DAY 171 -- Slowness

I've been reading the book In Praise of Slowness: How a Worldwide Movement Is Challenging the Cult of Speed by Carl Honore.  The chapter I am currently reading happens to be about food--Slow Food--and discusses the setbacks of a "fast food" world.


I thought I would share some sections.

..."Instead of sitting down with family or friends, we often eat solo, on the move or while doing something else--working, driving, reading the newspaper, surfing the Net. Nearly half of Britons now eat their evening meal in front of the TV, and the average British family spends more time together in the car than they do around the table.  When families do eat together, it is often at fast-food joints like McDonald's where the average meal lasts eleven minutes" (p. 55).

"Americans devote less time than anyone else--about an hour a day--to eating, and are more likely to buy processed food and to dine alone.  Britons and Canadians are not much better" (p. 57).

Remember in yesterday's post when I said I wanted to take more time to eat and savor my food?  I really do need to make more effort to pay attention to meal time.  I do okay when eating with my husband (breakfast, and most evening meals) but during the meals when he is gone, I tend to wolf down my food and get back on tasks, or wolf while working.  I'm not consuming "fast food" at restaurants, but I inhale my food at home.


I need to s-l-o-w down!  


(For more information about the Slow Food movement, click here.)