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Food is a coping mechanism; people are afraid of giving it up because then they'll feel confused and lost.

It's been a struggle to get people to come eat for fun. You know, the way they listen to music. You can do all kinds of things with music. But food - it's something people need, and that changes everything. You start playing with it, people have all sorts of reactions.

The problem is when that fun stuff becomes the habit. And I think that's what's happened in our culture. Fast food has become the everyday meal.

Everything that has to do with food is sensuous. In the United States, however, we are eating all the time. We have a problem with obesity. And yet, we don't enjoy food that much.

Eating is one of the great pleasures of life.

Our external environment no longer seems to have any firm boundaries, any limits, or any positive cues about when to stop consuming anything. I mean, there is a reason that people get fat - it's easy and cheap to get high-calorie, tasty food.

I really like the concept of, like, slowing down and savoring your food, enjoying it.

Food can become such a point of anxiety - not because it's food, but just because you have anxiety. That's how eating disorders develop.

For me, I love food. It's my greatest pleasure and also the thing that could ruin you as well. It's one of those things where, if you're not thoughtful about it, it could be unhealthy. But if there's a mindfulness about it; it actually is a wonderful tool of emotional expression.

When I eat with my friends, it is a moment of real pleasure, when I really enjoy my life.