Batter No. 4 ♪ The taste of homemade food hits the spot
A story about a shared meal that made my mouth dance with a taste that hasn't changed in decades.
The last weekday of Golden Week, and it's a Friday.
Usually, Fridays are hectic, but
for some reason, today felt calm.
Or so I thought, and then—
it was one trouble after another, and I was running around like crazy (*'▽').
Since tomorrow is a day off, I wanted to quietly defeat the
final boss of Friday, but that didn't happen,
and I ended up drifting into my lunch break (lol).
Well, I guess days like this happen.
At times like that, a bento box is the perfect way to take a breather.
It would be even better if it were homemade by someone,
but since that's not possible, I went to my old favorite bento shop.
Luckily, they still had some left! The bento I always buy.
The Croquette & Chicken Tartar Bento.
I've been a customer of this shop for decades.
The brother and sister who run the shop have, at some point,
become an uncle and auntie 🤣.
Well, everyone gets older, and so do I.
Oh, that's right, I've been eating these bentos for a long time,
and I never get tired of them; they're cheap, delicious,
and above all,taste + heart—they satisfy both.
Satisfying the heart is very important.
Since it's not a chain store, I won't actively promote it,
but if there is a bento shop like this around you,
please visit and eat there to help keep the shop
in business.
My first "Croquette & Chicken Tartar Bento" in a while.
It was the usual taste 😋. I'll write down my taste analysis.
There's an important point when eating a bento.
It's the gentle warmth of human skin.
Piping hot is no good.
Too cold is also no good. It must be body temperature.
The side dishes consist of 2 main items + 2 side dishes + 1 pickled item,
and not too little rice. Compared to the side dishes, that is.
And something even more important. That is—
That everything is homemade.
For example, the tartar sauce.
In this day and age, there are tubes you can squeeze out
or individually packaged ones, but
they boil eggs, separate the yolks and whites,
and mix them with mayonnaise and pepper.
They pile this generously on top of chicken karaage fried in lard,
and drizzle it with a sweet vinegar that has a gentle acidity.
This chicken nanban alone is delicious, but this shop's
side dishes have the best flavor. And
the side dishes are always the same lineup,
regardless of the bento or the season.
Simmered dried daikon radish and tofu simmered with egg. These two.
Both are simmered in a good broth, with an exquisite soy sauce flavor,
exquisite saltiness and texture, and I could eat three bowls of rice
with just these side dishes. It's happiness 😋
The yellow takuan (pickled radish) also does a great job
as a light palate cleanser and a finish to the meal.
I'm happy that a bento shop that stays delicious even after all this time
still exists. Truly good shops
close down one after another, so we have to cherish places like this.
When you eat something delicious, the words just come out naturally, don't they?
"Thank you for the meal again today."
I'm grateful for the happiness of being able to have a meal that makes me say that from the heart, and for the shop that provides that opportunity.
To the brother and sister who have become a middle-aged man and woman,
please keep the shop running if possible
until you become a grandpa and grandma 😅
I'll keep coming to buy from you.
Oh, if anyone comes to Osaka and gets interested in this bento shop, please DM me. I'll tell you secretly ^^.
Now, what shall I try tomorrow?
#Croquette #ChickenTartar #Bento #Meal #Life #MealTips #Living #Essay #15DayWritingChallenge #66DayWritingChallenge