Is there a "Messy Eater" Gene?

Okay, it's no big secret that I am a messy eater. In high school, I think I always had something spilled on my shirt. And I was banned from eating or drinking in numerous vehicles. I'm still banned from eating in certain parts of my own home (but that usually doesn't stop me). As I've gotten older, I've gotten much less messy as far as eating goes. I can generally get through a meal without spilling on myself. But, you can usually still tell which spot at the table was mine due to the amount of crumbs and drips, etc.
So, you'd think that I would be sympathetic when I see my kids struggle to stay clean while eating. But, instead, it drives me crazy. I can't even watch them eat most of the time. They pick things apart and hold it in their hands until it melts and do anything possible except normal, civilized eating.
Britton has always been a messy eater. Even as a baby, he was the master at spitting up. I don't think he had a feeding without spitting half of it up. I should've known I was in for trouble then. Even knowing that, he still manages to amaze me. He can take an ordinary food and make a complete mess out of it. Like a piece of cheese, for example. I wouldn't think of cheese as a messy food, but he managed to crumble it up into tiny pieces and get grease all over. Who even thinks of doing that with cheese?
I thought that there was hope for Haley. She has always been too interested in getting as much food as possible into her mouth that she generally didn't make a mess. But, now as she gets a bit older, I'm starting to see some of the signs of a messy eater. She's playing with her food more, picking it apart, finding unique ways to eat things. Why did both my kids have to take after me?