Sometimes, in our little bubbles, we are spoiled for choice. Enough of this restaurant; I feel like something other than seafood tonight, or I can’t do another pizza. All arguments are valid, but also pretty fussy and very spoiled. No judgment; we are all products of our environment, and it is this environment that moulds and shapes us and our children.

When our environment changes, we change accordingly. Grow up in a loving environment, and our children embody this. Grow up in fear, and this, too, becomes a manifestation. We grow up with too many easy choices in life, and we become selective and choosy, too much so.

Hornet’s Nests

Here in Hu’u Beach, Dompu Regency, Sumbawa, Indonesia, my home for a few weeks, there is very little in the way of choice. There are a handful of accommodation options depending on your budget. These range from a nice little room on the beach to a homestay that you usually share with a few other travellers, locals and a hornet’s nest or two.

There are two waves to choose from—just two. You can paddle out to the left channel or the right channel. If you want to hire a scooter or a car, you can go search, but the point here is ease of use. No hiring, no driving, no missioning
Then there are three main restaurants.

They all get their food from the same supplier, have similar menus, and are priced in the same region.
Although there are a few cocktails at the one restaurant, they all sell beer, but no one travels to a place like Lakey Peak to drink cocktails.

Personal Choices

Out of those three menus, there are still personal choices to whittle down. Some people don’t like fish, some prefer noodles to rice, and some like their food spicy, while others like it bland.
Cut to the chase and there are only a few options on these menus for most of us, so we choose our favourites, day in and day out.

The funny thing is, the food is delicious every single time. It could be because we are in a wonderful environment or because we don’t have all these exotic-sounding dishes peeping out of the corner of the restaurant’s gold-plated menu. Instead, we have a dog-eared menu with food stains and a few options, and if you don’t choose something, you will go hungry.

Sometimes, in life, less is so much more.

see also: Indonesian sights sounds and slappings – Notes From The Editor