Meta Minute Nov. 4, 2022

Pineapple. Kale. Pretzels. Sweet. Bitter. Salty. These three foods were used for a Mindful Tasting practice with students, but we weren’t only bringing our attention to our sense of taste. We began by simply looking at the food and as we imagined how it began from seed to being picked, packaged, processed (as in the pretzel) to being transported to grocery stores, and the many faces of the people that brought it to be in front of us – we paused for a moment of gratitude. We then moved to looking at the item and noticing colors, shapes, designs. From here we picked it up and felt it noticing textures and temperature. And then to our noses to smell each, “ohhh…this pineapple smells as sweet as candy –when can I eat it?!!” said one student, patiently following the practice, while their taste buds were crying out, “just pop it in your mouth!” Impulse control at its finest! Finally, the moment they were waiting for, or not (in the case of the kale, for some)...placing the item in their mouths for 3 seconds before the 10 s-l-o-w chews began. The students approached the practice with humor and an openness and curiosity even when there were preconceived thoughts and notions about one of the foods.