Zoomboingding

They were obviously jealous during your 'lesbian' phase

Pro tip: you can change them however you want
I attacked my party with a backhoe that had a bulette's statblock

Also played 4e for like 3 months and enjoyed it. But it felt like a spinoff more than anything, and the game DID feel "game-ier". I wouldn't want my long-running campaigns in 4e.

Did anyone die in character creation?

There's pseudodragons and whelps that can easily be low level encounters. I threw a green dragon and a bunch of flying kobolds at my level 3 party and they easily won the fight.

It honestly just comes down to your DM style. An interaction like this is fun and has no mechanical benefit. If a player then wanted to pick up a potion and drink it as part of a free action, the DM would have to explain this to the players explicitly. But I've always been on the side of permissive rulings, because it allows the players to express themselves more freely. It takes more improvisation though.

Loosely, you get a "use object interaction" every turn that isn't given a lot of emphasis but is in the rules as "other activity on your turn" (pg 190, PHB 2014). It includes something like talking, opening an unlocked door during your movement, picking up something within reach from a table, or unsheathing your sword as part of your attack action. It says it should require an action only if it needs special care or presents an unusual obstacle. I'd agree that grabbing a handful of dust and putting it in your mouth could be a free action.

Every table uses some form of house rule though. The description won't be your exact D&D experience but it IS a typical one.

Speak for yourself, I'm a Social Justice Oozemancer

No you start at level 1 with 1/13 of a level from every class

The cis urge to solely experience your deepest desires vicariously