Fried oysters for one -Murakami radio-

　　As those who are married will probably know, it is quite troublesome when a couple has different food preferences. In our case, we have fish and vegetables in common, and we have a light flavour, which is still good, but even so, our tastes in cooking and ingredients differ here and there. For example, my wife doesn't like fried food or casseroles in general, so she has never cooked anything like that for as long as we have been married. She says it's against her way of life. If you say so, there is no way to argue. Even though we are husband and wife, it is difficult to say, "Please go against our way of life". If my wife says to me, "Well then, can I ask you to do one thing against your way of life?" I would be in a lot of trouble if she said something like that. So, for example, if I want to eat fried oysters or sukiyaki, I have to prepare it myself and eat it myself. When my wife goes out for Chinese food with her friends, I boldly make such a plan. I steadily prepare the ingredients in the afternoon.

I don't mind cooking, so I don't mind making them, but I think you would probably agree that fried oysters and sukiyaki are not very enjoyable to eat alone in silence. Sukiyaki is particularly difficult for me, as I sit at the pot and mumble to myself, 'I think those meats are cooked' or 'I'll have to add some grilled tofu'. If I want to eat hamburger steaks or croquettes, I have to make them myself. I always make more and throw them in the freezer. When I want to eat them, I take them out, defrost them, grill or fry them and eat them by myself. I open a medium-priced bottle of wine, watch a baseball game on TV or listen to an old Stan Getz record, and eat it quietly, without decoration (needless to say, I don't light candles), but with a certain amount of happiness and smiles on my face. Once the fridge broke down. The problem with fridges is that they always break down suddenly. Without warning, you suddenly realize it's gone. I had just made a batch of croquettes and frozen them. It was sad to see them thawing naturally in front of my eyes every second. It was like watching an innocent kitten suffering from intestinal torsion. In desperation, I fried and ate the thawed ones from one end to the other, but my stomach's capacity is limited. ......

Speaking of fried oysters, what can I say about fried oysters is that they are made with shredded cabbage. To tell you the truth, I'm quite good at shredding cabbage. I slice it up like a crispy string, pile it up in a bowl and eat it all by myself. That's all I need as a side dish. A heap of shredded cabbage and freshly fried oysters still make a deep fried sound. The rest is miso soup with tofu and leek, warm white rice, and pickled eggplant. Oh yes, I must prepare the tartar sauce before that. ...... Oh no, as I write this, I suddenly feel very hungry for fried oysters. Oh, dear.

This week in Murakami

There were three stations on the Yamanote Line that I have yet to get off at. Let's get off next time.