“Eating out of boredom
happens to the best of us…”
Kaki Okumura

I mentioned at the conclusion of yesterday’s blog post that today I would introduce another word from the Japanese language. This word has a very special place in my heart, because I can relate to it so easily. I’m guessing it will hit home with many readers of this blog, as well. You might even realize that you’ve been doing this for many years!

Kuchisabishii is a word which describes a (recurring) moment in a person’s life when they’re not hungry, but they eat because their mouth is lonely. Seriously! This word exists in the Japanese language, and I love it!

The word literally means “lonely mouth.” We might also think of it as mindless eating, or eating when we are not hungry. We often do this, do we not? I know I do. I was thinking that, perhaps, I should claim to have an acute case of Kuchisabishii Syndrome, thus justifying the frequency with which I engage in mindless eating.

The quote I shared above is just a part of a longer quote by Japanese author Kaki Okumura. She wrote, “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.”

I like this woman. She gets it!

The concept of kuchisabishii gained worldwide attention during the Covid-19 pandemic, when people across the globe were basically restricted to the four walls of their home. No small number of people, possibly due to either boredom or the close proximity of the kitchen, indulged in binge eating. Some even claim that the term “Covid 19” refers to the weight gained during the pandemic.

Just as the Japanese word omotenashi is not familiar to most Americans, the same is true for the word kuchisabishii. For those who learn about it, though, it can be quite reassuring. In the midst of the pandemic, Amanda, a Twitter user, wrote: “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.”

I’m right with you, Amanda!