Gain insights into a person by watching them eat
I was just reading an article about the four parenting feeding styles and I wondered how much they would align with the four primary behavioral styles, WIKS - Watchers, Igniters, Keepers, Starters.
You may have never considered why that person chews with their mouth open, or, why you loathe the incessant sound of bicuspids crunching on chips. Is it really because they are rude? Believe it or not, the style in which we eat can have a lot to do with our type.
Watching a person eat their food can give you a lot of insight into a person, whether you are on a first date, a business meeting, or with a long-time partner, eating habits can tell you a lot.
Below is a little about how each of the four styles approach their food. See if you recognize yourself in any of them.
A Watcher is practical when it comes to food and usually just wants to eat because they are hungry. It is not an event to be had. They may need to look at their food and smell it. They may pick through it with a fork to make sure that it is up to standard. This is because the Watcher is watching things to be sure they are accurate and their food isn’t left out of the equation (pun intended). They may turn food back to the cooks to be re-made and sometimes it can be embarrassing for the Keepers. Because they are Watching, their hearing is more acute than the other styles and they can be quickly turned off by crunching and open mouth food chewing.
The Igniters are talkers and enjoy good food combined with even better conversation. They will almost always comment about the food and its presentation, flavor, or smell. Of all the WIKS they care the most about approval (and can be secretly driven by it), so they try to be aware of their eating style as not to be offensive. Still, they get carried away with conversation and forget they are talking with their mouth open. During laughter, sometimes a bit of food may fly from their mouth, but don’t worry, they will be sure to mention it and laugh about it. Most Igniters love sweets or at least admire them. They also like cool menus with lots of choices of food. They also appreciate the effort that goes into a home cooked meal (not all of the four types will be impressed by home cooking, to some, food is just food).
A Keeper likes a peaceful meal because they like to keep the peace. They will eat just about anything unless they had an aversion to it as a child. They like familiarity and will choose family meals and restaurants they’ve been to before and will want to visit them over and over again. Still, if you make a new suggestion to them, in general, they are peacekeepers and want you to be happy so they will probably be glad to eat where you want to. The Keepers are great listeners over dinner.
The Starters have an endgame or goal for having dinner with you. They may have been asked to be there by you with a goal of spending time with them (you miss them and they have busy schedules), or they have a purpose or goal to achieve (that goal may be a better connection with you for a reason). They usually have other projects going on and people under them. You can expect them to have their cell phones nearby in case a business call comes in. Their focus and attention for you will come in spurts. They don’t care much about the restaurants' ambiance or food. They will eat it, even if they don’t love it. If their goal is your happiness, then it only matters that you like it.
Understanding the four primary types of behavior breeds self-awareness and successful relationships because it allows us to drop judgments and understand why people aren’t performing the way ‘we’ think they should.
If you found this helpful, you’re invited to visit, The Anne Cook Collection to discover quick, easy ways for you to BRING back the FIRE into your life and relationships.
Until next time,
Stay HOT!
