После прогулки мне захотелось не мяса, а тёплого супа из чечевицы.

After the walk, I wanted not meat, but warm lentil soup.

Breakdown of После прогулки мне захотелось не мяса, а тёплого супа из чечевицы.

• не: not
• мне: me
• прогулка: the walk
• после: after

Questions & Answers about После прогулки мне захотелось не мяса, а тёплого супа из чечевицы.

Why is it мне захотелось instead of я захотел?

Because захотеться is often used as an impersonal verb meaning something like to feel like or to suddenly want. In that pattern, the person who experiences the desire goes into the dative case, so мне means to me.

So:

• Я захотел суп = I wanted soup
• Мне захотелось супа = I suddenly felt like some soup

The second version often sounds more natural when talking about a spontaneous craving or urge.

What is the difference between захотелось and хотелось?

The difference is mainly aspect and the feeling it gives.

• хотелось = wanted / felt like, more like an ongoing state
• захотелось = suddenly wanted / came to feel like, focusing on the moment the desire appeared

In this sentence, После прогулки мне захотелось... suggests that after the walk, the desire arose at that point.

So захотелось is a very natural choice here because it highlights the new craving.

Why is захотелось in the neuter singular form?