Last night I made it a point to eat with exquisite slowness. Part of my ongoing instruction in Dialectical Behavior Therapy is a more consistent practice of mindfulness. The dictionary definition of being mindful doesn’t quite hit the mark of what it means; I prefer John Kabat-Zinn’s explanation:

Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.

I spent an hour drinking tea and eating sushi alone at my favorite sushi restaurant. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t be cause enough for me to write about the experience, but I ran into a problem before I left to eat: I couldn’t locate my Kindle. When I eat by myself, I always pair my meal with a book. In this way, I give my mind and body sustenance at the same time. Plus, few people willingly interrupt someone who is clearly enjoying a good book.

Dismayed for a few minutes, I stubbornly got into my car and resolved to eat and read from the Kindle app on my phone. Not the best experience, but I can get my book-fix at the very least. As I drove, though, I realized that I had a golden opportunity to practice eating with a fuller sense of awareness.

The maître d’ seated me at the sushi bar, and I pulled out my phone. I know, I know, but we’re going for baby steps here. I pulled up my Kindle app and then set the phone aside to review the menu. Water and green tea to drink, and an order of yellowtail tuna topped with jalapeños as an appetizer to start. With time to kill, I fired up my phone and dove back into reading “The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time”. I made it a point to read more slowly than my usual clip, and to re-read the more vexing sections. It took more than a few readings to remember that optimism is controlled, in part, by the ventral anterior cingulate. Brain terminology doesn’t relate to much else. When the server brought my appetizer, I put my phone in my pocket, picked up my chopsticks, and savored the five pieces of tuna before me.

WHAT a treat! I placed each piece of tuna onto my tongue, and waited a few moments until I had leeched out the initial flavor. Then, I repeated that process with every bite. When the jalapeño touched my taste buds, it was like I had been tased. After enjoying each piece, I put my plate to the side, pulled out my phone and got back to my book. Best quote so far:

Having depression is like being tuned to the six o’clock news all the time.

As the main course arrived, I prepared to go slow. I had sixteen pieces of two different sushi rolls in front of me, a small pile of ginger to cleanse my palate, and a new mentality of mindfulness to cultivate. With my phone carefully ensconced in my pocket, I again wielded my chopsticks to set about eating with the goal of tasting every morsel.

I started with the Green Monster. A spicy salmon roll that I allowed to melt in my mouth before slowly swallowing. I followed that roll with a tiny serving of ginger, and then placed a California Roll topped with tuna onto my tongue. I repeated the process; this time closing my eyes to focus more deeply on the different tastes and textures. Once I had finished that roll, I took a measured sip of green tea and sat back to reflect.

There were still fourteen pieces of sushi on my plate, but I was in not in my usual rush. Had I been reading, I would have inhaled half of the rolls before I finished a page. Barely tasting an expertly crafted meal, and probably would be unable to recall the message of the story in which I was supposedly so engrossed. Attempting to do two things at once, dilutes both experiences to less-than-enjoyable levels. This experience of mindful eating, where I took forty-five minutes to eat sixteen pieces of sushi was indulgent. It was also glorious.

This meal was more memorable and more satisfying than any meal that I can recall eating in the past few months. In fact, this was such a pleasurable experience that I’m making it a weekly event as a method of boosting my overall mood. On Sunday nights, I will return to my favorite sushi restaurant to practice eating mindfully. I invite you to try this the next time you sit down for a meal, and experience the joy of being a live being who can fully enjoy tasting good food.