Eat Slow. Connect to Soul
— Mahatma Gandhi
"I've always eaten rapidly. I trace it back to my childhood. There were times when we didn't have enough food, and the child who ate the fastest got the food. I had three siblings, and although I was the oldest, I was the smallest, and mealtimes always seemed like survival of the fittest. Even though we're grown-up and have plenty of food, my siblings and I have a fallback tendency to eat quickly. For me, learning to eat slowly continues to take real discipline. But it's well worth the reward, because when I do, life seems more luminous and the voice of Spirit is clearer.
"Many years ago I had an experience in France that worked like a wonderful reset button for me. I'd fallen into the American tradition of eating on the fly in front of my computer or television. This didn't seem out of the ordinary, because everyone I knew (with the exception of Meadow) did the same thing. The first few days of eating in the restaurants in France were agonizing for me. Every course took so long.
" 'When's the food coming?' I'd ask. Meadow would say, 'Mom, just slow down. Enjoy the experience.' But I'd keep saying, 'What's taking so long?' And then after we'd eaten, I'd lament, 'Where's the bill?' Meadow had spent enough time in France to understand the languid tempo of French dining, but it was really hard for me.
"It took about three days of anxious eating to just surrender to the slower pace. When I finally did, it was amazing. I found that I was more present with my family. I heard our conversations more intimately. The colors of the food were more vivid. I tasted the complex overtones and nuances of each dish. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant. There was radiance around the entire dining experience that never occurred when I raced through my meal. I immersed myself so much in the experience that when we returned home, I found the rapid pace of dining in the United States jarring and had a hard time adjusting."
