Anniversary dates are merely suggestions. There’s nothing that says we can’t have an early celebratory dinner, even if it’s more than a week early. The point is in toasting the special occasion together, rather than stubbornly following the calendar.
This evening we are having identical bowls of ramen. The broth light, yet full flavoured. The taste of land and sea from slowly simmered chicken and umami-rich dried seafood. Dots of scallop oil punctuate the surface of the soup. The noodles are medium thin and chewy.
We are spoiled for choice with the trinity of chashu – rosu, not unlike tender ham; bara, melt-in-our-mouths pork belly; and tori, chicken breast that is so moist it must have been cooked sous vide.
Yes, we are spoiled but why not? We are celebrating, after all, so what better time than now to spoil ourselves? What better time than now to rejoice, as we slurp and chew, as we look up and catch each other’s eye?