How You Cut Your Sandwich Actually Says a Lot About You

Did you know that people touch their face more when they’re lying, or a person licks their lips when they’re talking to someone they’re attracted to? It happens without them thinking about it. Even when they’re not trying to, a person who is disgusted with something will wrinkle their nose. They can’t help it. And neither can you.

Micro-expressions are reflexive emotions that last fractions of a second. While somebody at a surprise party can’t help but show how shocked they are, someone receiving a bad birthday present might want to hide that, and that’s when our more internal selves take hold. And that’s not the only way we let our true selves show: We express our internal realities in a myriad of ways, through the face we put on when commuting (I’ve been told I sport a mean mug), to the way your voice changes from talking to your boss to your significant other.

Believe it or not, this also translates to how we eat. Just think of the most organized person you know. Do they eat desserts like the Cookie Monster? No. And think of the most free-spirited person you know. Do they have a more adventurous palate than most of your friends? It turns out that everything we do, even with food, proves something about our personality that we didn’t know we were showing.

With that in mind, I wondered does it mean something if you cut your sandwich diagonally versus cutting it straight down the middle? When making a delicious turkey and pickled red onion sandwich on brioche (like I do every day) for lunch, I cut my sandwich diagonally every single time and I have since I learned to do it.

Every person on earth does one or the other, and in an unofficial survey, I asked all of my family members, and we all cut our sandwiches diagonally, despite being very different people with different priorities, but it turns out according to a food expert, we all share certain attributes.

I consulted behavioral food expert and founder of Food-ology, Juliet A. Boghossian, for answers. An expert in non-verbal communication and psychology, Boghossian connects food habits to human behavior based on empirical research and quantitative data, and has done so for companies like Godiva, Starbucks, and Unilever, among others.

People who cut their sandwiches diagonally are “aesthetic-inspired and detail-oriented personalities focused on the experience, and making it their own,” said Boghossian in an e-mail to Kitchn. “To them a task is an inspiring opportunity to give it their personal touch – to make their mark. They partake in gossip because they need to know why, figure things out, immersed in details.”

This is true for all members of my family, aesthetics are very important to all of us (as is gossip) despite having more responsible and less responsible members. We all sit on the more artsy side of the spectrum as well. Boghossian also says people who cut their sandwiches diagonally have homes with “every innovative gadget made to man, novelty items that inspired them, trendy accents, and more,” and tend to have “a mixed bag of hits and misses on the quality long-term front of purchased items. Their motto: More is more.”

And how about those for whom sandwiches only see straight cuts? Boghossian says these folks are “practical, matter-of-fact personalities that focus on big picture, and care less about details or minutia. To them a task is a task – complete it and move on, no emotional ties as their work is not viewed as their masterpiece but a rote project.”

“They loathe gossip and appreciate the simplicity of their straightforward lives. Their house will resemble that of a minimalist – will have only what they need,” Boghossian continues, this person “may want to live a sparse live, but what they do commit to is all substance – don’t be surprised if they sport the finest car, top of the line kitchen range or finest in technology. Their motto: Less is more.”