Recently, while on holiday in New Caledonia, I struck by some super interesting eating habits of the locals.
One habit, in particular, was the direct opposite of what we see here in New Zealand.
Here’s what I noticed:
Nobody eats on the run
Whether I was at the mall, the central business district, or at the beach – nobody ate on the run.
Nobody was eating a sandwich or munching on a sushi roll or tucking into a packet of crisps while walking down the pavement.
Eating on the run is something we see sooooo much of these days. It’s become our new normal.
We’re so busy rushing through our day, rushing through our to-do lists, rushing from meeting to meeting or rushing to pick up the children.
Eating has become just one more thing to tick-off our to-do list.
And something I’ve noticed about women who eat on the run, they very, very rarely ever feel satisfied with what they’ve eaten.
It’s an honouring ritual
In New Caledonia, the locals would take a lunch hour. It was a ritual they’d perform every single day – no matter how far behind they were on their to-do list! They all took a lunch hour.
There were many groups of people sitting together or individuals sitting by themselves. But the key thing is, they were all seated while they enjoyed their food.
When food becomes one more thing to tick-off our to-do list, we forget to take pleasure in it. Pleasure is soooooo important.
So take a seat – no more eating on the run – and enjoy your food. Enjoy the flavours, and enjoy nourishing your wonderful body.
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C’mon over to Lighten Up.
