The Sin of Paradise
This is it. This feeling. Morning in Golden-gai is great...
There were long buildings, row houses, densely packed along either side of a street that was thin enough to be called an alley. Incredibly, in this one little corner of town, there were close to 300 businesses. Because most of them were bars, or other establishments that served alcohol, at this time of day the area was naturally a little deserted. That was what allowed a high school student like Monzo to set foot here without feeling too intimidated.
Monzo didn’t know Golden-gai at night. He had only seen it in images found on TV, in magazines, and on the internet, but the smell of that place, its essence lingered, and he felt like he had become a little more mature just by being there.
Oh! There. There it is.
Monzo found the place he was looking for, opened the door, and climbed the steep stairs. When he responded to the staff’s greeting and tried to take a seat, he was told to buy a meal ticket from the vending machine.
“Oh! Sorry!”
Right, right. I always get that wrong...
He was given the option of amazing niboshi tsukemen or amazing niboshi ramen, and struggled to decide which, but he ultimately settled on amazing niboshi ramen, like always. Obviously, the tsukemen was hard to pass up. Ordering both was an option, too, but Monzo had a general policy of one dish each time he came to a restaurant. It was only the polite thing to do, to focus all of his being on thoroughly savoring a single bowl of ramen.
When he handed over the meal ticket, the staff member asked if he had any preferences. This was another vexing question. If he had to say one way or the other, he did have preferences. However, Monzo was the type who could enjoy any food, so long as it was delicious. He was also of the belief that the taste a restaurant provided to customers who made no specific requests would undoubtedly be their best.
“I’ll have it normal.”
After that, it was just a matter of subtly watching the staff prepare his order as he waited. Even though it was a Saturday, because of the time of day, Monzo was the only one here. Incredibly, this place ran 24-7, and thanks to that, he was able to enjoy this kind of luxury. Marvelous.
Ohhh...! Here it comes! Here it comes! Here it comes!
The flow of time here was mysterious. It felt like an eternity had passed before his ramen was complete, or perhaps it was only a moment. It felt sweet, and yet unbearable. When Monzo received his order from the staff and placed it on the table, he took his chopsticks in hand, and brought his hands together.
“Thank you for the meal.”
He wanted to shout out loud, but he couldn’t do something so disrespectful. He scooped up some broth with his porcelain soup spoon, and sipped it.
...Niboshi! It’s niboshi! A perfect niboshi revolution...!
Next, he tried the noodles.
...Yes! This chewy texture! It’s incredible! The flavor of the niboshi is wrapped around it, and they’ve become one. I don’t know what to say...
Tears formed in his eyes. Sweat was already forming on the tip of his nose and his brow. Monzo wiped his tears with a tissue.
This ramen has more than one type of noodles, huh...?
There were ittanmen, a sort of wide, sheet-like noodles in it. They had a unique texture, too.
Okay, let’s take the first ittan slow...
He slurped it into his mouth.
“Ohh...!”
He groaned in delight despite himself.
That’s good! This is... delicious! No, not just delicious, this is destiny!
The chashu pork in this place was delectable, too. It wasn’t the type where the surrounding flavors had seeped into it, but was so fatty as to be a sensual experience, and was delicious as meat on its own.
Okay, now the chashu...
He stuffed it into his mouth.
Paradise...
He wanted a whole hunk of this meat. If he had that, he felt like not only could he survive the end of the world itself, but he could become king of the post-apocalyptic wasteland.
It’s all delicious. This is a sin. It’s deeply sinful...
As he intently slurped noodles, ate the ittanmen and chashu, and drank the soup, Monzo began to become uneasy. Would there ever be a greater happiness in his life than what he felt now? It was so intensely delicious that his mind went beyond pure bliss to imagining the tragic fate that might await him.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login