in Silver Spring, in which case I eat lots of stuff off the pickle bar before I eat my sandwich. I particularly like their half-sour pickles.

I didn't think I liked sweet pickles until I was coaxed into trying a lemon-flavored pickle at the Amish Market, back when it was in Westminster. A lemon-flavored pickle is pretty tasty.

I once impressed a group of teenagers by demonstrating the sleaziest possible way to eat a pickle. Years later, they are still talking about it.

When I was a kid, my sibs and I used to take our potato chips and layer them into a sandwich. I still do this, but not in public.

I love nearly everything pickled, including ginger and turnips. However, I can't abide olives. From time to time, I'll encounter them on a pizza or something, and I take a bite to see if I still hate olives. As of last week, I still hate olives.

[barondave.livejournal.com]

I once impressed a group of teenagers by demonstrating the sleaziest possible way to eat a pickle. Years later, they are still talking about it.

Do tell!

"Pickle bar" adds a dimension to this discussion hitherto unexplored. Specialty pickles (or specialty items pickled, like ginger) are a dish unto themselves, and may be enjoyed on their merits over and above their use as a sandwich compliment.

Similarly olives. There are a lot of different olives, of different colors and tastes. For me, the jury is still out about pimento: More a garnish (see above) for the eye, though I admit the flavors occasionally mix well.