How Peeling an Orange can Reveal Character Personality
I have this crazy theory that you can learn about someone based on how they peel an orange.
When I mentioned this to a friend, he just looked at me weird.
But let me explain. Everyone has a unique technique when it comes to orange-peeling.
Previously mentioned friend bites into an orange to break through the rind. The thought of this makes me cringe. The taste of orange peel makes me cringe. I’ll use my nail, thank you.
Some people will only use a knife, or one of those fancy orange peeling tools with the hook that you slide across the rind (my family owns one). Some people roll an orange on a table before peeling it to loosen the skin. A lot of people don’t do this because they don’t know about it.
A tool is arguably the most effective and least messy, although you have to buy the tool to start, then get it out to use it, then clean it afterwards. Your nail spares your mouth, but gets gunk under your nail and sometimes it takes a sec to get enough traction to puncture the rind. Biting is a second of gross-tasting rind, but it’ll cut through faster than a nail.
See where I’m going with this?
It’s a matter of character personality! It’s about priorities. How do you balance effectiveness vs speed vs personal discomfort and so on.
How do you measure cost? The cost for each person will be different.
Anyway, continuing. The rind is off. What next? Eat it like it’s an apple (absolute madman!), or break it into segments? I think most people break it in half at this point. But after that, do you break off and eat the segments one at a time and eat it? Or break all of them apart and eat once all the work is done?
Maybe you eat the segments in pairs without bothering to separate all of them. And how much of the rag do you remove before eating it? Do you share? At this point it seems to be a matter of worth and value.
Is it worth it to peel off all those stringy pieces of rag? All of it, or just the big pieces? Some people eat the rag because its fiber. Is the fiber worth the texture? Is the taste worth the added effort? Is it worth it to break the orange into individual segments?
Big segments are a larger bite and make the orange faster to eat, but small segments prolong the taste. Small segments are also more work. Which is more valuable: Speed vs effort? Fewer big burst of flavor vs more small bursts of flavor?
And finally, instant gratification/less work for a longer time (breaking apart and eating one segment at a time) vs long term gratification/more work followed by less work (breaking apart all of the segments before indulging). That same idea can be applied to cutting steak, too. Do you cut off one bite at a time and eat it, or cut it all and then eat it?
Yeah, probably unorthodox. But something to think about.
What does your character prioritize? What do they value? How important is time vs effort vs result, and so on?
How would they peel an orange?
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Do you think peeling an orange Manderin etc.
and instinctivley attemting to retaining the skin in one piece
shows any significant trait?
Okay first I think its about knowledge.
Like you said about the rollibg thing. Not everyone knows it but ones that do know do it.
Why did they decided to bite the rind? Because they saw someone else do it amd thought they will try it or because the taste doesnt bother them. If its simple and you dont mind the brief taste of ribd does it matter?
Maybe they lack nails and that is preferable for that reason. Or they have long nails they dobt want to break. So what does that say about resourceful ness. Speaking of which I could never dig in the peel when younger so I resorted to a butter knife. Why a butter knife because we didnt have those fancy knives you mentioned in fact I never heard of them till noe. So again knowledge and available resources and a butter knife works fine. Why not teeth which would have been a good alternative? Simple I never thought of or heard of that as an option. But perhaps if I knew I would have tried it once but not liking the taste or texture would stop it.
You said it was a bother to use a knife you would have to buy but unless you go out of your way to make a speacial trip for obe you would already have one. As for having to wash it how would it be different than other dishes. Although sonce butter knives apparantly works I suppose those arent even the common options.
So thinking about what your characters would do read above.
What they know
Whatbthey have
Need to accomplish
Or even what they lack do they lack long nails to pierce it and would they be resorceful to use an alternative.
Which is available a utensil or teeth
Preference or care over either.
Would a person with manicure nails want to mess them up?
Age?
Capabilities such as arthritis?