Before eating, we wish people will have a good appetite. We say “bon appétit,” just as before going to sleep we say “good night.” In Vietnamese, they say “please have a sweet, delicious sleep.” In Vietnamese, the word “delicious” always goes together with the word “healthy.” So delicious food must be healthy food. We eat delicious food in order to have strength and good health. Food that is tasty but destroys our bodies and our minds is not healthy.
When you eat with mindfulness, you consume deliciously. If you don’t feel happy, if you don’t feel good enough, then you have to inquire of those who’ve practiced a long time, “Can you help me? How can I taste the moment deliciously?”