Passion And Meaning

I was watching an episode of 'Chef Abroad' on Discovery Travel & Living a couple of hours ago (yes, I do have time for some TV!) and was totally enthused by the passion of the chefs at Cafe 150, one of many f&b outlets at Google's headquarters in California. The enthusiasm by which they go about creating a new menu everyday, how they wax lyrical about the freshest of produce, their goal of making staffers happy at every meal and their sincerity in supporting local farmers are what dream jobs are made of I believe. I had read all about it in 'The Google Story : Inside The Hottest Business, Media And Technology Success Of Our Time' some years ago, but somehow, the audiovisual narrative of a TV programme makes it seem so much more real and authentic.

How many of us really feel that much passion for what we do? Only we ourselves have the answer. The search for meaning in what we do for a living is a constant one, and hopefully, we all find what we do worthwhile every now and again. I myself seem to be getting more socially aware, partly due to the influence of my cousin San I guess. He is someone who has strong convictions on issues ranging from the environment to animal rights, exercise to eating healthy. Some of his views have rubbed off on me somewhat, and I've been having ideas of late about how to incorporate some of these into my personal as well as work life.

So you see San, I do listen! Let's see if I make any progress soon.

Photo of dinner at the NGO-run Romdeng Restaurant in Phnom Penh.