Tempo readers were either intrigued or completely put off by the concept of eating as a meditation, mentioned in my Friday dining review. I knew before writing it that some would entirely dismiss the notion that mindful eaters can happily consume smaller portions and find greater pleasure in their food, as many health experts recommend.
Now that I’m about to suggest a similar theory, here’s a disclaimer: Read no further if you find meditation as odd as a restaurant that serves no animal protein (like one meat-head exclaimed on the Mail Tribune’s reader forum).
In this age of busy households and convenience foods, the simple tasks associated with preparing food can actually be a means to relaxation. You don’t need to follow a Rachael Ray 30-minute recipe to find cooking stress-free. It’s all about the approach.
Visualize how you’re going to prepare your next meal. How will the heft of your chef’s knife feel in your hand? How will the freshly chopped parsley smell? What is the exact hue of the bell peppers you purchased?
Such sensory details associated with cooking seem mundane when the cook assigns them no importance. Yet when they represent a means to unwind at the end of a busy day, they somehow seem infinitely significant, able to sustain all good cooks through life’s stressors.
I realize many households multi-task through their meals, as I did last week preparing a much-anticipated dinner. After talking on the phone throughout my stint in the kitchen, I emerged after dinner with a full stomach but unsatisfied. Because I wasn’t concentrating on the process, I couldn’t enjoy my food as much as usual.
If weeknights just won’t allow you to devote your attention to cooking, try meditating on your food in much shorter intervals. When preparing a snack, listen closely to the snap of that fresh apple when you remove the core. Try to hold that fresh whiff of feta cheese in your nostrils.
Do these small observations boost enjoyment of your food? Let me know.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 16th, 2007 at 2:04 pm and is filed under The Whole Dish. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.