Kuchisabishii. If you know what this Japanese term means, you must have already linked it to lockdown binge eating by now. If you don't know what it is, by the time you read this article you will feel like you have been doing it all these years.
What is Kuchisabishii?
As per a report carried by an international journal, “kuchisabishii” is a uniquely Japanese word that literally means “lonely mouth” or “longing to have or put something in one’s mouth.”
It can also be explained as mindless eating or eating when you are not hungry.
This Japanese word can be associated with cravings, comfort, binging and also loneliness.
Many of us indulge in over-eating to beat the blue mood.
Don't we?
While all these while we have been naming it overeating, now we can call it Kuchisabishii and in a way beat the negativity out of it.
"Eating out of boredom happens to the best of us, but kuchisabishii is about shaping it as a natural feeling and a forgiving experience, rather than to shove down those feelings. For once we recognize and confront it, we end up making better decisions after the fact than exacerbating self-sabotaging behavior on guilt-triggered impulses," writes Kaki Okumura.
So, don't worry and admit it when you eat between meals, or while binge-watching or just for no reason at all, Say "I can't help it. I have got the worst case of kuchisabishii," and put on a smile and move on.
Is kuchisabishii a menace?
While on one hand it can look like unhealthy eating, on the other hand it can be seen as the best way to beat loneliness.
Though, there are several pros and cons to it.
Shek Matz, an English teacher in Japan who also runs a popular YouTube channel told an international journal that kuchisabishii is popular among those trying to quit smoking. “I’ve never been a smoker, but they say because there’s nothing there in the spot that used to hold the cigarette, they feel ‘lonely’ in their mouths,” she said. “It’s almost like a baby wanting a pacifier when trying to wean," he says.
As per reports, many Japanese cuisine restaurants make the perfect use of kuchisabishii by offering appetizers that can keep your appetite going on but not fill your hunger.
Mindless eating has always been linked and has mostly led to an imbalance in weight.
On mindless eating, Okumura says, "If the solution were that easy, healthy eating wouldn’t be a problem, but exercising willpower and forcing ourselves not to eat rarely ever works. Instead of satisfying our cravings, it feeds into our guilt when we end up “breaking”, tripping a sort of all or nothing mindset: we tell ourselves we’ve made a critical mistake, and so we shame ourselves into making the problem worse."
Are you ready to embrace Kuchisabishii?
Kuchisabishii gained worldwide traction during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. During lockdown and quarantine, with human movement put in restriction within the four walls of a house, binge eating was something most of us indulged in.
“Just read about the Japanese word kuchisabishii which is used to describe the feeling when you’re not hungry but you eat because your mouth is lonely, and I don’t think I’ve ever loved a word more,” says Twitter user Amanda.
Be it eating out of boredom or eating for comfort, put everything together and name it kuchisabishii.
