Beer in the dining car　-Murakami Asahi-do -Haruki Murakami-

Continuation of the Dining Car Story

Even if the menu doesn't offer beef cutlets, dining cars are still wonderful. There's something about the old-fashioned atmosphere of a dining car that's appealing. It's nice to feel like you're in a different place before and after you start eating. And the rhythmic vibrations of the train are also pleasing.

There's a unique atmosphere in the dining car that can be described as a "transient system" of sorts. The meals in the dining car are neither meant to be rushed nor purely savored. We come to the dining car with a vague and provisional feeling somewhere in between. And as we eat, we are undeniably being transported somewhere else. It's somewhat bittersweet, to say the least.

One aspect of this "transient system" in the dining car that I particularly enjoy is the ability to have beer in the morning. Of course, you can order beer in any restaurant, even in the morning, but it's a bit awkward and usually not something you feel like drinking. However, in the dining car, many people are drinking beer from around ten in the morning, so I also start craving it and end up ordering one. And it feels completely natural. In fact, as I write this (although by the time this manuscript becomes typeset, it will have been quite a while ago), I'm having a late breakfast while drinking beer in the dining car of an express train heading from Hakodate to Sapporo. It consists of ham and eggs, salad, toast, and, of course, beer. The ham in this ham and eggs is incredibly thick. I've had various breakfasts, but I've never seen ham and eggs with such thick slices of ham. The gentleman next to me is eating curry rice and drinking beer. Outside the window, everything is white, and it makes my eyes sparkle. Curry rice looks incredibly delicious when someone else is eating it.