I felt sick when I ate/had eaten the dessert

[sylwiano44]

What is the exact difference in using Past Simple and Past Perfect here?
Which one would be more preferred here?

I felt sick when I ate the dessert.
I felt sick when I had eaten the dessert.

Thanks!

 

[DonnyB]

The only real difference I can identify, in the absence of any specific context, is that the pluperfect in version (2) suggests to me that you'd finished eating it and then felt sick afterwards.

 

[RM1(SS)]

In which case I would say "I felt sick after I ate the dessert."