Odd but tasty lunch today!
Catriona sent me home with a serving of manicotti from Monday’s dinner – it’s filled with spinach, mushrooms, ricotta and sauce. Dinner foods for lunch taste so good!
On the side I had a glass of milk (protein), grapefruit (fruit!) and blue corn chips (fun!)
Matt and I had a good laugh recently at two irrational fears that I have in my daily life. Every single time I do these things I get nervous:
- I’m always terrified that when I drain pasta the water will hit the bottom of the [dirty] sink and backwash into the colander.
- I always turn off the faucets of my shower super fast at the same time because I’m afraid that if I turn the hot off faster than the cold I’ll get blasted with cold water.
Do you share these or have your own?
Have a great afternoon!
Alyse says
I always switch the water flow back to the tub before I turn anything off. Saves me getting sprayed by either hot or cold.
Do you count before you do this? “One, two, three! Off you go!” Sorry, couldn’t resist.
We all have our anomalies. I can’t stop walking on my left foot because I started walking on it. If I stopped on my right foot that would mean my walking was off balance. See? hehe.
Mary Frances says
If this is an older (50+ years) tub you might be OK doing this, but ‘recent’ homes have a plastic mechanism inside that knob over the tub spout that you pull up to switch to shower which does eventually break by pushing it back down. Another solution to consider, a lot of the shower spouts are threaded and a simple unscrew of the shower head to be replaced by a shower head wand that can be handheld. They can be purchased relatively inexpensively to even moderately priced massage heads as well, and just screw it on. When you are finished your shower just take the shower wand off of its holder, aim it away from you and then turn off the water. You won’t get any sudden surges of either hot or cold water on your body at all.
Alyse says
My apartment building was built in 1980 and has the original tub, tile, cabinets, nearly everything. I am not allowed to make changes to anything in my apartment, even as minute as a shower head. I’ve been switching the water flow back for 7 years and all is well. 🙂
Lynn @ the actor's diet says
Ha! My life is so full of irrational fears I wouldn’t even know where to begin…
Stephy says
Lunch looked delicious!
I have the same fear with the shower, but I also freak out that if I turn the cold one off too fast I’ll get burned. LOL 🙂 Glad I’m not alone.
Bridget says
haha too funny! I ALWAYS put my right shoe on before my left. I feel off all day if I dont…or so I think. 🙂
SAMANTHA says
Me too!!!! I HAVE to put my left shoe/sock on first. My husband has never noticed this before, and then he went shoe shopping with me the other day and the girl working there handed me the left shoe to try on and I just dead stopped. Then asked her if I could try on the right shoe. She and my husband looked at me like I was CRAZY!!!
Bridget says
hahaha you’re not crazy!!!! it just feels right, huh?! 🙂
Sarah says
pun intended? just feels RIGHT? =)
Angel7 says
I think everyone has irrational fears, and some are very funny when you think about it after the fact 🙂
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Krissy @ Shiawase Life says
LOL that pasta one is funny!
We only have one faucet in the shower so no worries there…but I probably would be paranoid if it if we did!!!!
Laura says
My irrational fears all relate to falling. If I am walking near a train or subway, I have an irrational fear that I am going to fall on to the tracks and get run over by the train. Because of that, I always stay close to the wall or walk around people (which is sometimes awkward) to avoid getting within a few feet of the tracks. I have similar fears about tumbling down stairs and escalators, and into bodies of water. Weird!
Cate says
I am like this, too. Luckily, I do not currently live in a large city with subways or even bodies of water to worry over, but I still deal with the fear of stairways. The wider the staircase, the more freaked out I get.
Kath – I am completely like you about the pasta/colander and the sink. I generally pour a third or a half of the water into the colander, let that water drain, and then pour the remainder in the same way. Most of the pasta is not emptied into the colander until the end. That way, the water that is being poured goes down the drain before “contaminating” the pasta in the colander. Can you tell that I’ve thought too much about this?
Kim Weigand says
I always sanitize my sink and rinse it really well afterward before I pour the pasta into the colander. That’s just being sanitary, I think.
Andrea says
I’m with you Cate – I do the exact same thing! It’s sick to have sink water wash back up into the colander – eeewwww!
Tammy says
OMG…. I totally have the colander fear!! I’ve never mentioned it to anyone before…. lol. I hold the colander up with one hand and pour with the other if at all possible. Too funny…
Hillary says
I do not (I repeat DO NOT) walk on those grates you find on the sidewalks in any major city. I will walk around them or jump over them, but I will not walk ON them. My boyfriend thinks it’s hilarious; I do not. I find them absolutely terrifying!
erin says
i used to be like that. until i lived in NYC for 3 months, by then it was nearly impossible to avoid them. but i totally get why you would avoid them, it is terrifying!
Mom says
They scare me too!
Susan H. @ The Food Allergy Chronicles says
I have the same one…not sure where it comes from…fear of falling? I do get the odd looks…so I try to be inconspicuous! lol
Laura says
Oh my goodness… I have this same fear! At my elementary school there were a few grates on the sidewalk by the playground. I guess they had been doing some work over the weekend and one of the grates was not put back correctly. A boy in my class (I think we were in fifth grade) was running down the sidewalk and FELL IN!! I remember he somehow caught the edge of the sidewalk or something and the teachers were able to pull him out. His whole side was all skinned up and bloody from where it scraped the edge. Super scary for the whole class. Nearly 20 years later I still refuse to walk on grates….
Laura says
Me too! Well I’m not afraid of the grates themselves… I’m just afraid that I will drop my phone, keys, ipod, etc. into them. So if I’m talking on the phone and walking over a grate (or the gap in an elevator) I have a death grip on my phone. I get paranoid about it every time!
Jamie says
omg. Me too. I avoid them at all costs. Those on storm drains that are near the curbs. Had a nightmare about those once.
SkinnyRunner says
cant say that ive ever thought of the past thing before! but i do have a highly irrational fear of blood and spiders. like crying and hyperventilating. its really cute.
Courtney @ Translating Nutrition says
I have the same fear about the pasta water! I always clean the sink before I drain pasta, haha.
Maria @ Sinfully Nutritious says
That manicotti looks tender and delicious. I love making mine with cashew/tofu ricotta, it is so rich tasting against the delicate crepes.
I have way too many irrational fears to even get started. Mostly about my pets getting out or leaving the stove on when I know it is off.
Sarah says
Ummmm….can’t you just switch the shower water off to tub water to alleviate having to worry about getting sprayed with either cold or hot water???
Emily G. says
I’m sure you can if you’re tub is set up that way. Unfortunately, mine isn’t so I wouldn’t be able to. I assume that’s the case with Kath.
ann says
hahaha! I have the EXACT same fear with pasta!! Glad I am not alone!
Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat says
I totally do the quick switch-off in the shower too!! And I totally agree with you – dinner food, or hot food in general, always makes for a great lunch!
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
Lol I have the same two fears, ESPECIALLY the pasta one! Thought I was the only one:-)
Stephanie says
hahahaha I have the pasta fear too!! eeek!
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says
I am the SAME way with the pasta! They say the sink is even dirtier than the toilet seat. Ewww!
I also refuse to sit my purse on the counter after seeing some 20/20 special where they found all kind of germs and even fecal matter on purses.
laura says
i’ve never even thought about this before! is the sink really that dirty?!
Kimberly says
Yes! A lot of women have really dirty purses, mainly from putting them on the floor especially in public restrooms. They actually sell these little hooks now that you can clip on the table at a restaurant so you don’t have to set your purse on the floor.
Marissa says
Oh wow I have those two exact same irrational fears! I’m sure I have more than that too. I’m just silly!
Emilie @ Emilie's Enjoyables says
haha 100% agree about the shower water. Getting hit with cold water is the absolute worst!
Jodi says
One of my irrational fears is once the alarm clock is set I can not look at it again. If I do check it I have to then unset it and reset it again. Most of my other ones just involve things being in the correct place or following the same process. My hubby finds most of them funny (I tell him he parked in the wrong spot all the time) haha.
Kinley @ Better Off Barefoot says
I have a ridiculous one… and I don’t know if I should really type it because it’s kind of gross but oh well… Every time I make a turkey and I pull the neck out, I am terrified the head is still going to be attached. I have to close my eyes every Thanksgiving when I make one!
But I am with you on the shower water thing also. If it’s a shower/tub combo, I always turn the shower off before turning the water off – Just In case!
KathEats says
Haha – sure hope there’s no head in there!!
Veronica (My Eats and Treats) says
Yes!!! I probably would still have the fear of ice-cold shower had we not replaced the faucet with one that doesn’t have separate hot & cold knobs! Instead, there is a knob to control the temperature, and a knob to turn the water on/off. I now shower peacefully 🙂
P.S. Thank you for coconut oil advice on Twitter! I ordered a tub today and am excited to try it. Worse comes to worst, I’ll just use it for my hair and skin? haha 🙂
KathEats says
It’s more fun in the summer when it’s liquidy and you can easily spread it on veggies!
Melissa says
You know you live in a cold climate when, even in summer, it’s not warm enough in your kitchen for coconut oil to liquify on the counter. 😛
Susan says
It gets hot in the summer where I live and my coconut oil still doesn’t liquefy.
Erin says
What coconut oil advice? I have some and could use some ideas. 🙂
[email protected] says
I seriously thought I was the only person that had that thought with pasta water! I no longer drain it into the sink for that reason! I use a handled mesh strainer to scoop all of the pasta out of the water.
Too funny!
Kimberly says
I’m the same way with pasta! I got one of those colanders that goes over the sink and it seems to keep the pasta up high enough to avoid backwash. My shower only has one faucet, so I don’t have that issue.
Susan says
I have the same pasta fear and I bought the same colander!
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
Haha, I have to say the pasta water one would’ve never crossed my mind but I do get nervous draining it, mostly from the steam that scalds your face as you’re doing it!
I’ve never had a shower with two knobs so that one isn’t an issue either.
Ashley @ My Food 'N' Fitness Diaries says
haha i can definitely relate to the faucet one! i do the same thing – a blast of really cold (or really hot!) water at the end of a wonderful shower would totally ruin it.
looks like a great lunch indeed!
Ashley @ Coffee Cake and Cardio says
I am terrified of the garbage disposal…. oh man, just thinking about it gives me the chills.
Stacey says
Never thought of the pasta one …. but now I will. The shower one YES! Luckily my tub has only one handle but when visit other places where there are two I am very quick to turn them at the same time.
I know I have lots of irrational fears but I can’t think of any right now 🙁 bc i would like to know if i am not alone.
[email protected] Flying ONION says
Oh goodness, I know *exactly* what you mean about the backwashing in the colander. That is always such a fear of mine. Especially since it really did happen to me once. I was completely disgusted and had to make an entirely new batch of pasta…haha.
Erika - The Teenage Taste says
Oooh, your lunch looks fabulous! I love lunches with lots of little components like that – you get a little taste of everything! 🙂
PS – I’m the same way with the shower. I shut both faucets off at the exact same time. Always!
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
lol I don’t share either of those fears, but your lunch looks delicious!
Lindzjane115 says
I love the way you took the opportunity to turn a “random” lunch into an artistic display! Without a blog to present these foods too (AKA, my life), this lunch would not have been nearly as pretty or exciting! I love your use of linens and dishes!
As for irrational fears, I’ve never thought about the pasta water issue before! I always turn the cold down, get a final blast of hot water on my back, and then quickly turn both faucets off so my feet don’t get scalded!!
Paige @ Running Around Normal says
Funny you mention the pasta one – I have the same fear! So much that I got a colander that has “arms” to sit on each side of the sink and prop it up, so it doesn’t touch the sink!
modernworkinggirl says
I love those little bowls with handles! Speaking of bowls and fears…I’m always afraid I’m going to drop someone else’s crockery when I’m over at their house. But, that fear is not so irrational 🙂 Definitely done it before!
Sarah Farley says
I have the same fear with the pasta water! My dad passed that down to me. He is a major germaphobe. I thought we were the only ones!!
Allyson says
You need a pasta pot with a colander insert! I love mine because it allows me to save the pasta water until i’m done cooking in case I need it to thin out my sauce.
Annette @ EnjoyYourHealthyLife says
I’m the SAME way with the shower thing!! hah
faith says
What lovely pictures!
KathEats says
Very faith-like!
Karla O'Connell says
First of all – I have the same colander fear and think this is completely normal. Second of all – I’m afraid of SEEDS. I absolutely hate looking at them or working with anything with seeds and I even have bad dreams about them – that started in the 5th grade and I’m almost 40. Third – I feel sorry for inanimate objects. For instance, if I pick one kitchen towel out of the drawer I think I’ve hurt the other towels feelings for not picking them. Or if I eat my peas first, I feel like the mashed potatoes feel like I like my peas better. It happens with lots of things.
Clearly I have issues.
KathEats says
Haha – love the towel thought process
Sara says
Karla, that towel issue is too adorably funny!!! you make me laugh!! those poor little neglected kitchen towels. They will need therapy.
B Whitey says
OMG! I have the same issue with inanimate objects! I am 30 years old and still sleep with a teddy bear i have had since 2. I am always super concerned that he has to be face up so he does not suffocate, lol. I mean, i know he isn’t alive but for some reason I CANNOT leave him face down on the bed or under the covers- my husband has fun with this and i will find the bear in all different places around the house.
Mom says
Well of course he doesn’t want to sleep face down. If you’re a bear, it’s really is hard to breathe that way. Three cheers for your husband being a good bear dad!
Kristen @ Change of Pace says
Omg I have the same colander fear! It’s so funny. What a silly thing to be paranoid about. Lunch looks delicious… Seems like you are feel better 🙂
Lauri says
I never even thought about that with pasta – yuck!!! i do have that same issue with the water though….
Cait's Plate says
Sometimes the odd combos are the best ones!
I’ve never even though about that with the pasta water…but now it’s going to be a thought every time! And I was planning pasta for dinner tonight!
Kelly says
Same fear of colander- sink water contamination! How do we convince our husbands hat we aren’t crazy while also making sure they drain thi gs slowly???
Hillary B says
My irrational fear is steep bridges! Like, high-arched bridges that are like a hill. I feel like a good strong burst of wind will just blow you off the bridge!!! The primary offender is that one long bridge taking you into the Outer Banks. I HATE IT!!!! If someone else is driving I will close my eyes the whole way over!
Erin says
I have the same backwash into the colander fear…I try not to think about it to much
Clare @ SweetnSimple says
I’m exactly the same with pasta! Too funny 😀
Christine @ http://mountainmornings.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/the-sharpest-knife/ says
Hi Kath! I had lunch with your MIL today and we had fun – my big irrational or maybe not so irrational kitchen fear has to do with chicken or turkey. I will hardly ever let raw poultry touch the counters or sink without a total hot, clorox cleaning if it accidentally happens. I know this stems from the time I nearly killed my first husband with salmonella food poisoning (courtesy of a sandwich shop)…he only lost his appendix 🙂
KathEats says
Oh fun!! Where did you go!?
raw poultry should be a true fear 🙂
Colleen says
I worried about the past thing, but then I figure the boiling water would scald my sink and make it cleaner? Probably not true, but I’m not going to think about it!
I concur with someone else who mentioned garbage disposals! They are creepy.
Christine @ http://mountainmornings.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/the-sharpest-knife/ says
We went to Eppis on the Mall for a true Southern style lunch. They were packed and I had the butternut squash soup and chicken salad sandwich! Tonight I’m roasting butternut squash to put in a kale salad – you might say I love butternut squash!
Jen says
I can just shut the shower by turning the tub water handle really quick. But if yours is different (and I’ve had that experience), “hug” in really close to the wall and…do it really quick! 🙂 I detest getting out of the shower. It’s so cold going from the hot to cold room. I need a big fluffy robe to slip into.
Lisa says
I have the same fear about pasta water…ewwwwwwww!
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says
I have a major fear of ants. I.hate.them.
Like, they creep me out. Long story, ant infestation about 10 years ago in the kitchen of a house I was living in and seriously, spooked…ever since. Shudder.
I’m okay with colanders and backwash; just no ants!
KathEats says
Oh man, my parents’ house had a huge ant problem when I was little. I have EATEN them in boxes of contaminated cereal!! (Of course I didn’t know this when I took the first bite). They smell like bitter orange!
Jules @ La Petite Maison Verte says
So glad I’m not alone on the pasta/sink fear, here I thought I was the only one! Another crazy one: every time I go into a bathroom that has a tub/shower with the curtain pulled closed I HAVE to peek behind the curtain to make sure there’s nobody hiding back there. I’m always afraid that somebody is going to pop out at me while I’m going to the bathroom!
Marilyn says
I never thought of that before. Now you scared me. I will definitely have to get that clear glass shower door now.
Sandy says
I always whip open the shower curtain whenever I am in the bathroom, even if I’m just in there to brush my teeth, to check for intruders.
Tracey says
Sandy, I do this, too! Especially if I’m in there at night – I have to pull back the curtain and check.
Lauren @ Oatmeal after Spinning says
That’s funny about turning off the shower real quick- I actually hit myself with a cold blast at the end- just got about 10 seconds. I don’t know why- it’s just something I’ve always done. I guess it eases the transition of getting out of the hot, steamy shower and into the cold air!
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says
I’ve never heard of anyone having t hose 2 irrational fears – they’re hilarious!
Karen says
I share the cold water splash fear, but it never occurred to me, until now (!) to be concerned about pasta water! Most of my irrational fears involve silly superstitions relative to changing my routine (hiking path, driving route, food eating sequence, etc.)
Fun question and fun answers!
Lethal Astronaut says
Blue corn chips? I’ve never seen them before! They’re stunning, and I bet they’re yum!
Michelle says
I have the water fear but in reverse… I’m nervous I’ll be scalded with hot water!
Sarah says
Ah I have both of those EXACT irrational fears, especially the pasta one!
[email protected] says
I have the same fear that the water will backwash into the colander and hit the pasta and it totally grosses me out. So I pour out as much of the water as possible into the sink before I pour the pasta into the colander and if any of the pasta in hanging out the bottom when I take the colander out of the sink I have to throw that piece away. I am glad to see I am not the only one with this completely rational fear 🙂
lizzle @ the blisslist says
Oh my gosh! I am right with you! I live in an old apartment where there’s a cold faucet and a hot faucet in the bathroom and you are FORCED to splash your hands in both, hot cold hot cold, it is maddening. I had to get over my fear real fast. At least it is not a shower though, ha!
Olena (The Fit Gourmet) says
Kate, have you ever considered that as you’re pouring boiling hot water out of the pasta pot, it essentially sterilizes the bottom of the sink? 😉
I have a daily fear of catching a foot fungus but it’s hardly irrational. My gym’s changing room has disgusting carpeting, which is never properly disinfected, given it’s a CARPET. Hence, I do my balance exercises while putting on stockings or tights standing up, without as much as a single toe touching the floor!
Rebecca @ Naturally Healthy and Gorgeous says
Totally agree about the pasta backwash!
TeenyLittleSuperChef says
I have some weird fears too. I always have to go in on the left side of the theater when we go to the movies. Not sure why and my mom does the same thing. I also have a fear of running out of bananas. I will run straight to the grocery store if I even think we are getting low on bananas, and I’ve been known to hide the last one from my husband so he doesn’t eat it in the morning before I do. I also only buy things in even numbers. I can’t buy just one or three of things. It has to be at least two. I’m a nut job, I know.
Tabitha says
Wow, I do the same thing at movie theaters! I have since I can remember. Also, I get hung up on the even number thing too, although I don’t HAVE to buy items in even numbers, it’s a preference.=)
Whitney says
I do not share the colander fear (in fact my husband gets angry because I will take pasta that slipped through the colander and into the sink and eat it!). I do fear that I’ll get blasted with cold water though 🙂
Chetney (Czesia's Adventures) says
I do the same thing in the shower HAHAHA!
Christena says
Yes! I turn the shower water off very quickly, refuse to walk on grates, manholes or any sort of “hole” in the ground. I also won’t touch bare chicken with my bare hands….
Leslie says
I do the colander thing, but I’ve never told anyone before! My colander doesn’t have “feet” like my old one so I’m always trying to hold it up in the air, while pouring…you get the picture. It’s quite a challenge. I am glad someone shares my fear. 🙂
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin says
I’m scared that if I don’t eat a nighttime snack, I’ll wake up starving in the middle of the night. I hate when my sleep gets interrupted because of that! 😛
Maria Makes Muffins says
I have the same pasta + dirty sink fear!
Katie @ Plates and Paste says
I have to have the sheets on the bed facing the right way! Drives me crazy if they’re not.
S says
I have the same pasta drain fear…eww..all the way down the garbage disposal. I put a wire cooling rack in the sink and then the colander on top…gives me another inch. And I pour slowly.
XO
Casey W. @ thislittlechickpea says
I thought I was the only one who felt that way about pasta!!! There is a colander that sits on the edges of the sink that I have wanted since my wedding but always feel irrationally foolish about it and don’t buy it!
Here it is http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=14539654 I really should just buy one!
Emily says
I absolutely CANNOT reach into the garbage disposal to pull anything out. I’m terrified it will spontaneously turn on and hack up my hand… Same with the food processor. Our Cuisinart actually got a short circuit or something and it would start whirling as soon as it was plugged in. It somehow righted itself, but because I know it’s gone crazy before, I’m afraid it’ll do it again someday.
Hannah says
Me too!!! I also cannot watch Top Chef contestants using knives for fear they will slice off a digit.
Erin says
Me too! Hate when I clog the disposal!
Khushboo says
I’m loving dinner leftovers for lunch the next day…I now cook extra at night and boy does it save time in the morning!
Gloria @ A Year In My Life says
Every time I have my car turned on to warm up and I have to clean snow off of it (yay, Buffalo winters!), I check that my doors are unlocked at least three times before I’m willing to close the door. Sometimes I even leave one of the doors open. I’m always afraid that my automatic locks will lock me out, even though the car has to be moving for the locks to happen. I don’t know! I think, why take the chance? I always picture myself locked out, looking in at my purse and cell phone – all warm and snug without me 🙁
Lexi @ Cura Personalis Foodie says
Looks kinda like a KERF version of a mezza platter–lots of sampling 🙂
Elisabeth says
I’m exactly the same with the shower water! Mine doesn’t have separate knobs for hot & cold, but I have to stand way back from the faucet before I’ll turn it off so my feet don’t get splashed with the cold water once I turn it nearly to off 😉
Erin says
I have an irrational fear of worms…I will not even touch gummy worms. And I close my eyes during that Aflac commercial that has the worm doing the worm on it. Yuck!
Marilyn says
I just discovered your blog yesterday and subscribed to it in my Google Reader. Today, I couldn’t believe it when I saw your post. I thought, “This woman eats like I do and even has the same fears.” Do you ever have a few long spaghetti noodles slip half way through the holes in your colander and actually drag across the bottom of the dirty sink? Or forget to turn on the full disposal and have the sink back up suddenly when you pour the hot water and noodles into your colander. Eeeeek! Are you screaming yet?
KathEats says
Welcome!!
haha – your poor noodles!!
Rachel says
My irrational fear is anytime I use the garbage disposal in the sink I always imagine my fingers getting caught in it! I am terrified if I ever have to push something down into it.
Another thing I always worry about since I live at home is choking, slipping in the shower, or cutting myself while cooking (like cutting a finger off). I try and imagine what I would do or what would happen if any of those things happen, and then that makes me even more nervous that it will happen!
I also understand your fear of the cold water in the shower!
christi flaherty says
OMG…I totally expected to think “Yeah, she is irrational” then as I continued to read I started laughing (silently as I was in a coffee shop) because I totally have both of these fears! It’s good to know we’re not crazy, right!? If there are others like us we MUST be normal! Thanks for a laugh on an otherwise dull day!
Christi
Shaun @ snackasaurusrex says
When I was a child, and perhaps much too far into teenage years, I was afraid of the drain in the bathtub…I’d pull the plug and jump out as fast as I could so that I wouldn’t get sucked down. Strange!
Mary says
No waiting to turn off the water for me: I have a wimpy hot water heater and the hot water always runs out way too soon, so I usually end my shower with the cold all the way off, muttering to myself “Please stay warm, please stay warm, please stay warm.”