"Souvenirs de Udon aux fruits de mer : mon désir pour la nourriture."

This is a short article written by a member of my mindful eating group.

« Mia, Memories of Seafood Udon

The last time I had seafood Udon was in October, during the cool autumn weather. Originally, I wanted to eat Sukiyaki, but there were no little pots, so I chose Udon as a substitute. The 'substitute' status reduced the value of these Udon, I found them not very tasty, too hot to eat, although the Udon were smooth, I ended up feeling too full, there was a lot left over. I wasn't completely satisfied.

Lately, with temperatures dropping below minus twenty degrees, every day I crave hot food. However, everything I put in my mouth is lukewarm, and with the cold, my stomach is always uncomfortable. This has been going on for a fortnight now, and today, after a follow-up visit to the hospital, I went out with the urge to find a restaurant to eat a steaming meal. I ended up going to my favourite diner and ordered a bowl of spicy beef pasta, looking forward to it, but once again it wasn't the comforting warmth I was looking for. After eating, I felt unsatisfied, and wanted to buy a hot tea, but after a long wait, it was still lukewarm when I received it. In the afternoon, I had a work meeting and didn't have time to drink a glass of hot water.

Just before leaving the office, I was very hungry and the idea of Udon warmed me up, as if I could already feel the heat from my mouth to my stomach. As soon as I finished work, I headed straight for the Japanese restaurant, ordered gently and sat down to enjoy the meal. My phone was almost empty, which allowed me to concentrate more on the meal.

When I saw the steaming pot, I started to look forward to it! I drank half the broth which was exactly the comforting warmth I wanted, it was also the taste I needed, I closed my eyes to enjoy it for a while. At first, I thought that if I couldn't finish, I'd have it packed up to take away, without overeating myself. But I didn't give myself the chance. I don't normally like onions, but today, after boiling them in the broth, their flavour was less strong and I ate a lot of them, finding them delicious. I couldn't help but express my admiration as I ate.

I've always thought that eating too many main courses would make me heavy, that eating quickly would make me uncomfortable, but in reality it has a lot to do with the mood of eating, the needs and the taste of the dishes. Today I was in a good mood, I was looking forward to the taste of Udon, I was craving a hot meal because of the disappointment of the day and the cold, and I was really hungry, it was a day healed by food. Eating what you really need means not feeling discomfort.

After the meal I thanked the owner, I love his Udon. The owner gave me a ten yuan discount voucher!

On the way out, it was snowing lightly, so I felt nice and warm. For the winter solstice, my family had kept some ravioli for me for dinner, but I didn't want to eat a bowl of the Udon I needed.

Being content means acting immediately, giving yourself unconditional support.»

This article is extremely beautifully written and very comforting. There is a lot to think about in every sentence.

'The initial urge to order a dish, but in the absence of it, I opted for Udon as a substitute. This substitute role diminished the value of the Udon...' and in the end, the experience was unsatisfying, leaving a feeling of inner dissatisfaction.

This sentence reminds me of the many times I've had the experience of 'wanting without getting, of finding a substitute that doesn't satisfy'. For example, craving a particular roast sweet potato or a delicious coffee. If the place is too far away and I can't get there, finding a substitute nearby, or another food to compensate, often leads to feelings of disappointment. Eating a lot doesn't seem to ease this frustration.

So I say to myself: you have to persist a little, go where you really want to go, eat what you really want to eat.

The word 'diminished value' in this sentence is particularly well chosen. In fact, it seems to refer not only to food, but also to love, work and many other things. When we settle for less, the initial feeling is one of disappointment. Sometimes we hope that time will work miracles, but most of the time it becomes more and more embarrassing.

Because quality cannot be compensated for by quantity.

Eating a big bowl of boiled vegetables may fill the stomach, but it leaves the heart even emptier. So, after 'three days of boiled vegetables', there is a particularly strong desire to eat something delicious, not because you want to, but because boiled vegetables don't satisfy your spiritual and psychological needs.

'Eat what you really need, you won't feel bad.' This need includes not only the nutritional needs of the body, but also the feeling of spiritual comfort. Don't underestimate yourself, don't hurt yourself, allow yourself to eat what you really need both spiritually and physically; you'll realise that you don't need to eat a lot to feel satisfied.