I’ve seen the above pithy statement countless times on t-shirts, coffee mugs and the occasional mousepad, but I’ve never really thought a whole lot about it. Until I read this, that is:
Always eat grapes downward – that is eat the best grapes first; in this way there will be none better left on the bunch, and each grape will seem good down to the last. If you eat the other way, you will not have a good grape in the lot. ~Samuel Butler
A revelation!
Oh! I get it…that’s why they put the cherry on top of the sundae! It’s not purely aesthetic – that cherry serves a purpose! It all makes perfect sense now.
You see, I’m one of those people who likes to save the best part for last. I do it no matter what I’m eating, really. I never really understood the problem with this practice while I was anxiously chasing my maraschinos down to the bottom of the sundae dish. What I didn’t realize was that by doing so, I was turning the rest of my sundae into bad grapes!
Does that make sense? 
Could this mean I’ve never fully enjoyed anything? 
Just think of what I’ve missed by rushing through all of those mediocre bites!! Instead of enduring the anticipation of that one supreme bite, I could have made every bite the best bite? Boy, do I feel like a fool.
I’ve already made a promise to myself to work on slowing down and paying better attention to my food (I’m always in a rush to do something, and nearly choking because I forget to chew has become a daily event.) Now I’m adding something else. From this point on, I will be more conscious and eat the best bites first. That way, I won’t miss out on anything but the bites I ate mindlessly before. Chances are, I’ll be satisfied quicker and will never make it to those last few, effectively cutting down my portion sizes!
Brilliant!
Did everyone already know this? Am I just a slow learner?
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P.S. Do a little dance, everyone! It’s May Day! Resurrect an old tradition and leave a basket of spring blooms on your neighbor’s doorstep!
