"Do You Chew Your Food?"

by John H.
2001.07.02

How many of us take the time these days to sit down and have a nice lunch/dinner and actually taste what we are eating.  In my reality, I eat while watching TV, driving or working. I don't take the time to enjoy what is going into my stomach.  I don't savor every bite, or even enjoy what I eat. I just know I have to eat, or I'll die.  So I shove it in as fast as I can and get back to whatever it is that I'm doing.  But, there are rare times when we do enjoy our meals. But the meal has to be something extravagant, or extraordinary.  Do we get excited over a peanut butter sandwich, or a nice juicy steak?  Why does it have to be something fancy or out of this world for us to take notice to what we are eating?

Using this same logic, how many of us drive to work, get there and don't remember driving? Unless there is some horrific car crash, then we remember.  Take this advice: tomorrow on your drive to work/school, look around.  I bet you'll find at least 5 things you never noticed before. Why is this significant? (Well, in the grand scheme of my journey to the end, its not.)  But being conscious of your surroundings can't be bad. I bet once you've passed this little exercise, it will carry over to other parts of your life.  Its funny how we live in the same space, and have the same stuff, but it takes an outsider to point out the cool stuff that you've forgotten about. You may pass the same poster everyday, and not even realize you have it.  Until an observant friend of yours points it out.

I don't understand the human brain. We marvel at the new, but ignore the old. We ignore the basic staples of life, on the journey to finding something new and shiny to keep us busy for 5 minutes, only to yearn for more.  But I guess wanting more is the American way. Bigger, Faster, Stronger: all goals people strive to attain on an everyday basis.  When does it all end? How much bigger do those SUV's have to get before the malls of American have their own Big Ass SUV parking lot.  Soon enough those things will come equipped with ladders.

Tomorrow for lunch, take it outside, find a bench, and eat.  Not only will you enjoy every bite, but you will notice things. You may watch people going by, or watch birds, or watch the trees sway in the wind. This may not be as exciting as eating a steak while playing with your new computer surfing the net trying to find the your new SUV, but your brain will thank you.