The Noble Pagan Forums - What have I told you about playing with your food?

What have I told you about playing with your food?

What have I told you about playing with your food?

We grew up being admonished about playing with our food remember that?

“Christine! Stop slurping your soup!”
(but it makes funny noises!)

“Robert use your fork! You are not an animal!!!”
(but the sauce is all squishy on my hands)

“Daniella! Your milk does NOT belong dribbled into your vegetable soup!”
(I like the way it swirls and makes designs....and it tastes yummy)

“Timothy if I see the gum outside your mouth one more time....;!!”
(but it is fun to see how far it will stretch!)

Oh the lists and commands are endless aren't they? And the reasons and punishments were just as long.

No dessert for little animals who play with their food!

A wrap on the knuckles because nice children don't chew with their mouths gaping open.

A time out for twittering lil slurpers.

And on and on and on.

I bet as a parent you've probably passed on the same admonishments am I right? Hey no finger pointing here. I'm a parent and I am way totally guilty of doing just that.

Use your fork!

Do you HAVE to slurp your chocolate milk with a spoon???

Oh my God!!! How the hell did you get.....never mind.....just clean it up and pretend to eat like a person?!

In fact this is the correct social standard to set right? I mean we don't want to go out into public with lettuce and burger bits, fries and milkshakes, pepperoni and fish stick crumbs flying madly in all directions and creating a huge mess do we?

Just think of the mess!

Think of the laundry to do later!

Think of what OTHER PEOPLE WILL THINK!!!!!!

And we go there in our thought process because we are responsible and MATURE adults.

Our children however are not.

Besides being messy and gooey and unfathomable.....have you ever slowed down a moment to ask yourself WHY these children, your children, yourself as a child even.....WHY we and they play and played with food?

I want you to close your eyes for a moment. Imagine if you will spooning a big bite of buttery mash potatoes into your mouth. That's right.

Mmmmm........do you remember a time when you held it in your mouth and really TASTED what it had to offer? When you squished it from side to side in your mouth and then freaked out a friend, parent or sibling by pretending you were a play doh machine by slowly and even methodically squeezing said mush from the sides of your mouth?

Okay so maybe that is NOT one of your fondest memories. It is one of mine (and as much of an oddball as I am, I have seen other children of various ages perform the same maneuver with no prompting).

My point here is take a moment to find a favorite childhood food moment. Was it smacking Jell-o around on your plate to watch it dance? Timing how long it took for the cheeze on your fresh pizza slice to ooze its way into your open mouth? Maybe experimenting with foods (hmmmm french fries and milkshakes maybe?)

Think back for a moment. I know you have one.......

Do you remember why?

And that there is the elusive question isn't it?

Not really. Not if you just slow down for a moment.

I had the opportunity to do that just the other day. I was hungry for a snack so I went to the fridge and dipped into my plastic box of Seeded Globe Grapes. This is not my usual choice (I hate picking the seeds out of anything) however they were 2 dollars cheaper than the other grape choices (and really.....is picking the seeds out of grapes gonna kill me?).

I put together a snack plate of them, grabbed a book and made a nesting place by one of our gas heating vents (this act of nesting on a heater vent by the way is called “waffling” in my house as the vent grates are waffle shaped). I picked up a grape and bit it in half. Then I dug around inside of it , ridding the round and squishy fruit of any annoying and prickly seeds.

Mmmmm....it tasted so YUM!

I got about two sentences into my book when I wanted another grape. I blindly dug for another globe when I realized that this was going to be next to impossible to read my book and deseed the grapes at the same time. This was becoming annoying as I really wanted to read my book. I was starting to think about regretting getting these pitted fruit pieces when it hit me.

Because I had slowed down to take out the seeds I could actually FEEL the texture of the grape. It's soft, wet, pulpy interior. I popped the center in my mouth and reveled in it's sweetness. I realized that the words in the book were still going to be there and always (unless I tossed them into the fireplace) however this grapey moment would be the only one of it's type because the next grape would not quite be the same.

I slowed down and played with my food. I explored it's outer texture and remembered a time when I was a small child who delighted in the past time of peeling grapes (a time consuming yet well rewarding task). I started peeling the grape and smiled at the veiny exposed texture it had to offer. Then I popped it into my mouth and rolled it about my tongue, exploring it with my eyes closed and my mind opened.

So the answer to why do kids play with their food is, because they are exploring their food. Learning about it, Enjoying it. Truly taking it into themselves.

I realized at that moment (all grape sweet goodness) how sad it is that we rush through life just gobbling and devouring things. Most of it isn't even what can sustain us (sugar n dyes n tastes n preservatives). We no longer take the time to TASTE. To ENJOY. To REVEL. To THANK. To be AWARE CONSCIOUSLY.

Just gobble gobble gulp.

And to make matters worse we have engineered sterile foods (like seedless watermelons) so that we don't have to slow down. Or take that time out for a moment. That is another topic for another time altogether though.

So go ahead and embrace your inner child (or even your outer one!) and play with your food. Even if it is only for a spare moment.

Get sticky with the caramel. Slurp your milkshake. Blow bubbles with your juice or pretend you are the most awesome playdoh dispenser ever with your mashed potatoes.......

Live in the moment and become AWARE.

C/S/

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