Mechanical refill

There was this guy on the train. Big guy. He was obviously trying to lose weight, he turned down the complimentary biscuit in favor of some berries he'd bought. A whole punnet of raspberries and one of strawberries. He first polished off one of those huge chicken salad baguettes, full of mayo. Then the berries. He tipped both into the one punnet and didn't stop eating 'til they were gone.

My journey's only 20 minutes and he had consumed all of this in half that time.

I'm trying to eat healthy too. The chocolate bar I'm eating right now is my cheat treat. One square at a time. Slowly. Savor that chocolate taste. Chew at least 10 times. Swallow slowly. Let the brain register that the chocolate has landed.

I've had one square. 5 minutes ago. I'm thinking about the flavor. Still tasting its residue in my mouth. Sure, I could eat the whole bar right now. But would I feel any different having consumed all 6 squares? Well, yes because I wouldn't have the expectation of the 5 delicious mouthfuls to come.

I've put my chocolate bar away. I can look forward to the next piece later.

It occurred to me that the guy on the train wasn't eating. He was consuming what he had in a short period. He didn't savor his food, each mouthful was cleared simply to make way for the next. Did he need all he ate? The berries may have been healthier but in those quantities the sugar levels are pretty high. And he could have chosen the chicken salad minus the mayo. My wife got quite mesmerised watching the constant movement from berry box to mouth to berry box to mouth, over and over again. No pause. The brain not getting a chance to figure if the stomach is full or not. By the time the signal gets through, he'll be overfull and the food gone.

"Mechanical refill" said my wife.