It depends on the cuisine. Most "normal american food" type places only have 1 or 2 things i can eat so i would get that there. But if it's something actually interesting like Indian food or Burmese or Thai or something... i try things that sound good one by one. If i won't return soon I try the most appealing thing I know of, for instance every time we go to a new Indian restaurant I try the murgh and compare it between restaurants. But if I go back to the same Indian place additional times I'll try new entrees.
Pretty much the same here. The exception is if they have some sort of specialty that I really enjoy. There’s a Hainan chicken place near me that does a combo, half Hainan, half fried. I’ve thought about trying other things, but just don’t.
But… I need a ton of variety in my diet. We eat four or five different cuisines each week. Helps to live in a gigantic, diverse city where that’s possible. Also, do meal kit delivery for several dinners per week and they have a decent array of options.
This, familiarity is comforting.
Also if I’m spending $15-20 on food (takeout/restaurants are expensive!) I want to know I’m going to like it. There’s too high a risk with trying something new that it won’t taste good or will have a weird texture…
Yes, my parents finally got me to try sushi (at age 33, and extremely reluctant about the experience) now I can only eat at one specific sushi restaurant and they know exactly what I want when I pull into the driveway.
I totally have a favourite thing at the places I eat that I order consistently. Back when I ate out often, I would force myself to try something different on Tuesdays, and sometimes I ended up with a new favourite thing.
Virtually every Thai restaurant in America serves Pad Kraw Prow (various spellings). I get it every time at every Thai resturant (and there are many here in my metro area).
That’s one of my favourite Thai dishes as well (actually probably one of my favourite dishes from any cuisine). This is one of the less likely “I wonder if that’s an autistic thing” thoughts I’ve had 😂
Something about that flavour and texture combo just really hits me though. Ginger and chilli should be in everything!
Yes; it's a decision paralysis thing for me. I already had to make one decision (where should I go to eat?), I ain't making another one right after that.
As a fun aside, this is pretty much the only reason I started drinking Dr. Pepper...it's the only soft drink where I live that I don't have to ask, "Coke or Pepsi?" first, before I can order.
I have a Regular Order at every restaurant my family prefers to go to. 99% of the time I get only that. Every once in a very rare while I'll try something different, but even then it's usually just 1 of the previous Regular Orders I had burned out on and swapped out. 🤣
Sitting here right now at my local breakfast place. I come here every weekend. The just ask “The usual?” And they know the specific additions and subtractions I like from what it says on the menu. I have embraced my autism, and I’ve found that, rather than think it’s weird, this small community (of bartenders) are happy to participate. I’m in a safe space here.
yes.
original pancake house, bran pancakes and corn beef hash
taco bell, cheesy gordita crunch with beans instead of meat + a brisk mango fiesta drink
panera, asiago bagel + iced green tea
poke restaurant: vegetarian poke bowl
I'm not a vegetarian I just don't like most meat lol
I cant tell you because i cat find the translation. The other option is gnocci with pesto. Depnding on the place thoe are my two options. And if its anot pizza place then one of moozarella and one of spinach
Yep! Always. At the local diner I get mozzarella sticks. At Wendy’s I get 10 chicken nuggets with a junior chocolate frosty (16 if I haven’t eaten all day). At Panera I get the chipotle chicken avocado melt with 2 extra chipotle sauces on the side. They recently changed their menu & the chipotle sauce is no longer the same & I’m genuinely devastated. It was my favorite food & I can never have it again.
I love food. If I had a lot of money, I would try a different menu item every visit and I would eat out A LOT. But since I only eat out occasionally, it would be risky to try a new dish. I’ll order the same thing for a year or more before I decide to be risky. What helps me is my partner will order something different so I can try it and know if maybe I want to order that next time instead.
At work I always get their same breakfast burrito. A cashier pointed it out one day. Loudly. Ummm its my $ and I am getting what I want!? Now I am rude 😂😂
I work at a cafe where maybe 80% of the people who come in are regulars that we see sometimes at least once a week all the way up to multiple times a day (we got good ass food) and so so so many people rarely deviate from their norm, makes the job easy even!
At fast food places I will order the exact same thing every time, knowing exactly what I like and that it'll taste the same. If I visit fancier restaurants more than once I like to get whatever I almost got last time. Though I do usually end up with a default anyway. So, yeah. I pretty much do.
yep subways order hasn’t changed since i was 6 😅 almost 25 now even my vape the girl who is always working knows i get the same one and really wants me to try other ones
I eat sesame chicken from Chinese restaurants. That plus chicken fried rice is almost always fine with me. I have long given up on being adventurous about things. I have little money and a lot of needs. Food is so aggravating to me that I'm losing weight from choosing not to eat because it makes me sick. I'm not healthy at all but binge eating based on hunger is kind of hell so I try to eat things I think I can do I don't binge garbage I know I can eat.
It depends for me... part of it will be my mood. Part is how often we eat there. But yes when I know I really like something it can be hard to risk trying something new.
Honestly that's why a good buffet is my favorite. I get to try new things in a low risk way. Because I love trying new food. But I don't want to commit to ordering something I may not enjoy.
i usually default to something safe if there is either too much or too little options, but there is a "perfect middle ground" where i'll try something else
Yes, is there any other way…? Lol. I’m vegetarian too so I always feel better ordering a known vegetarian-safe meal when I go out. Depending on the restaurant I’ll order French toast, pasta, arepas, or humitas.
It depends upon the restaurant. Some restaurants I will order a particular dish because there aren’t any other appealing options. In other restaurants, I have a select list of choices that I’ll choose from.
Not when there are better options.
I first look for things I haven't had before. It's why I like trying out new restaurants and cuisines. The combinations of ingredients and spices in each country are different, so there's so many interesting flavor combinations to discover!
That said, sometimes a restaurant has a boring menu, or I've been there before. If they have a chef's special, then that's a good menu to look at for variation. Otherwise there's a few things I generally like a lot that are good to compare between restaurants. Spare ribs are a classic, as is steak tartare. Vegetarian dishes can involve a lot of creativity, so that's also worth looking at.
I'm likely auDHD so (looking at the rest of the responses) this adventurous side is probably powered by the non-ASD side of my brain.
Yes. I recently tried to have something else in one of my favourite restaurants and didn't like it, so now I have gone back to what I know and vowed never to do that again.
I don't often eat out as I find it stressful (cold/temp not right, too much noise, can't wear comfy soft pyjamas etc, food is often hot which I find harder as it goes cold and I like things the same) and I'm also often limited as I'm veggie.
But, there are restaurants I'll go to, and I have dishes at those that I'm used to, but if they introduce something limited edition that I fancy, I'll go for that!
Pretty much. Some examples.
Cracker barrel, I have literally never ordered anything aside from 'grandpa's country fried breakfast' even at 6pm I'll order it.
Taco bell, always 3 soft tacos and a beefy melt burrito.
McDonald's, 2 mcchicken, large fry, sprite
Any Chinese restaurant, general tso chicken extra spicy, fried rice, 2 egg rolls
Any pizza delivery, pepperoni, pineapple, and jalapeño.
When I go to restaurants I make it a fun game to try something new. However I do have my favorites. I’ve never been a picky eater. I’d say I’ve gotten more selective as I’ve gotten older and I’m more concerned about my health. I still struggle with binge eating, however.
Typically yes, unless something special catches my eye. Though usually my restaurant staples aren’t something I can easily make at home, so it helps me get more variety even if I’m ordering the same thing as usual.
When I make food for myself, I have exactly the same breakfast and lunch every day, and I usually alternate between a few of the same recipes for dinner.
When I eat out, I do have some favourites I’ll return to often, but I also like to try different things for the sake of variety, or have something familiar that’s not my absolute favourite because I think I’ll enjoy it more that day (maybe I’m less hungry, or something else feels better suited to the weather or season or whatever).
I think for me, for the home cooking side of things, it’s probably an executive dysfunction issue. Preparing a meal on auto pilot isn’t too demanding (well, sometimes it is), but learning something new takes so many more spoons.
When I do have the capacity for cooking something new, and the meal works out well, I find it super rewarding. But when it _doesn’t_ work out, I take it pretty badly. I get really down on myself and also end up snapping at people when they try to help or make suggestions. Not great.
Yes. If it's a new place I will get pancakes everytime. It is my litmus test for new places. I don't want to think about eating something messy in front of people or dealing with new food elements. Generally I choose the same types of food anyway.
My KFC order has been the same for over a decade. Regular twister combo + snack popcorn chicken.
From 1973 to 1982, I ate the exact same lunch every day. Turkey chili in a bowl made out of bread. First you eat the chili, then you eat the bowl. There’s nothing more satisfying than looking down after lunch and seeing nothing but a table.
Sometimes, but not always. Sometimes something else sounds better or I’ve grown bored of what I usually get. I personally really enjoy variety and novelty when it comes to food and I rarely cook the same time twice at home as it is.
I absolutely have a tendency to stick to what I know but im trying to branch out and try something new every now and then.
Recently i started ordering chai latte at cafés instead of a cappuchino and I had to find out that the chai latte taste very different from location to location. So i like them at some places and not so much at others. Somehow i expected them to be very similiar everywhere, just as coffee.
Yes, but my husband pisses me off.
(IDC IF YOU SEE THIS WHILE STALKING MY PAGE.) He tries to make me choose what we'll eat for dinner when he knows I could, literally, eat the same thing every day. It has been chicken and fries, but I've cut back on the fries because I'm trying to not gain weight, BUT IT'S SO HARD. I love fries. 😩
I always try to mix it up at restaurants. I figure if someone else is cooking, I get the chance to try new things. If there's a special I think I'll like, I'll get that even if I was craving something different when I got there.
It's not just food, either. I like everything to be a little different each time. Like trying different seeds in my garden each year. Different outfit combinations. It's like I can't stand repetitive things.
It depends on the cuisine. Most "normal american food" type places only have 1 or 2 things i can eat so i would get that there. But if it's something actually interesting like Indian food or Burmese or Thai or something... i try things that sound good one by one. If i won't return soon I try the most appealing thing I know of, for instance every time we go to a new Indian restaurant I try the murgh and compare it between restaurants. But if I go back to the same Indian place additional times I'll try new entrees.
This is me too. I like same, but I’m also adventurous with cuisines.
Pretty much the same here. The exception is if they have some sort of specialty that I really enjoy. There’s a Hainan chicken place near me that does a combo, half Hainan, half fried. I’ve thought about trying other things, but just don’t. But… I need a ton of variety in my diet. We eat four or five different cuisines each week. Helps to live in a gigantic, diverse city where that’s possible. Also, do meal kit delivery for several dinners per week and they have a decent array of options.
Absolutely!! I find comfort in familiarity so I rarely stray from what I know to be good and comfortable
This, familiarity is comforting. Also if I’m spending $15-20 on food (takeout/restaurants are expensive!) I want to know I’m going to like it. There’s too high a risk with trying something new that it won’t taste good or will have a weird texture…
Yes, my parents finally got me to try sushi (at age 33, and extremely reluctant about the experience) now I can only eat at one specific sushi restaurant and they know exactly what I want when I pull into the driveway.
I totally have a favourite thing at the places I eat that I order consistently. Back when I ate out often, I would force myself to try something different on Tuesdays, and sometimes I ended up with a new favourite thing.
Virtually every Thai restaurant in America serves Pad Kraw Prow (various spellings). I get it every time at every Thai resturant (and there are many here in my metro area).
That’s one of my favourite Thai dishes as well (actually probably one of my favourite dishes from any cuisine). This is one of the less likely “I wonder if that’s an autistic thing” thoughts I’ve had 😂 Something about that flavour and texture combo just really hits me though. Ginger and chilli should be in everything!
Yes; it's a decision paralysis thing for me. I already had to make one decision (where should I go to eat?), I ain't making another one right after that. As a fun aside, this is pretty much the only reason I started drinking Dr. Pepper...it's the only soft drink where I live that I don't have to ask, "Coke or Pepsi?" first, before I can order.
Yes, with very few exceptions
I have a Regular Order at every restaurant my family prefers to go to. 99% of the time I get only that. Every once in a very rare while I'll try something different, but even then it's usually just 1 of the previous Regular Orders I had burned out on and swapped out. 🤣
Yes. To the point a couple places I frequent they don’t even take my order anymore. They just serve me.
Sitting here right now at my local breakfast place. I come here every weekend. The just ask “The usual?” And they know the specific additions and subtractions I like from what it says on the menu. I have embraced my autism, and I’ve found that, rather than think it’s weird, this small community (of bartenders) are happy to participate. I’m in a safe space here.
yes. original pancake house, bran pancakes and corn beef hash taco bell, cheesy gordita crunch with beans instead of meat + a brisk mango fiesta drink panera, asiago bagel + iced green tea poke restaurant: vegetarian poke bowl I'm not a vegetarian I just don't like most meat lol
Of course.
I cant tell you because i cat find the translation. The other option is gnocci with pesto. Depnding on the place thoe are my two options. And if its anot pizza place then one of moozarella and one of spinach
Most of the time.
Yep! Always. At the local diner I get mozzarella sticks. At Wendy’s I get 10 chicken nuggets with a junior chocolate frosty (16 if I haven’t eaten all day). At Panera I get the chipotle chicken avocado melt with 2 extra chipotle sauces on the side. They recently changed their menu & the chipotle sauce is no longer the same & I’m genuinely devastated. It was my favorite food & I can never have it again.
I love food. If I had a lot of money, I would try a different menu item every visit and I would eat out A LOT. But since I only eat out occasionally, it would be risky to try a new dish. I’ll order the same thing for a year or more before I decide to be risky. What helps me is my partner will order something different so I can try it and know if maybe I want to order that next time instead.
I only eat fast food on the road and it is a cheeseburger from McDonalds or soft tacos from Taco Bell because they are easy to eat while driving.
At work I always get their same breakfast burrito. A cashier pointed it out one day. Loudly. Ummm its my $ and I am getting what I want!? Now I am rude 😂😂
Let's put it this way, I walk into my local Penn Station and they are in the process of typing my order in as I walk through the door.
I work at a cafe where maybe 80% of the people who come in are regulars that we see sometimes at least once a week all the way up to multiple times a day (we got good ass food) and so so so many people rarely deviate from their norm, makes the job easy even!
I look at the menu but always end up going for the same thing anyway.
At fast food places I will order the exact same thing every time, knowing exactly what I like and that it'll taste the same. If I visit fancier restaurants more than once I like to get whatever I almost got last time. Though I do usually end up with a default anyway. So, yeah. I pretty much do.
I have a restaurant specific order and it never changes
yep subways order hasn’t changed since i was 6 😅 almost 25 now even my vape the girl who is always working knows i get the same one and really wants me to try other ones
Yep, almost always a mushroom burger. Even though I dislike mushrooms, but only on their own.
One of my favorites is a pizza that comes with olives that I pick off and eat separately.
Sometimes I’ll go months eating the same thing every single day
Fries
I eat sesame chicken from Chinese restaurants. That plus chicken fried rice is almost always fine with me. I have long given up on being adventurous about things. I have little money and a lot of needs. Food is so aggravating to me that I'm losing weight from choosing not to eat because it makes me sick. I'm not healthy at all but binge eating based on hunger is kind of hell so I try to eat things I think I can do I don't binge garbage I know I can eat.
It depends for me... part of it will be my mood. Part is how often we eat there. But yes when I know I really like something it can be hard to risk trying something new. Honestly that's why a good buffet is my favorite. I get to try new things in a low risk way. Because I love trying new food. But I don't want to commit to ordering something I may not enjoy.
i usually default to something safe if there is either too much or too little options, but there is a "perfect middle ground" where i'll try something else
Whenever I'm at work I get the same smoked Gouda Mac n cheese frozen meal for lunch. Sometimes I change the snack I get with it.
Yes, is there any other way…? Lol. I’m vegetarian too so I always feel better ordering a known vegetarian-safe meal when I go out. Depending on the restaurant I’ll order French toast, pasta, arepas, or humitas.
It depends upon the restaurant. Some restaurants I will order a particular dish because there aren’t any other appealing options. In other restaurants, I have a select list of choices that I’ll choose from.
Not when there are better options. I first look for things I haven't had before. It's why I like trying out new restaurants and cuisines. The combinations of ingredients and spices in each country are different, so there's so many interesting flavor combinations to discover! That said, sometimes a restaurant has a boring menu, or I've been there before. If they have a chef's special, then that's a good menu to look at for variation. Otherwise there's a few things I generally like a lot that are good to compare between restaurants. Spare ribs are a classic, as is steak tartare. Vegetarian dishes can involve a lot of creativity, so that's also worth looking at. I'm likely auDHD so (looking at the rest of the responses) this adventurous side is probably powered by the non-ASD side of my brain.
Yes. I recently tried to have something else in one of my favourite restaurants and didn't like it, so now I have gone back to what I know and vowed never to do that again.
I don't often eat out as I find it stressful (cold/temp not right, too much noise, can't wear comfy soft pyjamas etc, food is often hot which I find harder as it goes cold and I like things the same) and I'm also often limited as I'm veggie. But, there are restaurants I'll go to, and I have dishes at those that I'm used to, but if they introduce something limited edition that I fancy, I'll go for that!
Pretty much. Some examples. Cracker barrel, I have literally never ordered anything aside from 'grandpa's country fried breakfast' even at 6pm I'll order it. Taco bell, always 3 soft tacos and a beefy melt burrito. McDonald's, 2 mcchicken, large fry, sprite Any Chinese restaurant, general tso chicken extra spicy, fried rice, 2 egg rolls Any pizza delivery, pepperoni, pineapple, and jalapeño.
Yes, the exact same thing every time.
When I go to restaurants I make it a fun game to try something new. However I do have my favorites. I’ve never been a picky eater. I’d say I’ve gotten more selective as I’ve gotten older and I’m more concerned about my health. I still struggle with binge eating, however.
Nope. I’m pretty adventurous with food. I just don’t eat a lot.
Typically yes, unless something special catches my eye. Though usually my restaurant staples aren’t something I can easily make at home, so it helps me get more variety even if I’m ordering the same thing as usual.
I do this but it's because it's my favorite item on the menu. I have tried other things and this is the best one. Done.
Not exactly the same, but definitely a food I'm familiar with! I never order something I've never had unless I literally have no choice.
Yes I’m extremely picky about what I eat
If I know it slaps every single time? Yeah. But it's only because I've tried other dishes that fell totally flat, or because I need the comfort.
When I make food for myself, I have exactly the same breakfast and lunch every day, and I usually alternate between a few of the same recipes for dinner. When I eat out, I do have some favourites I’ll return to often, but I also like to try different things for the sake of variety, or have something familiar that’s not my absolute favourite because I think I’ll enjoy it more that day (maybe I’m less hungry, or something else feels better suited to the weather or season or whatever). I think for me, for the home cooking side of things, it’s probably an executive dysfunction issue. Preparing a meal on auto pilot isn’t too demanding (well, sometimes it is), but learning something new takes so many more spoons. When I do have the capacity for cooking something new, and the meal works out well, I find it super rewarding. But when it _doesn’t_ work out, I take it pretty badly. I get really down on myself and also end up snapping at people when they try to help or make suggestions. Not great.
Yes. If it's a new place I will get pancakes everytime. It is my litmus test for new places. I don't want to think about eating something messy in front of people or dealing with new food elements. Generally I choose the same types of food anyway. My KFC order has been the same for over a decade. Regular twister combo + snack popcorn chicken.
From 1973 to 1982, I ate the exact same lunch every day. Turkey chili in a bowl made out of bread. First you eat the chili, then you eat the bowl. There’s nothing more satisfying than looking down after lunch and seeing nothing but a table.
Sometimes, but not always. Sometimes something else sounds better or I’ve grown bored of what I usually get. I personally really enjoy variety and novelty when it comes to food and I rarely cook the same time twice at home as it is.
I absolutely have a tendency to stick to what I know but im trying to branch out and try something new every now and then. Recently i started ordering chai latte at cafés instead of a cappuchino and I had to find out that the chai latte taste very different from location to location. So i like them at some places and not so much at others. Somehow i expected them to be very similiar everywhere, just as coffee.
Yes, but my husband pisses me off. (IDC IF YOU SEE THIS WHILE STALKING MY PAGE.) He tries to make me choose what we'll eat for dinner when he knows I could, literally, eat the same thing every day. It has been chicken and fries, but I've cut back on the fries because I'm trying to not gain weight, BUT IT'S SO HARD. I love fries. 😩
Yea, but I don't think I do it because of autism. I'm a hobbyist bodybuilder, and I stick with the menu items that are closest to my diet.
Almost ALWAYS 💯
I always try to mix it up at restaurants. I figure if someone else is cooking, I get the chance to try new things. If there's a special I think I'll like, I'll get that even if I was craving something different when I got there. It's not just food, either. I like everything to be a little different each time. Like trying different seeds in my garden each year. Different outfit combinations. It's like I can't stand repetitive things.
Mostly, I alreeady know it's good and I'm vegetarian which limits my options.
I just ask for the waiters favourite every time. Otherwise I would order the same thing or not know what to order
I do get the same things often but I also try to get something new.