The scent of gingerbread never fails to make me think of Christmas, even when I bake gingerbread cookies in July.
I love the smell of fresh baking. Pies, muffins, cookies, bread - they all get my salivary glands pretty excited. Gingerbread in December is particularly evocative - no matter when I smell that particular mix of cinnamon and ginger I look over my shoulder half-expecting to see plum dude in a red suit standing behind me.
There’s just something about the sense of smell that has the power to transport me back to childhood, to places I’ve traveled, to another season - or to the movie theatre (yep, popcorn does it every time!)
How often do we give ourselves enough time to fully enjoy the multi-dimensional experience of a meal - the scents, the colours and textures? When do we allow enough time to savour each mouthful by chewing slowly, sipping our favourite beverage, perhaps taking breaks to converse? How often are our meals truly relaxing?
Sadly, our busy lives often mean grabbing something on the fly, eating alone, snacking in the car between meetings and not fully appreciating the food and drink we consume.
We need to eat every day, most of us more than once, but if we were to track the stats, how often do we give ourselves the time to deeply enjoy the experience? I know it’s not easy to carve out a full-on, multi-course dining experience several times every day, but there’s value in making a point to pay attention to how we’re consuming the fuel that feeds our bodies, minds, and spirits.
Fruit and cheese - one of my all-time favourite snacks, in part because I find it easier to savour the flavour combinations, This is a snack I nibble rather than gobble.Perhaps that’s why I’m a sucker for a good charcuterie platter.
Try This: Eat a Snack Really, Really Slowly
Here’s an experiment to try. The next time you have a snack, time how long it takes you to consume the food. Two minutes for an apple? 30 seconds for a chocolate bar? 3 minutes for a rice cake and peanut butter? I don’t know what you like to snack on, but get a baseline number (though, know that even just by timing the process you will likely by slowing down a little).
Next time you have that same snack, plan to take twice as long. How does slowing down change your experience of the snack? Does it taste better? Does your heart rate slow? Do you find you need to eat less to feel satisfied? There are no right or wrong answers, but how does simply slowing down change your snack experience?
Find a Friend, Share a Snack
Here’s another challenge. Next time it’s snack time is there someone around you could eat with? How does taking a few extra minutes to make a personal connection change the snacking experience? Again, there’s no right way to do this eating thing, but there is nourishment to be found by taking a moment to connect with someone else and I believe that connection is made all the more powerful when shared with someone else.
There was a weirdly futuristic-retro feel to our online meal-prep sharing experience.
Don’t Cook Alone: Share the Meal Preparation Experience
Recently, I had the fun experience of simultaneously preparing a meal while connected via video chat with a few other friends. It was a lot of fun - just like having people over and cooking together - except we were scattered far and wide.
We chatted, we laughed, we connected - and then, later, we ate in our own time. I know we all love to hate our digital devices, but in this case, the tools definitely nurtured relationships that can be hard to tend given we are in different time zones and all very busy.
Yes, our lives can be chaotic, but it seems to me that’s exactly why we need to make sure to make time to sit down and eat together with others.
It may not be practical to carve out several hours to prepare a big, complicated meal every night or to expect every member of our hockey-playing, French-horn studying, overtime shift-working family to be there for every meal, but a decision to commit to even one meal a week together should be within our reach.
If the meal preparation part feels overwhelming, then choosing a restaurant that offers thoughtfully prepared meals can be a fabulous option. My mother, who ran a business and did not particularly enjoy cooking, delegated the cooking task to the rest of us. My dad and the four kids took turns making meals, and when it was my mom’s night to cook, we ate out. We had many memorable family meals together that were prepared by others - and we were all grateful for that and the fact we didn’t have to wash the dishes after (cue the shout-out for those who work in the dish pit!!)
Explore Victoria’s Restaurants with Friends
We’re so fortunate to have so many restaurants here in the Greater Victoria area to choose from (have a browse through our online menus to see what’s available - click the big organ ‘EXPLORE’ button). We’re always eager to hear about your dining experiences - leave a comment and let us know where you love to go out and eat and why? What makes a really great meal? How do you make sure you find the time to share meals with those whose company you enjoy?
If you haven’t already done so, make sure you join our local Victoria Dinner Club. Watch for updates here in this blog as well as in our Facebook group. You never know where we may be dining next, but one thing you can count on - we won’t be rushing through our meals!
