<p>This question might be borderline ontopic here, as it would fare better at Workplace.SE or similar sites. However, being involved in job interviews on a regular basis (in science) I became intrigued nonetheless. Whether it's applicable I can't tell, because I don't know in what area (of research?) you exactly applied for a job, but I found a <em>possible</em> answer on <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/funny-weird-interview-questions" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this blog site</a>, and I quote (bolding and italicization mine):</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em><strong>&quot;What do you think of garden gnomes?&quot;</strong></em><br />
This question, asked by Trader Joe's, is a ridiculous and silly
question. More than anything else, it's <strong>intended to loosen the
candidate up, see a glimpse of their personality, and gain insight
into culture fit</strong>.</p>
<p>There's <strong>no right answer to this question</strong>, but if your team likes to be
sarcastic with one another, you might want a candidate to say, &quot;If I
could get a job as one then I probably wouldn't be here today talking
to you.&quot;</p>
<p>Ultimately, if your candidate is <strong>able to handle</strong> this curveball with
ease, it shows an impressive <strong>ability to react quickly</strong> to bizarre
circumstances.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-11T08:19:01.950Z
2022-02-11T12:53:34.980Z
2022-02-11T12:53:34.980Z
AliceD
<p>I'm a software engineer and in one of my interviews they asked me this question :</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Do you prefer waffles or pancakes?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I don't know whether they asked this question to reduce my stress level, or to probe my line of thinking. I tried to search, but to no avail, so I decided to ask it here. This question is interesting for me because I find that some other companies asked this question for product manager roles, or front-end developers, and my answer is 'waffles'.</p>
<p><sub>PS. If this is not the right place of my question please let me know , I remove or move my question into another stack.</sub></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-05T13:53:40.877Z
Must be a reference to the waffles meme.
4231
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-05T19:09:15.593Z
Probably it's so they seem relatable and therefore makes you less stressed. waffles for me
Aops Vol. 2
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-11T02:50:40.203Z
After researching this question-I have a theory. The theory is that people who prefer pancakes are more “basic needs” kind of people, while people who prefer waffles are more adventurous and willing to take risks. Those who are into French toast are high maintenance. Just an idea. :)
user30312
<cognitive-psychology><test>
Waffles or pancakes?
MBehtemam
# Waffles or pancakes?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-10-05)

I'm a software engineer and in one of my interviews they asked me this question :

> Do you prefer waffles or pancakes?

I don't know whether they asked this question to reduce my stress level, or to probe my line of thinking. I tried to search, but to no avail, so I decided to ask it here. This question is interesting for me because I find that some other companies asked this question for product manager roles, or front-end developers, and my answer is 'waffles'.

PS. If this is not the right place of my question please let me know , I remove or move my question into another stack.

**Tags:** cognitive-psychology, test

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Must be a reference to the waffles meme.  
> **username_2**: Probably it's so they seem relatable and therefore makes you less stressed. waffles for me  
> **username_3**: After researching this question-I have a theory. The theory is that people who prefer pancakes are more “basic needs” kind of people, while people who prefer waffles are more adventurous and willing to take risks. Those who are into French toast are high maintenance. Just an idea. :)  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2022-02-11. Score: 1

This question might be borderline ontopic here, as it would fare better at Workplace.SE or similar sites. However, being involved in job interviews on a regular basis (in science) I became intrigued nonetheless. Whether it's applicable I can't tell, because I don't know in what area (of research?) you exactly applied for a job, but I found a *possible* answer on [this blog site](https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/funny-weird-interview-questions), and I quote (bolding and italicization mine):

> ***"What do you think of garden gnomes?"***  
> This question, asked by Trader Joe's, is a ridiculous and silly
> question. More than anything else, it's **intended to loosen the
> candidate up, see a glimpse of their personality, and gain insight
> into culture fit**.
>
> There's **no right answer to this question**, but if your team likes to be
> sarcastic with one another, you might want a candidate to say, "If I
> could get a job as one then I probably wouldn't be here today talking
> to you."
>
> Ultimately, if your candidate is **able to handle** this curveball with
> ease, it shows an impressive **ability to react quickly** to bizarre
> circumstances.


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