Mindfulness and savoring 80 then congratulations, you are already an expert at being in the eating appreciation moment! What most people find is that if they have eaten this way it is much, much easier to stop at two pieces of rich chocolate( more on this in a minute), two slices of white bread with your favorite filling or a small slice of chocolate fudge brownie. The greater part of the pleasure food gives us is found in the first few mouthfuls. In my twenties I used to be a social smoker. It was nothing to smoke 10 or 15 cigarettes over the course of an evening with a few friends and a few more drinks. What I noticed was that I really only tasted and enjoyed the first one or two and the rest I almost did not notice. Rather than learning to savor the other 13 cigarettes it was healthier to give them all up and smoke the very occasional cigar, a cigar being the form of tobacco designed to be smoked very occasionally and savored. Now I would not have a cigar more often than once every couple of months. In the same way if we are not mindful we can often eat the rest of the dessert without tasting it – especially if we are deeply engaged in interesting conversation. While conversation is a good way of slowing our eating – especially while we are waiting the 20 minutes after our main meal to see if we are full – it can interfere with savoring. Be rude and say to your company something like,‘ Doesn’ t this look great. Just give me a moment while I luxuriate in this piece of heaven!’ They might think you are a bit nuts, but they will get the point. At a restaurant I will happily share dessert with up to three others, because I know how to savor and I only need two or three mouthfuls for me to get 90 % of the pleasure. Restaurants that serve dessert-tasting platters offer heaven on a plate for those of us who are good at savoring – but you need to share them with at least one other and have them for lunch rather than dinner – remember the French Paradox from Chapter 5! Savoring – the university course To complete this brief journey into the world of savoring, let us see what the West can add to the East on this subject. Dr Fred Bryant at Loyola