Day 29 & Mindful Consumption

I had an important realization during my mindful consumption exercise: I hardly ever just eat. I watch a movie or read a magazine or cruise the web or talk with somebody. Often enough, I'm helping my little girl with her fork or getting her some more milk, and shoveling bites of food in my mouth in between taking care of her needs. But I rarely just eat, while doing nothing else.

So yesterday afternoon found me sitting at my kitchen table, digging into a pint of Ben & Jerry's Cinnamon Bun ice cream. I used to eat a lot of ice cream, but even before PCP it had become a pretty rare treat. Woo, the first few bites were delicious! Cold and creamy, sweet caramel, little chunks of cinnamon sugar something. Lots of different flavors and textures all mixed together. Once upon a time I would have been able to eat the whole pint (probably because I was watching TV while eating and not noticing the ice cream itself) but yesterday I was done, really and truly done, after about 15 bites. It was good but it didn't stay as good after a few spoonfuls.

I heard an interview yesterday on NPR with Grant Achatz, the chef at Alinea, a groundbreaking restaurant in Chicago. (He has a really interesting story -- he recently survived a bout of oral cancer which left him unable to taste, but he continued cooking. Here's a link to the interview.) At Alinea, they serve a tasting menu that might be 20 courses long, each course being just a few bites. He mentioned that one reason they do such small portions is that you lose the novelty and the enjoyment of the taste after a few bites, and they're looking to create an emotional experience in diners so they need to keep things moving along. This is food as an art form, a rarefied experience that I'd love to try one day, but it's not food as medicine or sustenance. Yet the idea that the enjoyment can't last long -- yes, of course, that's true. The first couple of bites of anything is usually the best. Another good reminder.

After I ate the ice cream, I started feeling kind of fuzzy and sleepy a little while later. I drank some tea to help feel better but it didn't really work. I didn't feel terrible but I didn't feel great either. This is a good reminder in the future that if I choose to indulge, there's going to be a hangover. Occasionally I can consciously & willingly take this on, just like if I decide to have one more glass of wine than would really be prudent, but for the most part, I like to feel sharp and strong as I go through my day.

Wide angle forward bend was a little less traumatic yesterday too. It's fun to see how I'm becoming ever-so-slightly more flexible all the time.