It is my birthday so I enjoyed myself by going out to lunch with some friends. We went to my favorite Korean place and had dolsot bibimbap, which is one of my favorite dishes. First course was banchan, which are little side dishes. I love the little dishes, but I was good and only took one of each. It was when my dolsot bibimap that came when I realized how hungry I was. Without thinking I stirred in the raw egg to cook it in the hot stone pot and dug in. When I finally came up for air I had eaten more than half of the pot! I had unconsciously eaten my favorite dish. I sat back and really looked in the pot to see that I had not been aware. It made me feel so unsatisfied. I would have finished eating the pot, but I stopped myself since I took a moment to notice that I was full.
So when I read about "mindful eating" I wanted to turn the clock back and really sit there at lunch to take my time to eat my dolsot bibimbap again. I wanted to notice the spicy flavor of the hot sauce or the crunchy texture of the golden brown rice that had stuck to the bottom of the hot stone pot or the subtle musky flavor of the long interesting mushrooms that I have never seen before. This would have made me feel more satisfied about eating my favorite dish.
Next time, I am going to do the following-
- To remember that the two purposes of food is to fuel my body and appreciate flavors.
- To think about my eating patterns and notice when I eat with no awareness.
- To stop the "unconscious eating" by slowing down way down, sit to eat, and focus on details- flavors, aroma, temperature, colors, textures and presentation.
- To use my magic notebook to write down my observations and feelings about having complete awareness and focus on my food when eating a meal.
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