I keep vowing to not have a "working lunch" at my desk, but judging from the state of my keyboard, this vow has not been kept. In today's fast-paced world, taking time to slow down and properly enjoy a meal seems like a luxury, especially if you have kids in extracurricular activities. I see busy parents pulling together a quick meal to be eaten in a rush before leaving for the next soccer game or recital. But we should take the time to really savor our food, writes Betsy Andrews for Saveur Magazine.
There isn't much I can add to Betsy's great article, but I found myself nodding in agreement with each new paragraph. One of my favorite breakfasts is a fresh croissant slathered with spoonsful of pistachio paste. I should sit down and fully enjoy the juxtaposition of the crunchy outer layers yielding to smooth, delicious pistachio flavor, but usually I scarf it down over the sink because the paste has a tendency to run off the edges. After all, I don't want to drip pistachio oil on my clothes as I rush out the door to begin my commute.
Eating this way seems like an insult to the foods themselves. That pistachio paste is expensive—to the point where I actually wince when I add it to my shopping cart. Doesn't that extravagance deserve to be properly appreciated? And when I think about it, it's also an insult to my tastebuds as well as my digestive system, not to mention the time I put into making something as complicated as croissants.
The question becomes "what will it take to actually change my eating habits?" I know I should eat mindfully, yet I continue to rush my meals. Maybe I need to do something that seems silly like set an alarm for lunch, and block off the time on my Outlook calendar. My hope is that once I start paying more attention to my food—savoring it—it will eventually become odd to not eat that way.