Tuesday, February 23, 2016

HOW TO EAT YOUR FOOD – Foodie Musings

HOW TO EAT YOUR FOOD – Foodie Musings by VIKRAM KARVE
This morning  I committed the sacrilege of “grabbing a bite”.
Of late  I have been multitasking while eating.
It is easy to give advice to others  but it is difficult to follow the same advice yourself.
So  I pulled out my Foodie Book APPETITE FOR A STROLL – and I read what I had written 16 years ago on THE ART OF EATING.
I thought it would be a good idea to post this self help article once more on my blog for you to read.
Happy Eating !!!
THE ART OF EATING 
By
VIKRAM KARVE
 
THERE IS NO LOVE GREATER THAN THE LOVE OF FOOD

Are you in the habit of “grabbing a bite”...?
Do you ever eat in the office while continuing to work or just skip meals altogether...?
Do you multitask while eating...?
Do you have power breakfasts, working lunches and business dinners...?
Do you eat fast and hurriedly, finish meals well ahead of everyone else and eat in bigger bites without savoring the taste of food...? 
Can you vividly recall the taste of all the dishes you ate during your last meal? 
Do you eat when you eat...?
Do you want to master the Art of Eating and learn how to enjoy your food...?
Remember  there is no love greater than the love of eating – so read on  learn and try to master the Art of Eating...  
Good food must be savored delicately  slowly, attentively and respectfully  in a befitting manner  with finesse and technique  with relish and appreciation  and you will experience true gustatory delight.
That is the essence of the Art of Eating.  
ART OF EATING
It is sacrilege to eat in a ravenous and rapacious manner.
Never eat when tired, angry, worried, tense  or when you are in a hurry.
At mealtimes  refuse to think or talk about unpleasant subjects.  
It is best to eat alone  mindfully  with yourself  in glorious solitude  in a calm, serene, conducive and unhurried environment.
If you must have company while eating  you must always eat with friendly, relaxed and tranquil people who love food  and whose company you enjoy.
Never eat with “toxic” “harried” or “stressed-out” people  or in a tense or hurried atmosphere.  
FIRST PLAN YOUR “EAT”  THEN EAT YOUR “PLAN
If you want to do full justice to good food  you must build up an appetite for it – merely being hungry is not enough.
And  the first step towards building up an appetite for good food is to think about good food – simulated imaginative gustatory visualization  to stimulate and prepare yourself for the sumptuous indulgence.
An important thing we were taught at boarding school was to read the menu  and prepare for the meal by beginning to imagine relishing each and every dish  from soup to pudding  in our mind’s eye.  
Remember: First plan your “eat” – then eat your “plan
EAT YOUR FOOD TWICE
It is true.
I eat my food twice. 
Yes  I  EAT MY FOOD TWICE.
First  I eat in my mind’s eye – imagining  visualizing  “vicariously tasting”  fantasizing  strategizing  on how I am going to savour and relish the dish to my utmost pleasure and satisfaction  till my mouth waters  and I desperately yearn to eat it.
And  then  I do the honours – actually go ahead and physically eat the food  and I enjoy the delightful experience.
That is what you must do  EAT YOUR FOOD TWICE  first  taste the food in your mind  and then  relish the food on your tongue.  
Eating is not a gustatory experience alone  it is visual and olfactory as well.
Food must look good, smell good, taste good  and  most importantly  food must make you feel good.
DO NOT MULTITASK WHILE EATING
The Art of Eating – a Holistic, Multidimensional experience  encompassing all domains of your inner being.
Eat in silence  mindfully – with full awareness.
Savour the aroma  delicately place the food on your tongue  chew slowly  and experience the variety of flavours as the permeate your taste buds  fully aware  and sense the nourishment  as the food dissolves  and sinks deep within you.
Chew your food to a pulp or milky liquid until it practically swallows itself.
Never mix food and drink – alcohol dulls the taste buds  and dampens olfactory sensation  and encumbers the unmitigated enjoyment of good food.  
You must always close your eyes during the process of eating.
When you eat  you must eat. 
Do nothing else while eating. 
No seeing  no hearing  no talking. 
No multitasking. 
That’s right – you must never multitask while eating.
Just eat.
Yes  when you eat  just eat.
Focus all your senses on your food  eat mindfully  meditatively  and you will attain a state of delightful bliss and happiness.  
It is simple – very simple.
Create a positive eating atmosphere  an environment of happy conducive vibes  honour your taste buds  respect your food  and eat it in a proper state of mind  with love, zest, awareness and genuine appreciation  and it will transport you to a state of bliss and happiness.
Remember: There is no love greater than the love of eating.  
In a nutshell  this is the Art of Eating 

VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 
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Disclaimer:
All Stories in this Blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

This article written by me around 16 years ago in the year 2000 - this article features in my Foodie Book APPETITE FOR A STROLL by Vikram Karve and also posted online earlier many times including at url: http://vwkarve.wordpress.com/2007/02/05/the-art-of-eating-by-vikram-karve/

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