Savoring my Food

I need to slow down my eating! And I'm not the only one who notices. Practically all of my friends have told me that I need to slow down, my kids remind me to eat more slowly and so does my husband. But, for the most part their pleas have fallen upon deaf ears. Until now!

Today I dragged my dieter-accomplice friend Nancy to lunch. We went to La Baguette, which I love, because the food is simple, straightforward and good. We split a melted brie and ham sandwich on a pretty thin baguette and each had a cup of tomatoe soup. The soup was really more of a bisque becaue it was thinner than a traditional tomato soup. So, before we even took our first bite, I reminded both of us to chew slowly so that we could actually taste what was in the food. I usually just bite and start chomping, but this time I actually chewed slowly and it was interesting. I tasted all the nuances of the brie, and then the ham and its smoky saltiness kicked in. The bread's somewhat sour earthiness really impacted me because I think for so long, I just ate bread without really thinking about how it tasted. I could taste the difference between the browned bread on the crust and the softer interior  . . . and it was good. I did the same for the soup. Yummmm. I could taste how fresh the tomatoes were when they were canned (canned tomatoes in winter are better than fresh, I find). I could taste the chicken base in the soup and the fresh basil in the soup. It was really a much better experience. Both Nancy and I found that we were fuller when we were finished, and more satisfied.

Then I ruined my feelings of superiority by forgetting to eat late in the afternoon and, in a ravenous craze, ate a quarter of the boule I bought while driving and thinking of other things.

Darn it! But at least I'm on the right track. Now off to brown up some grass fed pork chops and a little sauerkraut.