func _on_puller_ready() -> void:
while true:
await get_tree().create_timer(3)
$"../place_area".add_child(food.instantiate())
this object when instanced creates hundreds of food instantly before crashing itself, why is it ignoring the await create timer?
Thundershade You can't await on objects, only on signals.
await get_tree().create_timer(3).timeout() ?
await get_tree().create_timer(3).timeout() ?
await get_tree().create_timer(3.0).timeout
Example:
https://docs.godotengine.org/en/4.4/classes/class_scenetree.html#class-scenetree-method-create-timer
DaveTheCoder was too lazy to look at the docs how to write that statement 
