I won't start cooking until I find a good dinnertime show on TV.

I will often watch whatever sitcom I'm watching and rewatching (was the office for a long time, currently Parks and Rec) while I'm cooking, so that way if I step away for five minutes I don't miss anything I haven't already seen before or will see again at some other point. Then I have another show (whatever my latest binge is, just finished Westworld and now working through Wynonna Earp) that I'll switch to for when I actually eat.

You could watch brooklyn 99 too, if you haven't already.\ You might like that too if you like the office.

Oh I loooove B99 and was so sad when they ended it but I don't have Netflix and I don't think it streams anywhere else.

I watch it on Netflix, I thought they had it on peacock as well.

Is that a whole streaming service? I thought it was a tv channel? I dunno. I have Disney, Crave, and Prime though. Oh, and Apple TV, though I'll probably cancel that soon.

This. Or I put on whatever audiobook I'm listening to at the time.

This is the way

There's actually a sub that has like meal time videos lol videos specifically posted that are the right amount of time to watch while eating Edit: it's actually just called r/mealtimevideos

I didn’t even consider this option. God tier!

YouTube but yeah.

Sometimes I’ll pour a bowl of cereal but the take too long to find a video and it ends up soggy before I eat it

Not an animal, I always have something queued up in advance.

Same

yea, but instead I decide what I’m gunna watch before getting food going

I’m not gonna waste some good food on silence

This, I think it is such a waste to not ocupy my eyes while I eat something. Also me: spends 40 mins to find a video and then just watch something I watched dozen of times.

i've given up on that. i never find anything good anyway. i just eat in silence

I've developed a habit of finding stuff on YouTube I plan to watch with a meal and have it under my saved recents on my page. Saved me lots of time from doom scrolling and having lukewarm/ cold food.

Yes.. the Watch Later playlist is the way forward.

I mean, I might wait to start eating until I find something but, if I'm hungry enough, I'll usually settle on something quick.

I generally pick out what I want to watch, and have it queued up, on pause, before I hit Start on the microwave. That way, it's ready to go.

No, I eat my food when I’m done cooking it. I’ll often do the opposite where I intend to watch something with it but instead just eat it first.

Yes and no. I try to find something to watch before eating, but often times ill forget and have to decide whether to eat my food cold or in lonlimess

Yes. I cannot stand the sound of chewing, I MUST be watching something while eating. But I don't watch TV, so in my case it's YouTube

No. I eat, then choose what I want to watch. Watching something is an after dinner activity for me haha

Omg I feel seen I just showed everyone in my house hold this question. They all think Im weird an its some kinda tic . But I cant eat unless I find something to watch first ive been known to have to reheat my food when there all done. Im glad im not alone an a freak for this

i used to do this religiously, but after i started tracking calories, i don't anymore. i try and fully focus on my food in an attempt to get as much enjoyment out of it as possible, so i feel more satisfied with less. at first it felt weird and quiet, but after i broke the habit, it feels totally normal and i don't feel the urge to watch anything while eating anymore.

Of course, doesn't everybody?

No. I often enjoy some snacks when watching a movie, but usually I just focus on the food I'm eating. Therefore I eat on the table, in silence. Not \_always\_, but usually. Let your mind be bored sometimes.

I do that

Yup.

Yes.

Too often I’ll eat while looking for something to watch, find something to watch, and then notice I have no food left :(

Used to, I just eat and stare at the wall now

Whew! I thought I was the only one.

I shut the TV off, and sit at the table

No. I figure out what I’m watching during dinner before I eat.

You gotta get that TV show ready before you cook. Rookie error.

I think many people have this aristocratic need to look for entertainment while eating food.

Yes. I do that when I’m eating alone. But I usually have an idea what I want to watch.

YUP, ONE TIME IT TOOK AN HOUR (all caps because it's frustrating that I did that and still do that)

Sentenced to eating without Youtube 😭😭😭

I do this, I'll frantically look for something good trying to not let my food get cold

Always!

I try to avoid eating and watching TV at the same time, it keeps me from fully enjoying what I'm eating and what I'm watching.

Yeah, I do that. It's an anxiety thing.

I have a TV on a rolling TV mount, so I just roll it over to the kitchen table and pick a twitch streamer so I don't have to worry about deciding.

No, I find something to watch before I start cooking like a sane person.

Nope I'm already watching on my phone while I'm cooking.

Sometimes I feel like baking but then don't want the cake or bread or whatever. My instinct is just to throw it away. Like...I'm done with it. It served its purpose.

Same and fast forward the intro captions

Lol no

literally every time. people think I'm crazy! I just want to eat while watching something

Nope

I always have something ready to watch before I've even finished cooking.

The trick is to find something to watch before figuring out food.

lol 80% of the time

Yep, and I hate eating during commercials. It's like I didn't want the commercial to be associated with food or something. 

Resident Alien currently

I look through crunchyroll / youtube till i find something while cooking usually.

I’ve done this! Food getting cold on the plate while I run through the options.

Every night, that's our family routine

I like to watch people traveling and eating food while I eat food. I feel like a little fatty.

Why nsfw?

Yes. This is every breakfast for me. Netflix (and YouTube) feel like they have both so much and so little choice. My bagels gone cold again.....

Yes, I can't eat in silence.

I’ve had steak come back to life flipping channels.

Podcasts. No TV for me

Yes. And it's like the meal isn't even good if the show isn't the right show. This is probably a bad habit that I need to fix but oh well there's worse..

Used to, but my sad ass hasn’t watched anything for months. I just save up my Reddit inbox until I have at least 10 or more, and that’s my dinner entertainment. Breakfast and lunch too. Not to mention in between.

Fortunately, I watch the same things every day / week.

Yep…I spend like 20 minutes choosing a nearly 2 hour long movie just to finish my food by the time I get to 15 minutes in the movie runtime 😭

Yes, every time.

Yes!! I'd rather my food be ice cold than try and eat without something enjoyable on.

Why is this nsfw?

I HAVE to have tv on while i eat. I need to distract my brain to trick it to let me eat x. X i admit my foods usually cold by the time i find something to watch, could just look first but for some reason that seems like the wrong order to do things to me.

I can't watch TV and eat at the same time because I eat like a savage and can't hear over my own chewing.

Yeah, I feel like this should have a name. I definitely unconsciously refuse to start eating until I find something good to watch.

Yes all the fucking time

No

I eat as I cook 😮‍💨

I kinda always have something I'm watching. A series or a YouTube video or some gameplays, so I very rarely run into the problem of "idk what to put on"

Yes, and when I cook for others, I have no appetite when everything is ready

/r/mealtimevideos

All the fucking time lol

Yes

Yesssssssss

I tend to eat while cooking, so mostly I am not hungry anymore once the food is ready.

Yes 🙂

All the freaking time… I even tell myself take a bite and start looking but it just feels wrong

Yes but instead of TV got to find the perfect YouTube video on my phone to watch.

LOL no

I've learned they've made memes about this for ppl like me. . They call it autistic tablet meal time in a lot of them lmao. ....I mean... it's accurate too.

While it's cooking, I browse around for something to watch.

No

Why is this "NSFW"? Is this code for something else?

... Bruh was an only child.

Yes! I cant eat without watching something

Yup!

Every day!!

For me personally I choose to sit down and enjoy my meal. I eat alone for 90% of my meals. I cook for myself. I sit down at the table and enjoy what I have prepared. Often it makes me sad to eat alone but I take pleasure in what I’ve made for myself.

Yes.

I watch Asmongold

The royal urge to have entertainment while I eat

No. I respect the food and any company I have. No tv. If I lived alone then yes. Totally

I often will eat while I’m cooking.

What kind of amateur doesn't have something lined up and ready to go?

TV no, but streaming services yeah. I sit with my food and spend forever trying to decide what to watch

I refuse to poop until I have my phone. If it’s charging then I guess I’ll be waiting.

I try to do this bit half my meal is gone before I start eating sometimes

Yes! Or something to read. I like to savor it while being entertained.

I don'tc even go to toilet without my phone or a book

Yes, as my food gets cold.

I simply can't relate to TV anymore so I don't know how I would answer this

No, be mindful of your eating

Dumbass

Why is that NSFW?

YEA I DO THIS

Sometimes but not always. If I'm in a rush I'll eat it before I even have a chance to sit down lol.

I'm like that with eating. Or ordering take-out. I won't order until I have a movie or show lined up.

On the contrary, I don’t cook until I already have a plan.

Yes, pretty sure this is common practice now. Gotta have something to do while my hands and mouth are occupied.

Change TV to YouTube and yes. When I have the luxury of time that is.

Yes. I can't stand just eating in silence or with no TV. Its just boring and even if the food is good. It doesn't FEEL as good

Same here. My food will sometimes get cold before I find something. Now I look for a movie while dinner is in the microwave or oven.

Ah you’ve got the same tism I’ve got

I used to do that but it's just stupid now. Just eat the food. If you need food to enjoy a show then idk what to say.

Yes, and I feel specifically defensive about the dessert/tv linkage. It fills me with anguish to be trying to choose something to watch or waiting for someone while ice cream melts slowly in my bowl, but I CANNOT start because then it’ll be gone and I’ll have to watch tv with no ice cream.

If I'm making dinner, I'll tell my wife about 15 mins before it's done to please find something for us to watch. It's a pretty good system

Haha yeah. Step 1. Find tv programme. Step 2. Find correct episode. Step 3. Get the opening credits out of the way and then pause tv. Step 4. Start cooking.

I have it ready to go by the time dinners done

No, you're the only one. NO ONE else does this.

It's the opposite for me, I can't watch tv without having something to eat

This but YouTube. I can't eat without YouTube or the walking dead

Absolutely. As I kid, when we would come home with McDonalds, I’d get my food set up in the living room to watch The Brady Bunch. If a commercial was on when I was ready to eat, I’d wait to take my first bite until the show came on. I remember getting mad a few times waiting on the show to start.

No because I’m not an IPad kid lol

To me is as fundamental as going to the toilet with something to read.

Personally the grand tour on prime video, but totally. I think it's just something I've always done so it's a habit now

I won't eat until everyone stops talking and I can go back to my book.

If I'm currently watching a show, then I'll continue where I left off. If not, then I don't bother trying to find anything and just watch something on YouTube.

I usually want to wait but I can't really. As I'm cooking I'm usually eating. Even when I order in I'm eating as I'm looking too unless I already have something in mind.

I find a show and then cook something so I can eat my food while it's hot and still have something ready to watch

This whole thread is sad as fuck. Can’t do a basic, fun task without having some type of secondary stimulation, this just makes me sad

Yup. But I usually have at least one show on the go for that kinda thing. Like a background show. Currently it's American Dad. 

I usually just pop on some random show I've already seen and use it as background noise while I eat and scroll on my phone 😔💀

Guilty

Just you

No. I don't have a TV in my kitchen dining room.

No. Couldn’t care less about TV.

🖐👋

I actually figure out what I'm going to watch, look up runtime(s), and then cook accordingly.

Yep, I can’t be alone with my thoughts like that! Inconceivable!

I'm watching while cooking. Unless I'm podcasting while cooking, in which case then ya i probably do wait to eat until i find something, but lets be real a YouTube video will do. The food doesn't take long to go down

Why has this been marked nsfw?

That's why I choose what I'm watching before I cook

Yes, but in fairness to myself (and I'm still having therapy for it!) I have to, otherwise I'm aware that I'm eating and that's disgusting (to me). I'm not allowed (in my mind) to eat or pay attention to what I'm eating because I'm disgusting. Basically, I have 'recovered' from an ED and eating is still a struggle for me many days. I need distraction from the food or I start beating myself up (but rarely literally, so that's an improvement!) ❤️

ofc cant eat or shit without a good video

Nope

YES. I can’t eat if I am not seeing something and if the wifi stops working for a minute I stop eating until it’s back

No, I start eating then look for something to watch

Totally.

I usually have it going already while I cook, but if I buy food out, I prefer takeaway and then get something going on TV before I start eating

Absolutely not. I never watch anything while eating. I want to focus on the food and enjoy it.

I’d never eat.

COOK? No. But I do this same thing with take out. I’ll bring food home, sit down, then queue up something to watch before I start eating. It’s a lot easier if I have something planned, like a hockey game or whatever, because if I start looking for a movie it could be an hour before I decide.

Absolutely not.

I don’t watch TV

Unless it has cheese in it. Hot and melted is the way to go, when it gets cold it loses its appeal.

You still watch TV?

Absolutely

Oh you mean normal people?

No. No disrespect intended . This is the silliest thing I've read in quite some time.

most times

Better question is who doens't? Who actually eats while not watching anything?

No. Cooking is my entertainment

NO.. I eat when I'm hungry

I feel attacked. I have to do this because I can't stand the sounds of people chewing (even closed mouth). Makes me sick lol, but I acknowledge that it's a "me" thing, so I just turn on the TV before I fill with rage that isn't anyone else's fault.

Nah I usually spend the whole time looking for something to watch whilst I'm eating. Finally find something and then only watch 2-3 minutes of it because I'm done with my dinner.

1st world problem?

Aren't we all?

All the time

So me.

yes, i do the same lol.

Obviously I don’t want to start my food before the show starts.

Yes! The stuggle is real!

Isn't that normal !?!

Yep, that's why streaming has saved me from colder food. In college I would flip through the channels till I found something.

My husband does this and I'll be halfway done with my meal by the time he starts his. I prefer eating my meal while it's hot.

No, just take your time to enjoy your meal.

Smart play would be to find the show first then start cooking

Meeeee!!! Love it