Full, But Not Fulfilled

 

I’ve been operating like this my whole life. 

I get excited about a new dish, a new restaurant. 

We order a variety of foods. 

And then…

Disappointment.

And what do I do?

I continue eating. 

Because I feel guilty for wasting money. 

And all that food.

And you know how much I hate wasting food. 

Chicken nuggets were good

Then after the meal, what happens to me?

I’m full, yes. 

But I’m not fulfilled. 

More often that not, there’s that feeling of “umay” as we call it in the local language. 

It means your tastebuds have gone tired of the taste and are looking for something refreshing. 

It’s that point where you get tired of your food and want something else. 

There’s no clean English translation that captures the umay feeling.

It’s a combination of many things. 

So, yeah. 

Umay.

But what’s worse is if I get a reaction after.

There’s a reason why I didn’t like it. 

My system was actually screaming at me to stop eating it as a warning. 

But did I listen?

No.

Because..money. 

And my body paid the price. 

The fries were good, but we still had a hard time finishing it and there were three of us who shared this one order! 

The food was alright. 

It didn’t taste bad, but it wasn’t memorable either. 

And as I sat there, trying to finish the fries and figuring out if I still can finish the nuggets, I thought of the many, many times this has happened to me. 

My son didn’t even eat the burger. He took one bite and that’s it. 

So I packed the leftover burger. 

And it lived in the fridge for over a week. 

As I threw it away, I realized something about myself. 

It should have been enough. 

I paid good money for it. 

But it wasn’t. 

And I shouldn’t have felt guilty for not finishing it. 

I should’ve left it there on the table and not forced myself to finish it. 

I often hear people around me say that a meal was worth it because they’re full. 

That they’re satisfied. 

And then I hear comments like, “it was too oily”, “it was too salty”, etc., etc. 

They’re confusing fullness with satisfaction. 

They’re staying in experiences longer than they deserve. 

I used to fall for branding. 

The setup, the restaurant.

The carefully curated pieces to enhance a customer’s experience. 

But we forget that the memorable experience should come from the food. 

The food should be enough to make us want to come back. 

And not from a cute burger pillow or Maneki-neko soap dispenser. 

As kids, we are often taught here (I don’t know if it’s the same where you are) to finish our food. 

Even though we don’t like it. 

Even though we are full. 

So as adults, we finish our food out of habit. 

But I’m going to stop living in the lie. 

That full means fulfilled. 

That enough means good. 

I’ve learned the difference -

In food

In relationships

In conversations

In content consumption

So next time we eat out, if the food is mediocre, I’m not telling myself to finish it out of guilt or not to waste money. 

I respect myself and my body too much to keep treating her that way. 

--

’Til our next shared bite,

Stay cozy. Stay curious. Stay nourished.

LET'S EAT.

With grace, warmth, and a full heart,

Lady E

Exhibitor and Speaker at the Philippine Book Festival 2026 

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