My wife and I just started the latest season of The Bear.

If you’re unfamiliar, The Bear is a TV series that focuses on the creation and operation of a new high-end restaurant in Chicago. The accuracy and attention to detail are absolutely stunning. And, as someone who has spent many years working in professional kitchens, nearly every episode fills me with both nostalgia and crippling anxiety.

There was a flashback scene at the start of the latest season in which the protagonist was working at The French Laundry. This legendary restaurant was ranked the best in the world for several years.

We started watching it a day after returning from San Francisco. And I had a strange mental experience while eating at an upscale seafood restaurant on that trip. It was a strange moment of renewed appreciation for the life of a cook in such an extreme setting.

I think of it at times, but lately it’s been stronger.

What’s truly curious is that on our first visit to San Francisco, my wife and I had the incredible experience of dining at The French Laundry near it’s absolute peak of success. It was arguably the best dining experience of my life. And ff all the restaurants in the world that could have been showcased on that episode, they chose <em>it.</em>

Coincidence happens when we start to notice patterns. There’s little more to it than that.

But why do we notice them in the first place?