Ultrahuman, a company specializing in fitness wearables, has come out with a new ring they say “provides insights into your metabolism by monitoring sleep and movement.” It can pair with a glucose tracker, providing more insight into someone’s state of existence.
Turning this into a story, what if there’s a Ratatouille-type story where an unlikely chef wants to bring joy back into people’s diets. The character is from a small town that doesn’t have such wide-scale adoption of fitness wearables, and they want to bring a dash of the same happiness to their new home in the big city.
Their friend and guide to the city is the owner of an underground gym that doesn’t believe in the wearable craze. Instead, they’re big on “putting in the hard work,” providing a counter to the standard city-dweller who obsesses over simple metrics.
The last member of their friend circle is someone who opts out entirely, not exercising or watching their diet, instead enjoying themselves at all times.
The story begins with a fish-out-of-water scene, the small town newbie arriving in the big city. In short order, she gets a job at a local restaurant and is taken aback by the surgical nature of the establishment. When she asks her boss if they can create a meal, the boss and the entire cooking staff laugh at her.
Upset, she leaves the restaurant and hears barbells clanging in the distance. She follows the sound and meets her first friend. His business partner and friend are always searching for enjoyment, only owning a gym because he got money from his parents.
We find out that her true dream is to open up a restaurant. Still, she worries that the efficiency-obsessed city inhabitants won’t stop by because her food doesn’t fit some statistics laid out by the associated tech software.
Throughout the story, the owner and the main character butt heads until the new main character debates whether she will go back home or not. Finally, in a tear-soaked scene, she decides that she will buckle down and make her dream happen with help from her community.
The lifter decides he could stand to lose a few pounds, the city’s inhabitants realize they don’t have to obsess over their body’s statistics, and the business partner decides he’ll try a bit of exercising. When the boss from the restaurant she used to work at comes by, there's a moment where they pause; until they nod and take a second bite.
