The Soup Curry with Braised Pork Belly Loved by a Senior Who Departed for Heaven
Summer, 2021.
A senior colleague who had taken good care of me departed for heaven.
He was so close to retirement.
His daughter is still in elementary school.
I had passed him and greeted him just three days before he passed away.
The taste that this senior loved so much can be found in my hometown.
I had heard that there were two ogres in the workplace I was assigned to after joining the company.
The 'Red Ogre,' who would get fired up and turn bright red when it came to work, and the 'Blue Ogre,' a tough-looking guy from my same intake year.
In particular, the Blue Ogre helped me out a lot, especially with my performance evaluations.
When I made him angry, I would receive 'educational guidance' (non-violent) with him shouting 'Justice shall be served!', but during evaluations in the test zone, he would often tell me stories from the past while we took 'breaks' at the vending machine corner.
'My boss used to tell me, don't expect to be there when your parents die!'
'I once panicked after scorching a blueprint with a cigarette.'
'When I was young, I never even had to get my car inspected (I changed cars so often).'
'I used to go skiing after winter testing ended,' and so on.
Then one day, I received an email from the Blue Ogre. I panicked, thinking it was about a defect in an evaluation product, but it turned out that wasn't the case.
'I'll be doing on-site evaluations in Sapporo for about a week. Since I'm going, tell me a good place for the trendy soup curry.'
At the time, I was unmarried, and my joy was returning to Sapporo every long weekend to go on a soup curry tour guided by my elementary school classmates.
There are shops in every corner of Sapporo alone, and I must have visited over 20 famous shops that competed fiercely over their soup, ingredients, cooking methods, and rice portions (there was even one that exceeded a large serving called 'Kintamani'!).
Among them, within reach of public transportation from Sapporo Station.
The conclusion I reached after much deliberation was 'GARAKU'.
They have their main store in Susukino, and there is always a line when you go.
They have locations all over Hokkaido and in Tokyo now, but the main store might still be the easiest for me to visit.
Beyond the Japanese-style dashi soup, their specialty is the 'braised pork belly' topping.
Melt-in-your-mouth.
The braised pork belly, which has a texture that perfectly matches this difficult-to-describe onomatopoeia, can only be tasted at GARAKU.
It is an exquisite dish that surely requires carefully simmering pork belly for a long time to achieve.
I introduced GARAKU to the Blue Ogre.
When I asked the Blue Ogre for his impressions after he returned from his business trip, he gave me a shocking answer with a huge smile on his face.
'It was so delicious that I went three times in one week!'
Unlike regular curry, soup curry contains large chunks of meat and vegetables, and even a regular serving of rice makes you easily full; plus, 10 years ago during the deflationary period, it was a decent 'treat' that cost over 1000 yen.
When I asked, it seemed he had been enjoying the discounted crab and soup curry at the 'Esta Underground Mall' at Sapporo Station alternately.
To think he liked it that much. GARAKU is truly formidable.
Even after that, whenever the opportunity arose, he would often tell me, 'That soup curry was delicious.'
Even though I had only provided the information, it made me as happy as if it were my own achievement to have the taste of my hometown praised.
Some time later, I learned that Mr. Blue Oni, who had transferred to the factory, was not doing well.
He was diagnosed with cancer.
His knees were giving him trouble.
Fluid was building up in his chest.
He would be hospitalized for surgery and then return to us.
I used to think that the name 'Blue Oni' wasn't just for show.
He would occasionally show his face at the head office, and every time we passed each other, he would tell me, 'Take care of your health.'
And yet.
On a weekend morning, he suffered a heart attack while working in his home garden and never returned.
I was shocked when I heard the news of his passing.
The COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to subside, and I agonized over whether to go pay my final respects, but as my own mental health was already failing at the time, I hesitated.
In the end, I failed to pay my respects.
My peer, Mr. Red Oni, perhaps out of despair, also fell ill and left the company before reaching retirement age.
I imagine he had his reasons.
Ever since Mr. Blue Oni passed away.
Between the pandemic and my own mental health struggles, I haven't been able to have a proper, relaxing trip home, let alone enjoy any soup curry.
I haven't been able to enjoy that 'tender braised pork belly' for a while now, either.
I miss the soup curry. I miss Sapporo.
When I finally get to stuff my cheeks with that braised pork again someday, will Mr. Blue Oni's catchphrase cross my mind?
'Justice served!'
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