--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I decided to make spaghetti for lunch…" description: "\"“I decided to make spaghetti for lunch again. Not that I was the least bit hungry. But I couldn't just go on sitting on the sofa, waiting for the phone..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/haruki-murakami-21_food_i-decided-to-make-spaghetti-for-lunch-ag_3036325.jpg" --- # I decided to make spaghetti for lunch again. Not that I… ![“I decided to make spaghetti for lunch again. Not that I was the least bit hungry. But I couldn't just go on sitting on the sofa, waiting for the phone to ring. I had to move my body, to begin working toward some goal. I put water in a pot, turned on the gas, and until it boiled I would make tomato…” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/haruki-murakami-21_food_i-decided-to-make-spaghetti-for-lunch-ag_3036325.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/haruki-murakami-21_food_i-decided-to-make-spaghetti-for-lunch-ag_3036325.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/haruki-murakami-21_food_i-decided-to-make-spaghetti-for-lunch-ag_3036325.jpg) > ““I decided to make spaghetti for lunch again. Not that I was the least bit hungry. But I couldn't just go on sitting on the sofa, waiting for the phone to ring. I had to move my body, to begin working toward some goal. I put water in a pot, turned on the gas, and until it boiled I would make tomato sauce while listening to an FM broadcast. The radio was playing an unaccompanied violin sonata by Bach. The performance itself was excellent, but there was something annoying about it. I didn't know whether this was the fault of the violinist or of my own present state of mind, but I turned off the music and went on cooking in silence. I heated the olive oil, put garlic in the pan, and added minced onions. When these began to brown, I added the tomatoes that I had chopped and strained. It was good to be cutting things and frying things like this. It gave me a sense of accomplishment that I could feel in my hands. I liked the sounds and the smells.”” [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator uses a mundane cooking task to break inertia and create a feeling of progress, illustrating how small actions can restore agency. **In simple terms:** Cooking a simple meal helps overcome stagnation. Key Takeaway Start a small, purposeful activity. Themes self‑discipline mindfulness routine creativity Mood reflective calm Type personal process When to use this quote - lunch break - home office - creative block - stress relief Key Concepts habit formation embodied cognition flow state Questions to Reflect On - What small task can you begin now? - How does sensory engagement affect motivation? A Different Perspective The act may feel trivial and not address deeper issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cooking Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooking-silence-4983385/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Make Spaghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-spaghetti-4983384/) [Olive oil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olive-oil/) [Sense of accomplishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-accomplishment/) [Spaghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spaghetti/) [Spaghetti Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spaghetti-lunch-4983383/) [State of mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state-of-mind/) [Went Cooking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/went-cooking-2148264/) ## Related quotes > [I make spaghetti and meatballs, I got that from my mom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-maddon/i-make-spaghetti-and-meatballs-i-got-that-from-my-mom/) [Joe Maddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-maddon/) > [It's fascinating to travel around Italy and realize just how many different ways they make spaghetti.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/it-s-fascinating-to-travel-around-italy-and-realize-just-how-many/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [When I was younger, my dad taught me how to cook. 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The children get overwhelmed by the tasks in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/adults-constantly-raise-the-bar-on-smart-children-precisely-because/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Thinking about spaghetti that boils eternally but is never done is a sad, sad thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/thinking-about-spaghetti-that-boils-eternally-but-is-never-done-is-a/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“1971 was the year of spaghetti. In 1971 I cooked spaghetti to live, and lived to cook spaghetti. Steam rising from the pot was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/1971-was-the-year-of-spaghetti-in-1971-i-cooked-spaghetti-to-live-and/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [After you run, there's a sense of accomplishment; you feel like your life is meaningful. It's a moment of clarity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/after-you-run-there-s-a-sense-of-accomplishment-you-feel-like-your/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [Being varied is something I do instinctively and naturally. I feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-brightman/being-varied-is-something-i-do-instinctively-and-naturally-i-feel-a/) [Sarah Brightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-brightman/) > [“To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. 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Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. 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The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. 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You do know that right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ashworth/my-god-joseph-your-toasted-sandwiches-are-the-fucking-shit-you-do/) [Beth Ashworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ashworth/) > [I feel like I could eat the world raw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-feel-like-i-could-eat-the-world-raw/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [To me, Caribbean food is about fresh, seasonal produce - using what's in season to create vibrant and great tasting food. The spicing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-harriott/to-me-caribbean-food-is-about-fresh-seasonal-produce-using-what-s-in/) [Ainsley Harriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-harriott/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [“if you cannot control your hunger and appetite, good luck managing your blood chemistry, metabolism, waistline, and, in the bigger picture, the prospect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-perlmutter/if-you-cannot-control-your-hunger-and-appetite-good-luck-managing/) [David Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-perlmutter/) > [“Hungarian Proverb: A dish of cabbages can be heated when it grows cold, but it will never taste the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mourid-barghouti/hungarian-proverb-a-dish-of-cabbages-can-be-heated-when-it-grows-cold/) [Mourid Barghouti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mourid-barghouti/) > [“The phrase “low and slow” was coined to describe the relatively low temperatures used for smoking and the lengthy amount of time it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-reader/the-phrase-low-and-slow-was-coined-to-describe-the-relatively-low/) [Ted Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-reader/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. 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Not that I was the least bit hungry. But I couldn't just go on sitting on the sofa, waiting for the phone to ring. I had to move my body, to begin working toward some goal. I put water in a pot, turned on the gas, and until it boiled I would make tomato sauce while listening to an FM broadcast. The radio was playing an unaccompanied violin sonata by Bach. The performance itself was excellent, but there was something annoying about it. I didn't know whether this was the fault of the violinist or of my own present state of mind, but I turned off the music and went on cooking in silence. I heated the olive oil, put garlic in the pan, and added minced onions. When these began to brown, I added the tomatoes that I had chopped and strained. It was good to be cutting things and frying things like this. It gave me a sense of accomplishment that I could feel in my hands. 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