The Flamboyant Race Strategy

—My and Her Western Travels (27)

Colorful dishes made with plenty of seafood. And the highlight of the "Enjoy Bonito! Heaping Tataki!" plan offered by this guesthouse: five servings of seared bonito. They were lined up right in front of the hungry couple. They put their hands together, and at the signal of "Itadakimasu," they began to eat at a furious pace. However, no matter how much they ate, the food didn't disappear. Especially the large platter of seared bonito. Eventually, their eating pace began to drop. It was like a "flamboyant race strategy" in a marathon, where you use up all your energy at the start and reach the finish line gasping for air. A yellow light began to flicker for finishing the meal.

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A sorry state

"I might be full," my wife muttered while rubbing her stomach, her pace of using chopsticks having slowed compared to the beginning. It was no wonder. This was her second bowl of rice, and she had already eaten quite a lot.

However, I couldn't say anything to this other than that it was fine to eat slowly. My own stomach capacity was also reaching its limit. About two servings of the large platter of seared bonito remained. Whether I could finish this alone was a delicate matter.

The two of us are often categorized as "people who can eat a lot." At first, we were acting tough, thinking this much would be fine. This is the sorry state we ended up in. If blamed for it, I have nothing to say but sorry. However, I would like to make an excuse.

Excuse

First, the seared bonito. Compared to what we usually eat in Tokyo, it has a much thicker, more substantial flavor. As expected of the real thing. Dipping this in the guesthouse's special sauce and bouncing it off the rice is truly delicious. Because of that, the rice went down easily, and overall, we had eaten a considerable amount.

The thick, substantial flavor is also a tricky thing. At first, you can eat it quickly, but it gradually becomes heavy. You also get tired of it. According to the locals, they enjoy the seared bonito to the fullest by changing the condiments or switching the sauce to salt, but I would learn that later.

Furthermore, the dinner menu at this inn also had a volume that exceeded expectations. The head of the family at the next table, seeing the dinner and the large platter of seared bonito piled high, had an expression that made it easy to tell what he was thinking: "How much are these guys going to eat?"

The critical moment

I can't leave it after ordering it myself. On the other hand, I can't force my wife to eat it. The only path left is to finish it all on my own. The phrase "Too much is as bad as too little" comes to mind. Nevertheless, my motto is to reap what I sow.

The "battle" with the seared bonito is finally reaching its critical moment. (To be continued)

(Photos <in order from top>: The highlight of the "Enjoy Bonito! Heaping Tataki!" plan, five servings of seared bonito = Risu, Image of my wife whose pace of using chopsticks has slowed = created by Risu, Authentic seared bonito with a thick and substantial flavor = created by Risu based on free stock materials)

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