As soon as I got home from work, I took a shower then passed out. But for some reason, as tired as I was, I could only manage to get 6 hours of sleep. So with the effects of heartburn still lingering, I went against my doctor's orders and visited my secret ramen-ya again. "What is that for?", I asked. "The curry", the old man said.
This time I decided to go with the Tanmen, which is basically a salt-based ramen with vegetables and pork. Watching the old man make it was something of a gift. I couldn't tell if he was annoyed with how I kept looking over the counter or if he just enjoyed my curiosity. I assumed the former so I stopped being nosy and moved my eyes to the tv. The peppery tanmen was great. But in the end, it's just tanmen.
As I slurped down the tanmen using my pro-ramen-slurping speed, the old man brought me a sample of his curry. Perhaps he did enjoy my curiosity, I thought. I thanked the old man and complimented him on his food and he briefly explained how he makes his soup. Awesome, I thought. Then...as I got up to pay, the old man turns to me and says "I'll teach you. Just ask me and I'll teach you. I'll even let you come behind the counter and cook." "Seriously??", I replied in amazement. "Seriously!", he confirmed. And after a few more "seriously's", I rode home the happiest man on earth.
I celebrated with shave ice in a cup.
Before work, I decided to head back to the burger-joint frisco in Shimokitazawa. I had heard that they will be closing on the 26th and wanted to get one last burger before they did.
This is a great burger. I hope the owner can find a new location soon. As I was leaving, the owner remembered me and shook my hand as he called me brother. haha. Thanks brother!
Now this is where we start to go downhill. The medication I'm taking is surprisingly strong for Japanese medicine. And being as dizzy as I was, I probably shouldn't have been wielding a knife. Yup, you can probably guess where this is going. In short, my night ended prematurely as I had to get my finger stitched up at the hospital. Thank you sis for taking me and thanks for the wonderful dinner!
Slicing my finger may actually have been a blessing in disguise. Only time will tell, but I feel confident about it... Right sis?
You need to take better care of yourself. Ease up on the sodium, fat and alcohol. Hope you'll get well soon.
ReplyDeleteyes, please, go without ramen for a week. we will still follow your blog. do some posts on Japanese fruits & veggies or cutting edge healthy organic food scene - or whatever your doc suggests for heartburn. we need you alive so someday we will eat at your ramen shop.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, dude, take care of yourself. Sometimes you have to sacrifice quantity for quality.
ReplyDeleteYou guys rock! Thanks for being concerned!
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