Deliberate Eating

Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: “I am with you kid. Let’s Go.” – Maya Angelou
I have spent most my life eating at the kitchen sink. Literally. Even as a chef (or especially, I don’t know which) I rarely sit down and enjoy a meal with my friends and family at an actual table with actual silverware and actual time to enjoy the experience. I spend hours and hours creating a dining event for other people every day and never enjoy one myself. I grab the first thing to hand (usually bread) and slather it with the second thing at hand (hummus…romesco…tapenade…smart balance …you get the idea) and call it a meal. My justification is that I am tasting all day long so I don’t really need to eat…
And while I am getting enough to eat calorically (although definitely not nutritionally) I am not doing something equally important and that is feeding my soul. Most traditional cultures observe some sort of divine appreciation at the beginning of the meal and enjoy the event of eating with friends and family as part of the social fabric. Food is a part of the cultural identity, an integral part of communal entertainment as well as woven into religious rituals and cultural practices. As Americans we consume most of our meals by food that has been either handed to us through a car window, alone standing in front of the microwave or in our cubicle spilling ketchup and crumbs between spreadsheets. Food becomes merely a vehicle for existence not a primary sensual and spiritual pleasure.
In examining our relationship with food one of the most important things to ask ourselves is why we eat the WAY we do. Part of the process of remaking our relationship with food is to redefine the way we view the actual event and eliminate that which does not nourish our soul as well as our body.
Compound this with the fact that your body wants to be well. Each day that you give your body clean nourishing soul sustaining food it is repairing and regenerating positive growth and healthy energy. Clearly the most important thing you can do for yourself is give permission for this healing and growth to occur. One of the things we will be focusing on for the next two months is channeling and directing this positive energy to its greatest possible benefit.
Do we eat alone? Oftentimes the idea of eating alone is so distasteful that we pretend we are not doing it. Do it while occupied with almost anything else. Personally my favorite places to eat are in the bathtub, in the sink, on the computer, and in bed all the while doing something else to occupy myself from the fact that I am consuming food. Have an eating place in your home that is separate from your other activities. Not typing with one hand on the computer keyboard while trying to consume calories not sustenance.
Do we eat with deliberation? Do we savor each and every bite taking time to chew slowly and enjoy the experience or do we bolt our food finishing every last morsel like we are competing for a land speed record? As a chef I sometimes get lost in the flavors and essence of a dish and this communion is one of the most exciting parts of my job. Tasting, really tasting, every subtlety brings a whole new awareness to what you are eating.
Do we eat with utensils? The ceremony of eating is part of the intrinsic sensual enjoyment of the process. Laying out the table with cloth, cutlery, chopsticks, candles and giving the event the sense of circumstance that it deserves. Even if only for ourselves the ceremony of the dining event makes it an act of deliberation. This does not mean that “finger food” is not acceptable just that it has its place (foreplay) and its time and should not be considered a substitute for the actual ceremony.
Do we appreciate the divine source of our sustenance? Many religions and traditional cultures observe the ritual thanking the source for their sustenance. By acknowledgement we appreciate that we are stewards and recipients of this gift and it might become one we are less willing to take for granted.
By simply changing how we eat we are also more focused on what we eat. No longer does a Mickey D’s combo meal fit the bill for the slow savoring of each and every deliberate mouthful. In fact, if we are thanking the divine source for nourishment then let’s actually do the work of making sure what goes on the plate is fulfilling and nutritionally complete. If we are going to enjoy the event with our family and friends then it seems worthy of the time and effort required for preparation of a home cooked meal rather than one from a box or carton.
Homework for Conscious Eating:
Deliberately plan your eating events this week. Even if you live alone make each meal a conscious action by eating at the eating place and slowly savoring every morsel. Note your physical reaction to your food. Note your emotional reaction to treating food with ceremony. Try and plan at least one meal eating with others if you live alone and at least one meal as a family if you live with your partner. Plan the event as if you were inviting someone very special to dinner (you are: you) and treat the event with the ceremony and gravity it deserves. Have fun and take longer to eat the meal than it did to prepare.


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