Eating… (1) real food (2) slower (3) in the dining room.
A few months ago, we decided to start eating in the dining room when we have dinner as a family. I realize this might be a ridiculous statement to those of you who already do this but for the 5 of us, it was new. We were kitchen table people.
Absolutely a wonderful change that’s created 3-4 nights each week of real fun (we can’t seem to get all of us together more than that). And finally, we’re putting that room to real use.
Additionally, partially in response to reading Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, we’re trying to eat more real food and doing it slowly. For more depth on eating real food, consider Pollan’s book (intro to the book is here).
On easting slowly… We’re all working on enjoying our food a little more by minimizing our tendency to push it through the system from plate to stomach in two seconds.
Hilarious and pathetic at the same time (once we’re aware).
How often we find ourselves chewing something while loading our next bite onto our forks only to keep it just outside our mouth… shoving it in once the previous bite is gone so we can be sure not a gap of space exists between our lips and stomach.
Sleep eating at its best.
(the image is of a dining room in Italy from a few year ago… a great trip)
Great article. Over the years I have practiced being present with food, not an easy task. I find it most challenging when eating sweets, generally finding I am more interested in the next bite than enjoying what I am eating at the moment.