The other night a very dear friend of mine took me out to the Keg for dinner.  We went late, about 9 p.m. and spent three glorious hours "dining".  Yes, dining.   Very different from grabbing a bite to eat before going somewhere else, or eating while doing something else.   Dining takes time.  Dining is mindful.  It's all about the food and company, nothing else.   We had a wonderful server, a good friend of my friend, who was very attentive.   We started with a plate of appetizers and took our time eating them.  The conversation was interesting.   The atmosphere was convivial.  And I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

It occurred to me, that evening, how seldom I take the time to dine.  Food and I have a very turbulent relationship.   Most of the time I eat while doing something else, mostly playing on the computer, sometimes watching a movie. When I am eating with friends, I am distracted by what is on my plate, or what is going around me, especially if there is a t.v. screen nearby.   I pay very little attention to what I am putting in my mouth, even when I have spent time cooking it myself.  I eat quickly.   I don't wolf it down, I just want to get it over with and move on to other things.   I don't savour.   I eat the wrong things for the wrong reasons.  Usually whatever is easiest.  Often it is just junk.  Sometimes I think I would be perfectly happy if I never had to worry about food again.   If I just had to take a pill to meet my nutritional requirements.

And then I have an experience like the other night.  It showed me that I can have a "right" relationship with food.  I can sit down and relax and take my time and savour each delicious morsel of that perfectly prepared steak, and those delicious garlic mashed potatoes.   I can enjoy my escargot in a mature manner with only a fleeting reference to the body part it reminds me of.  I accessed a part of me I don't see often.  It was not easy, mind you.  I was terribly distracted by the drama of the couple at the table beside us, and I do want to apologize to my companion for that.  But I tried very hard to be present.  

Thank you my friend, for a lovely evening.