I did a double-take at the price of 100 yen for a generous pack of two sea bream heads and bones, thinking it was a mistake, before grabbing it.
Introduction
I am satisfied with today's lunch. I feel like I had a proper meal with fish for the first time in a while. Lately, my main sources of protein have been soy-based products like tofu, fried tofu, and natto. I haven't been able to find reasonably priced fish.
Even though it was still morning, I walked out into the city streets under the hottest sun expected this year. As expected, there were no people around. The store was empty. About once a month, I encounter something truly special. With that expectation again today...
Today is a story about that.
Intending to buy fruit
Lately, my fruit supply has been running low. I want to eat something other than bananas as much as possible. However, all the products lined up in the store are high-end items. Certainly, when considering the farmers, they cannot make a living unless they produce items of corresponding value.
Having experienced production myself, I know that is unavoidable. However, I am now in the store as a consumer. Humans are fickle creatures, as my feelings immediately flip to the opposite side. It might be the same as the relationship between a driver and a pedestrian. We tend to view things from our own respective positions.
While setting aside my own self-centeredness, I look around at the products. I noticed that this store puts a significant amount of products on clearance on Friday and Sunday mornings. Taking it upon myself to act as an 'eco-staff' member to help the store avoid disposal costs, I immediately head there during those times to scout for items.
However
Unfortunately, the timing wasn't right today. All the products looked like they had just been stocked. That means the next time might be around Tuesday... Such rare things happen. Perhaps the end of the rainy season and the change in weather are affecting consumption trends.
I didn't get the fruit I wanted, so I changed my strategy to find something for a side dish instead. I took one look at the fish section and couldn't believe my eyes. 'Wait, that's strange, is it a mistake for 1,000 yen?' I recounted the zeros on the price tag. I often make mistakes when checking like this. So, I checked again. There were two zeros. That means it's 100 yen. A method of verification like a first-grade elementary student.
Even the tails
Moreover, this pack of sea bream heads and bones. I can see the contents through the transparent film (obviously!). To my surprise, it contains two of my favorite parts: the tails. Usually, a single fish doesn't have two tails. That means it's the remains of two fish. Again, reasoning like an elementary student.
I couldn't help but buy this. It's been a really long time since I've had sea bream head soup. And it's very fresh. Next to it, there was a small pack of the fillet portions, likely from these same sea bream, priced nearly four times higher. That was for one fish. Wow, I was surprised at how different the prices were.
Of course, head soup
I immediately returned home and threw the whole pack, which was still cold, into a pot. I added sake, green onions, carrots, daikon radish, ginger, and water, then put it on the heat. Once it boiled, I seasoned it lightly with sugar, mirin, and soy sauce. It was done.
They were large bones. It's been a while since I bought such a large pack. The bones really provided a wonderful broth. I could have seconds of rice just with this soup.
Conclusion
It's always a joy to be able to shop like this. Plus, I got to enjoy two of my favorite tails. Being able to obtain fresh items is one of the pleasures of moving into the city. I wonder if the person who ate the fillet portions is also smacking their lips in delight right about now. This is how I can eat everything up cleanly.
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