Uncle's Happy Diner Episode 35: Aging Taught to Me by Donald and Colonel, and the Tupperware of the Chosen One

This story is a tribute to the woman who continues to light a beacon of hope at the dining table of a middle-aged man living alone.

* * *

Delicious things are delicious.
There is no real need for complicated philosophy there.

In the past, I could eat as many of those Big Macs that Donald makes as I wanted. They were just so delicious, and I would seriously dream, 'If I had more money, I'd order as many fries, nuggets, and even large colas as I wanted.'

And now. At an age where I have a certain amount of money to spend freely, sadly, I have completely stopped going to M-Donald's.

Sometimes I see a commercial on TV and think, 'Ah, I want to eat that for the first time in a while.' I might wander in during a holiday stroll and order a single cheeseburger. But... I don't find it delicious at all.

Moreover, I'm always alone. There is no meal more empty than this.

As for the fried chicken that the Colonel makes, it's even more miserable. If I eat it, I'm guaranteed to get an upset stomach the next day... it's sad.

This is by no means the Colonel's fault, nor is it Donald's fault. They are always providing the best junk food. It is all caused by 'my aging'.

Pizza is the same.
I see a fun pizza delivery commercial and think, 'I want to eat that,' so an old man living alone orders a large pizza. I eat the piping hot pizza that arrives all by myself with a beer.

...I don't find it delicious at all.

All that comes rushing in is the heaviness of the grease and an overwhelming sense of emptiness.

As I am now, I can order as much pizza as I like. But I have reached an age where, even if I buy food in exchange for money, I can never again obtain a sense of satisfaction.

If she weren't there.

I would have continued to live a colorless life like this, just paying money to buy indigestion and emptiness. It's terrifying just to imagine.

However, I have her 'Tupperware'.
This is a supreme treasure that can never be obtained, no matter how much money I pay or how much I spend on Uber Eats.

And it is the ultimate happiness, one that only those 'chosen' like me are permitted to taste.

Yes, I am a chosen being!

...I exaggerated a bit. My apologies.

But still, this is an undeniable, pure fact for me. In exchange for the reality of a declining digestive system, I have obtained a warmth that more than makes up for the emptiness of a lonely meal.

Beside the cruel reality that Donald and the Colonel taught me, today too, I am deeply savoring the weight of the Tupperware sitting in my refrigerator and the meaning of being chosen.