Food doesn’t taste better with friends.

One of the best meals I’ve ever had was at a Michelin Star restaurant in Barcelona. 

I was seated alone on the outer deck, overlooking the marina. The sun was setting, and as it gently kissed the horizon the sky was transformed to a symphony of color.  

The meal was a 10-course degustation. Each dish was brought out on its own and explained in great detail by the server. With each bite I was transported to a world of flavor, and after finishing each dish I would let the taste linger in my mouth for as long as possible, savoring the moment. As it was a set menu, there was no need to be distracted by choice, and as I had no data or wifi, there was no reason to touch my phone either. 

A few weeks later I found myself in another Michelin Star restaurant, in the north of Spain. This time I was with a few people I’d met while hiking the Camino Santiago. We laughed, we drank wine, we shared stories and we enjoyed each other’s company. 

I can’t remember what the food tasted like.

I remember so much about that meal in Barcelona, yet so little about basically every other meal I’ve eaten since.

Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t eat meals with friends. There’s a lot of positives for spending time in the company of others. But what about when we’re alone?

See, eating is something we can do without thinking, which is why we usually don’t pay attention to our food. Instead of enjoying the meal, we’re often scrolling social media, responding to emails or eating on the go. The drive to always be productive means we’re tempted to fill every spare minute doing something.

I’ve tried a lot of different ways to be more mindful, including breathing techniques, meditating, and going for long, intentional walks. But when I think back to that meal in Barcelona, I’m reminded that mindfulness doesn’t need to be a whole new ritual or habit we need to squeeze into our day. By simply taking the time to pay attention to our food, we get the benefits of mindfulness without having to add anything to our schedule.

Now when I’m eating meals I really try not to use my phone, and to eat more mindfully.

Instead, I focus only on the food. I focus on how it smells, and how tastes. Does the taste linger on, or does it disappear quickly? I focus on the texture. Does it cruch as I bite into it, or is it soft and comes apart easily? What does it sound like as I bite and chew? I look at the colours, I feel the temperature, I really pay attention.

There’s so much going on, that’s so easily missed. I’ve found that taking this time to be mindful always makes me feel refreshed. I feel more calm, I can focus better and in turn I’m actually more productive. 

My meal times are now something I really look forward to, and I literally eat the same thing every day!