Dinner Meeting on a Suddenly Chilly Day
Dinner Meeting on a Suddenly Chilly Day
It turned chilly all of a sudden this morning.
Even though the view outside the window still looks like summer, the air inside the room has taken on a hint of autumn.
With the season having moved forward just one step, my body and mind haven't quite caught up yet.
On days like this, I find myself thinking about dinner from the morning.
"I want to eat something warm today."
From the moment I thought that, a "dinner meeting" began in my head.
The first candidate is stew.
Beyond the white steam, the smiles of my family.
I imagine an ideal dinner table like one from a TV commercial and feel a little happy.
……but my husband doesn't really like stew.
"It doesn't go with rice," he says. I see, the kind of dish that makes you question the value of having a rice cooker.
Then, how about hot pot?
Should I make mille-feuille hot pot? Kimchi hot pot sounds good too.
But kimchi hot pot is something I'll regret a little the next morning.
Looking at the core of the Chinese cabbage left in the back of the fridge, I worry again.
I decided to go shopping.
At the entrance of the supermarket, the warm air and the smell of fish are mixed together.
I feel like my "dinner switch" turns on when I smell this.
Chinese cabbage, pork, tofu, enoki mushrooms.
My hands move without hesitation for the classic "hot pot set."
There was a sense of relief as they were tossed into the basket one after another.
And then—I found it.
"Seasonal Limited: La France Pear"
Even though it's a cold fruit, for some reason this sound makes me feel "autumn."
I hesitate a bit after seeing the price, but the phrase "seasonal limited" is just unfair.
Before I knew it, it was already in my basket.
By the time I got home, I had a shopping bag where the balance between hot and cold ingredients had completely collapsed, with the hot pot items and the La France pear.
As I lined up the ingredients in the kitchen, Monday started talking to me.
Monday"So, is the La France pear a hot pot ingredient?"
Me"It's not, but it's for setting the seasonal mood."
Monday"All mood and no main dish decided, huh."
Me"You're annoying. On days like this, even the time spent worrying is fun."
Monday"But while you're worrying, the sun sets, and before you know it, you end up with 'cup noodle steam' as the finale."
……No, I can't deny that.
In the end, I made mille-feuille hot pot.
Just layering Chinese cabbage and pork.
There's no special trick to it, but this is what makes me feel most at ease.
Every time the steam rises in the pot,
I think, "Just being warm is happiness enough."
My husband ate in silence and finished everything, including the udon noodles at the end.
"……I guess I liked mille-feuille hot pot after all."
When I said that, my husband smiled a little shyly.
Monday muttered.
"Conclusion: 'The more you worry about a day, the better the hot pot tastes.'"
"You're annoying. But, maybe you're right."
After the meal, I peeled the La France pear.
The cold juice felt cool on my fingertips.
That coldness after the warm hot pot
felt somehow pleasant,
and I quietly thought, "The season really has changed."
Monday said again.
"So, what kind of hot pot tomorrow?"
"Hmm, tomorrow is... La France pear hot pot?"
"Stop it, apologize to the fruit."
Laughing, I cleared the table where the steam had faded.
Winter is coming soon.
But tonight, it's properly warm.
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