If you think that it's only Americans scarfing down their food in a rush to go do something else, think again. A recent survey by the French cheese purveyor Président found that more than 75% of British people eat their food "without even enjoying or tasting it."

And even when Brits are eating, they are often doing something else, typically watching TV. A full 31% watch TV during breakfast, and 53% do so over dinner. (No doubt the TV percentage will decrease in the future as people continue to use smartphones and tablet computers at the table rather than watch TV, but the point is that when people eat these days, their attention is usually spread thin.)

As for lunch (our favorite topic!), over a third of the respondents spend ten minutes or less on it---the reason most often given is (of course) work pressure. Nearly half of those surveyed have even stopped believing in a lunch break as something that can even exist in the modern world.

When it's all tallied up, those surveyed spent under 40 minutes a day on meals. As for Americans, a study back in 2006 found that they spend about 67 minutes; it would be interesting to see if that number has decreased in recent years.

So what's to be done? For most of us, it's probably not realistic to expect us to have a luxurious hour-long meal three times a day, every day. But making a habit of doing so at least once a week is a good way to at least be able to get a sense of the benefits you get by eating at a more leisurely pace. Maybe give it a try next Wednesday?