Taste food when you eat it

With my dad as a chef, our family takes food seriously. Whenever we travel, we coordinate our entire schedules around restaurants and trying new food. I’ve had some pretty amazing food over the course of my life, from oysters in Quebec to scallops in Washington, D.C.. But I’ve also had plenty of bad meals, such as an awful pizza outside of Yosemite National Park that dripped oil like a 7/11. No matter what you’re eating, you have to be cognizant of what it tastes like, or what’s the point of eating at all?

The next time you eat lunch, take a second and focus on what you’re doing. If it’s good, then eat slowly and savor that good moment as long as you can. Enjoy the taste and try to remember it next time. If it’s bad, throw it out. Don’t waste time on things that aren’t enjoyable if you don’t have to.

The point of tasting food is to be present in the moment. Be mindful about both the good and the bad, but challenge yourself to focus on what’s sitting right on your plate. In my last few months of high school, sometimes I like to eat my lunch slowly so that I remember the taste of Bosco sticks years from now. We eat three times a day; make each one worth it.