Made of 'I heard'

What made you start note?
The reason I started note was because someone recommended it to me.
It was just a casual, 'Why don't you try writing?' kind of thing.
What started as something I did without much thought somehow became an important habit for me.
I'm grateful to the person who recommended it.

But I was only able to keep it up because I happened to find joy in writing and I liked reading, so I wonder if it's something that people who aren't good at reading would struggle to continue.

I mean, isn't it hard to turn down things people recommend to you in the first place?

My mom told me something the other day, too.

I go out for tea with my mom regularly, and that day we were talking about things that had happened recently while eating parfaits at Karafune-ya.

Then my mom says to me,

'I heard that adding vinegar to natto is delicious.'

While eating my parfait, I reply,
'What do you mean, "I heard"?
Try it yourself before you tell me.'

I think it's nice to have a relationship where we can have this kind of unvarnished conversation.

Well, I think moms in general have that side to them.

The way they confidently pass on information with vague sources, like saying they saw it on TV, heard it from someone, or saw it on the internet.

Sometimes they give really useful information, but most of the time it's dubious stuff.
And so,
thinking 'vinegar in natto, huh,' I decided to try it for dinner that night.

I opened the natto, added the vinegar, and mixed it.

And then, it was incredible.
The smell.

It was so intense it would knock you off your feet.

It smelled like the air in a crowded summer train with an extra tablespoon of humidity added to it.
It was at a level where I was genuinely debating whether I should actually eat it.

So, I asked my mom on LINE.
'Is this actually delicious?'

Then she just says,
'I heard it's good for your health.'

'Good for your health'—what happened to the taste?
But in the end, I had no choice but to eat it.

My impression was that while I could eat it if I tried, natto by itself is definitely much better.

This is when I think about it.

People who recommend things to others don't take responsibility, do they?
They just throw it out there, don't they?
With an attitude of, 'You figure out the rest.'
That's so unfair.

But it's a strange thing.

On another day,
'I heard that if you put salt in coffee, it tastes sweeter'

came as a message from my mom on LINE.

Even though I know for a fact it won't be delicious,
part of me thought about trying it.

I suspect it's not because it's delicious that I want to try it, but because this is a form of communication.

I try it and give my feedback.
Then she tells me something else next time.
And I try it again and give my feedback.

I've been thinking lately that this kind of communication is interesting.

But I have to say this one thing.

I can manage to eat pudding with soy sauce, but mandarin oranges with wasabi didn't work out.

You definitely didn't try that one yourself.

I've thought this for a while, but you sometimes just say things randomly, don't you?

I know because that side of you is exactly like me.

That's my mom for you.

Maybe next time I'll try telling her some random combination I thought of.

Like pickled daikon with mayonnaise.

…I just thought of that randomly, but doesn't it sound surprisingly good?

But usually, these kinds of patterns don't taste good.

Then I'll get complained at, and she'll recommend another bizarre food combination, and I'll recommend one back.

But that's what being parent and child is, right?

We end up resembling each other even in ways we don't need to.

Maybe this is what they mean when they say history rhymes.

Hey, Mom.
I tried the vinegar natto, and it was incredibly delicious, so you should try it too.
And you should feel summer right now.