Choice

Choice - so much meaning in so few letters. It’s a common word, universally understood, and probably used in most (if not all languages) yet it means so many different things for so many people. 

The point is, every day our lives are a set of decisions from how we think, to how we feel and move based on the aforementioned feelings and thoughts… it’s a bit of a never-ending cycle, where every decision we make, in itself, is based on one previous. 

Sounds a bit overwhelming? It is, actually. The domino effect of what we do could be grave, or small, but it is much like the way a good kitchen line is run by a chef. 

Organized, thoughtful, precise and passionate. Enter Sotto Sotto Head Chef Massimo Renzi. While preparing a 5 course set meal, we had a brief moment to ask him about what makes his kitchen run, smoothly. It begins with preparation - prep cooks come in early and begin dicing, slicing and performing what some consider cathartic but repetitive work. Much like the daily minutia of our everyday experiences, from the shower to the closet to the door. But these steps are necessary, these small actions amount to a giant leap forward. “When the line cooks arrive, they take over…” says Renzi, in his low but strong Roman accent. “Once they perform the setup, we move to start the cooking process…” 

It’s a team effort, operating as one unified body. Much like our actions and emotions seem fragmented and stationed, they all come together as we are, a whole. When one thing goes off-kilter, it throws the rest of the system out of wack. Forget your office key on the table by the door, but made it all the way to work? That single second missed walking out, now affecting the timeline for the coming moments. The prep cook prior didn’t dice enough onion? The line cook has to adjust and move forward anyway. The end result is a continuous flow because you accept the decision you’ve made to continue on. 

Once plated, you are ready to sit and savour it. That final dish is enjoyed and thought about because the steps taken to get there were also thoughtful, they too were done with care. With the time we have now, in the present hush to our daily lives, these minuscule tasks take on a much greater meaning and purpose. 

So what choices are you making?