I was shooting the breeze with my pal Deidre, and she was telling me about the one thing that she admired about the French and their relationship with food is that they truly savor and experience their food at meal time. For example, dinner can easily run 2-3 hours because people will slowly chew their food to really taste it. They will chat about the preparation of the food, the ingredients, and the memories of other times they've had similar food experiences. Meal time is an experience to share with others and yourself. There is great pleasure.
In America, most of us scarf food, shovel it in, or chew like we're trying to win a gold medal for fastest eater. We are constantly in a rush and thus don't typically spend the time to just sit with food and savor all the wonderful sensations and flavors. And because we wolf the food down, we quickly over stuff ourselves because the food is going in faster than the stomach can communicate to the brain, "Hey stop eating! We're full."
We eat plenty of fast food, frozen food, and left over food. There is plenty of instant gratification but not much savoring. That pizza got into your stomach in 5 minutes but did you taste the basil? Did you find pleasure in the chewiness of the mozzarella? Did you envelope the smell of the sauce and the toppings? For many of us, the answer is no because we're more focused on instant consumption. This fast eating though is one factor that contributes to weight gain.
This week, take one day and make dinner a slow and lingering experience. Go out to one of your favorite restaurants or cook dinner, and really take the time to chew your food slowly, to smell your dish, and to enjoy the beauty of the preparation of the food laid out on your plate. You may find the dining experience highly pleasurable.
