When my mashed potatoes touch my green beans, it’s a problem. A huge problem. I don’t even want the juice from the beans spreading across my plate to the potatoes. Gross. And I’ve been this way my whole life. There’s an actual name for this – brumotactillophobia. And since there’s an official name for it, I know that I’m not the only person affected with this ‘phobia’.

My friends who don’t face this weird dilemma can’t understand it. Don’t get me wrong, I hardly ever make a scene or get overly dramatic about it. If I’m somewhere with people I don’t know well, I put on my game face and just suffer in silence – which means that I typically leave hungry, because I only picked at my meal.

I’m not sure what causes me to be this way – if you research online, there are several theories. It’s even suggested that this phobia is a form of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).

If you suffer from this disorder, you might know exactly what it is about “touching food” that bothers you. I haven’t pinpointed my problem yet.

I don’t think it’s the combination of flavors that bothers me. But it could be a texture issue because not only does it bother me for my food to touch, but I also eat one food at a time – and I usually save the best for last. Needless to say, casseroles are not my cup of tea! I’m not a huge fan of gravy, but oddly enough, I’m okay with some sauces (I’ve recently started making grilled chicken with pesto sauce – and I love it). And I’m not really bothered by salads or soups. And syrup on pancakes and milk in cereal are necessities…until they get too soggy. But if my dinner roll is drenched in marinara sauce when I pick it up, it’s not going to get eaten. Period.

Foods that are supposed to go together don’t freak me out. Burritos or macaroni and cheese are perfectly fine. Maybe it’s because of the cheese. Cheese goes with everything. And I’m okay with sour cream and butter on my baked potato. What I’m not okay with is a Thanksgiving dinner plate where there’s so much food on the plate (even in the center of the plate) that I can’t tell where the green bean casserole stops and the yams begin. No…no…no! Just no! Just typing that is making my skin crawl! I never get to eat holiday meals off the “good china” – I use a divided paper plate. And honestly, I wish everyone else would too. Spare me the visual nightmare!

People “like us” are often misunderstood–our friends think we are picky eaters. Most of aren’t picky about foods at all, really. Personally, I love just about everything – I’m actually a very adventurous eater. I’ve tried (and enjoyed) just about every type/ethnicity/style of food out there. But if I order Mongolian chicken from my favorite Chinese restaurant, I’m not going to pile it on top of a bed of rice. Those are two separate dishes for me – please understand this and don’t make fun of me.

If you don’t suffer with this strange phobia, then go ahead and mix your peas with your mashed potatoes. Just don’t try to convince me that “it’s all going to the same place anyway.” Your logic doesn’t work for me and it makes me anxious.

If you do suffer with brumotactillophobia, just know that you’re not alone in the madness. And because of this, we probably make better dinner hosts – our food presentations will always be neat and attractive!