SubscribeI rarely ever ate any meal at home before January this year. I’d grab a pad se ew from Thaiphoon, a turkey sandwich from whole foods, a burrito from como esta, or just skip eating all together. That all changed when Krystal and Holly moved in. We eat almost every meal at home. We even got a dining table in the kitchen, and although we never use it because you can’t see the TV from there, it makes me feel good. We all eat dinner together, including the cat, and roommate Ed.
Before this all started, I had a bad habit of rushing through a meal. I never really figured out why, but I assume it comes from when I was in high school where the faster I ate dinner, the faster I could return to my video game. Krystal’s eating style is the total opposite. She eats one bite per minute, if that. She cuts her food, instead of just eating large chunks. I tried copying her style and it was painful and extremely difficult.
I gave up on eating slowly for a little bit, until we went to the vet a few months ago to make sure Holly was healthy (which she was). I asked the vet about why Holly was vomiting sometimes after eating food, even though she would only eat a few bites. The vet explained to me that cats like to eat like it’s their last meal, and when their stomachs expand too quickly, they puke it out.
Although I never actually vomited from eating too quickly, I did feel sick after nearly every meal. I made excuses, like claiming that I was lactose intolerant, and/or that I had heartburn. Those excuses started getting old, and I realized they weren’t actually true. Mostly because, for some reason, after the vet told me about the cat, I realized my problem was exactly the same. Since I’m not a cat, and can realize things like this, I decided I needed to change my habit.
I figured out a few ways to help slow down the eating process. First, I try to put the utensil down between each bite. I find if I have a fork in my hand, my brain makes sure it is in use. Second, I make sure I chew and swallow each bite before I take the next. Third, I try to make sure eating is the only thing I’m doing while eating, otherwise I can’t focus on the problem. And lastly, since Krystal is cooking all the food, I decided it was disrespectful to devour a meal that she took an hour to create in under a minute.
I started giving Holly smaller portions to start, and then giving her the rest after she’s had some time for her stomach to expand. She hasn’t thrown up in a month, and I feel better than ever. Come over for dinner sometime.
Boston native, OG facebook platform developer (Free Gifts), OG iPhone developer (Tap Tap Revenge), exec producer, love javascript, dinosaurs, cats, and burritos