Sit Down and Eat
A week ago:
It's excruciating. I've got an errand to run before work and I can see from the flashing of seconds on the oven clock that sitting will make me late. But since GRON got back from being in Europe, I've been thinking about my life and my food, and making some changes. I'm trying, desperately, to sit and eat.
Written today:
Nearly everyone who goes to Europe1 raves about food and while some would argue that it's better, I disagree while acknowledging that I haven't eaten food all over the European continent. I disagree mostly because we have access to a lot of good food around us which we don't eat for two reasons: it involves going out of the way and it is usually more expensive. For example, here in South Dakota there are many ways to get food directly from the farmers who grow it. One way is to buy from the farmer's market, another is to buy from Hutterites, a religious sect who do all their farming organically (btw, I think "organic" is a lot of hype and don't understand the obsession) and on a small scale. I used to buy incredible fresh bread (herbs & cheese, cinnamon, walnut) at the farmer's market when I lived in Brookings.
I think what seems true about a lot of the Europeans' approach that I admire is respect for the act of eating. In the US (depending on where you are) it seems like eating is extremely low priority - something to cross of a list of needs, like sleep. If that means eating McDonalds on the road because you have no time for a nice three course meal at the outdoor café before your next task, so be it. In the process what's become acceptable for food is actually a lot lower than we care to think, or, in my case, taste. But what we do have power over, if not the food itself, is the act of eating and having a certain amount of respect for it.
In my usual mornings in the past, I would wake up with enough time to start the coffee, take a shower, pack my things and go. The best foods were portable and easily prepared. You can run around the apartment with a toasted bagel or English muffin, not so with cereal. If the morning didn't lend itself to a quick snack I'd usually just skip breakfast or stop somewhere along the way.
But I noticed something simple: I didn't even taste anymore. Of course I got the sensation and some familiarity with food, but I realized that eating had become more about gulping and swallowing than it was about picking something good. Even with things that should present a distinct taste were less about that than their utility; my choice at the local coffee shop was usually lighter roast beans for more caffeine rather than a preference for, say, Costa Rican coffee over Nicaraguan.
The picture that came to my mind was our dog in Nairobi, who, no matter what you presented, inhaled it in seconds. And I thought to myself: I eat like a dog2.
So in order to stop the rush and add some thoughtfulness to the act of eating, I sit down and try to enjoy my meal. The food itself may not be different but if there's jam on my bagel, I slow down to enjoy it. If it's a good fresh roast of Ethiopian coffee beans, I don't drink it on the way to work, distracted by NPR, my lateness, and the lukewarm nature of it. I try to taste it so that I can tell the difference between that and some other roast I'll get on a different day.
On the day that we moved in, K bought a kitchen table. For each meal I have at home, I try to sit at the table and give myself a little pause. When we're both at home, we usually eat together at the table. It doesn't always happen but it's made a difference thus far. Sometimes I'm late, but so be it. I could be late running around and stuffing my face with whatever's close and portable, or I can reset my thoughts and have a little moment of reflection before going. It's been a week or so since my first encounter, watching the clock flash with each second. This morning I read a great New Yorker article about Will Wright while finishing my focaccia bread and coffee. And I wasn't late to work.
1I'm definitely generalizing about Europe (not everywhere is Paris) but in this context think of places like Spain, France, or Italy; well known for cuisine. I also know that there are a lot of lifestyle factors in food choice so it makes sense that a programmer in say, Barcelona, may eat on the go just as much as I do.
2Although dogs won't eat anything. Ever try to feed one sushi?
12:08:05 AM 
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