in a Fancy Glass

Slow Down....

I have been listening to lots of podcasts about food and reading a book about chocolate and a common thread keeps appearing. "things are better slower." enjoyed more slowly and deliberately, grown more slowly and with care. I heard three podcasts where this message was key, in 3 totally different ways.

First in a podcast about Portion Distortion. The speakers were talking about how portion size in restaurants is now often 4-5 times the amounts our bodies can use or need to be "Satisfied."

But besides the size issue being one of health, the one professor said that the first thing she tried to get her students/clients to do is SLOW DOWN. eat more slowly, enjoy between bites and start to pay attention to where and when their bodies are feeling satisfied.

then in 2 other podcasts- one about French cheese and one about hard cider- the point was made that slowing down the process often 3 times slower than industrialized product producers, is what makes the cheese and cider that was being discussed, truly remarkable.

Specifically they discussed slowing down the aging (fermenting) process. that was the magic. aging more slowly. Which I have been thinking really translates across everything.

Slowing life down gives time to think, process, and reflect. When I think of my main issues or my friend terri's stresses a lot comes from rushing- crashing through from event to event, meeting to meeting. Not taking stock of where you are - where you've been- and where to go next.

this was also reflected in the book I was reading about chocolate. Slower growing, slower business development, slower artisan's producing made for magic and success.

The problem with "jack of all trade-ness" that I have been thinking about since college- maybe it's related to that. The chocolate book talked a lot about Parisian Chocolate craftsmen taking time to make great chocolate. And it mentioned how a really great Mexican mole takes at least 27 ingredients and TIME. There is no rushing things like that.

The Cider podcast I listed to specifically talked about slowing down the aging of apples, naturally, in special rooms. Slowing down the process creates better flavors, more richness. This mirrored the cheese podcast where I learned that some cheeses age in cave for 14 mons and one even for 4 years!

I think there is something to this in people too. Slow down to recognize and develop richness and variety in days and experiences. In terms of the food and health expert, slowing down creates the time for deliberate choices. Instead of life happening to us. I think a lot of events in our lives happen in default mode- and we fall back on type with out thinking.

SLOWING DOWN= more variety, richness and good choices as well as more time to reflect and learn from experience.