A 'Love Letter' from My Daughter on a Night at My Limit: The Best Appetizer That Beats Any Gourmet Meal | Dareyame Story

Good evening. You've truly worked hard today.

Thank you for stepping through the noren curtains of 'Izakaya Dareyame' again tonight. I'm writing this tonight with a bit of a lump in my throat.

How do you heal yourself on nights when you think, 'I've reached my limit'?
Unexpected trouble at work, and you're not feeling quite right physically either.
You open your front door with heavy steps and think,
'Ah, I just want to chug a beer and go to sleep tonight'... Everyone has nights like that, don't they?

I've had nights like that, too.

The 'Sara Udon' on the table and a surprise before bed

That night, Dad was just plain exhausted.
Tossed around by irregular work, both my body and mind were completely drained.
I didn't have the energy to stand in the kitchen, so dinner that day was 'sara udon' that Mom had made.

Saved by the warm steam, I popped open a can of beer.
The first gulp I poured down my throat, making a sound.
Usually, that would be the switch to end my day, and I'd sleep like a log.

However, my older daughter, having finished getting ready for bed, came walking over to me.

'Dad, this... here, a letter.'

Clutched in her small hand was a piece of white paper, folded clumsily.

Dad didn't cook today. But my daughter had been watching all along.

I unfolded the paper she handed me, and I was speechless. Written there in earnest hiragana that still looked a little shaky, it said:

'Dad, thank you for always making delicious food for us.'

My hand holding the beer stopped involuntarily.
My daughter had also written a letter to Mom,
'Thank you for always playing with me.'
She was thinking about everyone in the family with that little heart of hers.

But you know, what struck me most was the fact that,
'I didn't cook today.'

What was on the table that night was the sara udon Mom had made.
Even so, my daughter wrote,
'Thank you for always making food for us.'

Ah, I see, I thought.
This child isn't just looking at Dad in this moment today.
She remembers the back of Dad, who would tie on an apron and pick up a kitchen knife on the weekends even after coming home tired.
The days and times I spent swinging a frying pan because I wanted to see her smile and say, 'It's delicious.'

It was all engraved in this child's heart as 'Dad's flavor.'

This is truly the 'best appetizer' to sustain one's life.

I placed the letter next to the table and took another sip of beer.
It's a strange thing.
The beer, which had been just a 'bitter liquid' until a moment ago, suddenly felt deeper and sweeter than any fine wine in the world, soaking into my very soul.

In this world, there are countless luxury ingredients you can eat if you pay enough money.
Fatty tuna, Matsusaka beef, caviar... But you know, for me as a dad right now, I couldn't find a snack that beats this single scrap of paper anywhere in the world.

The bad things that happened at work, feeling down because I wasn't feeling well—all of it vanishes like mist in front of these 'trembling letters.'
'Ah, my hard work as a dad really did reach her.' Just being able to think that made my parched heart feel like it was slowly being moistened again.

This is what 'dareyame' truly means, I suppose. 'Dareyame' for an evening drink is a Kagoshima dialect term that means 'to stop (yame) the fatigue (dare).' It's not about losing consciousness with strong alcohol, but having the fatigue accumulated in your heart melted away by someone's kindness. We all need nights like that.

It's okay to take it easy. I'll stand in the kitchen again tomorrow.

You don't have to be a perfect father.
It's okay to be exhausted from work and sometimes just 'tegetege' (take it easy/do things loosely).

As long as I have this letter, I'll have the strength to stand in the kitchen again tomorrow.
I'll sharpen my kitchen knife again while picturing that face smiling and saying, 'Dad, your cooking is delicious.'
Just having someone by our side who makes us feel that way is enough for us dads to get back up again and again.

If you are drinking a beer all alone tonight, try to remember this.
Someone, somewhere, is definitely watching your hard work.
Even if it's never put into words, your back is a hero to someone.

Well then, shall we open one more tonight?
Let's toast to this 'world's best love letter.'

Let's take it slow again tomorrow.
Good night.

From your old pal. Thanks for reading. If you'd like, tell me your own 'best snack in life' story sometime in secret. See you on the next night.

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