ARE U SHIITAKE-PHOBIC?
This jweb entry was long, dramatic and full of emotions - just amazing. MUST READ. Though i must say this was very loosely translated and totally not proof-read cos i'm going out in a bit. Weekends! \:D/
J-web∞レンジャー 10.01.14 渋谷すばる
The story about the bento
Work has just ended, and i'm now on the Shinkansen.
I didn't even have time to eat during the breaks at work, and was planning to eat during the return trip on the Shinkansen instead. And so, as always, i grabbed one of the bentos placed in the dressing room in the morning.
I was starving and looking forward to eating the bento.
Of course, it'd been left cold, since it was for the morning after all.
But i shan't be picky.
I was glad enough i had something to eat.
I opened the bento quickly
I was told earlier on that it's split into two layers - yummy-looking side dishes in the top layer, rice with salmon and something like shredded fried eggs in the bottom one.
When i lifted the top layer to take a look at the bottom one, i thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.
Yes there was salmon on top of the rice
And there was also something like shredded fried eggs sprinkled on top.
But on top of them all,
Reigning in the center in large numbers,
Was shiitake.
A bento with absolutely no warmth in it
And topped with my most hated food in the world, Mr.Shiitake
Moreover, because a clear plastic sheet was used to separate the two layers, Mr.Shiitake was tightly squashed onto the salmon, something like shredded fried eggs and rice
with shiitake gravy seeping through them all.
I've eaten countless bentos to date, but i've never had such overwhelmingly disheartened feelings facing one.
But the degree of my hunger was also so overwhelming that it left me with no liberty to be picky.
And so, slowly, one by one, i decided to direct Mr.Shiitake to another place, so that i could still eat the areas other than those that Mr.Shiitake had touched in the center.
Although the degree of my hunger was overwhelming, the mental devastation i was going through was not to be underestimated as well.
Can't help it
It's the fault of my pickiness.
Unexpectedly, as i was eating my bento heavyheartedly, an overwhelming,
piping hot,
delicious-looking,
freshly cooked,
aroma of the pork cutlet bento...
was drifting from somewhere very near me...
No way.
In the midst of my grueling battle with Mr.Shiitake, i'd forgotten that he was sitting right next to me.
Nishikido Ryo.
We were so near, yet as though living in two different worlds.
What's with this feeling of our hearts being miles apart
He always calculates beforehand the time we would board the Shinkansen and have the staff to buy the pork cutlet bento for him while it's still freshly cooked.
He was eating the freshly cooked, piping hot pork cutlet bento with stunning enthusiasm and overwhelmingly happy expressions.
And blowing "Fu~ Fu~" while eating too.
If you ask me, he looked like he was eating noodles in hot soup.
Although it was not like it was awkward, but towards him,
I just couldn't bring the words out of my mouth...
A thing like this...
"Ryo, won't you gimme some"
......
No no no!
How can i say that!
I can never say that!
I don't dare to say that...
I should be glad i have something to eat.
"They are who they are.
We are who we are."
That's what my mom always says.
Don't compare yourself with others.
Be happy with what you have.
I understand now, Mom.
I finally understand what you mean.
Having lived for 28 years, i have finally understood with heartache what you mean.
I do not have enthusiasm like Ryo does, but i shall be happy with what i have and eat on at my own pace, in my own style.
Just as i picked up my chopsticks again with these thoughts in mind, Ryo said softly...
"Subaru-kun,
do you want some?"
......
Are you kidding, oei.
Never did i expect Ryo to take the initiative to say such touching words...
I was so happy...
But! However!
No matter what i'm still considered the older one
As a friend who has been working with him since young!!
As the older one!
As the older one!
As the older one!
As the older one...
As the... older one...
...
.........
"Really?
I can? Oh Ryo~~~"
I said it...
I actually replied like that...
I just replied him like that...
Moreover, the two pork cutlets and the soft fried eggs in his bento were of a proportion that was just nice for the rice left.
Just nice, Ryo...
Ryo... You...
Isn't the proportion of the cutlets and eggs absolutely perfect for the rice...
Anyone in my place would have welcomed the touching ending of the story with the kind intentions of Just-Nice-Ryo...
It should have been like that...
It should have been like that...
It should have been Just-Nice-Ryo...
I was about to reply "I think forget it!"
But i realised if i say that, it would have served his kind intentions injustice, and so with gratitude i took a cutlet with my chopsticks and put it into my bento.
Just then!!
"Take some fried eggs as well."
Ryo...
Oh Ryo...
Oh Nishikido Ryo...
Oh Just-Nice-Ryo...
Aren't you really Just-Nice-Ryo-chan...
Even if it was just by chance, you were Just-Nice-Ryo
You would have wanted to maintain that Just-Nice-Ryo, wouldn't you...
It is true that out of your warm and gentle kind intentions you've given me a pork cutlet,
But you would have been able to re-allocate the proportions if it stopped at that, won't you?
As long as you re-allocate the warm little fried eggs properly, the sums would still have tallied fine, right?
And yet you went on to offer the warm little eggs to me...
To such a shiitake-phobic, undeserving, almost-thirty old man...
I feel so sorry...
With those intentions alone, the old man is already moved to tears in his heart...
I've already taken a cutlet that is very important to you, and so, now, yes now, let me as an older person express my thanks properly, but no, i'm not taking those fried eggs!
Eat those fried eggs yourself, and maintain your Just-Nice-Ryo.
With these thoughts in my heart, my hand reached out to take the eggs with my chopsticks.
So useless...
I'm such a useless fella...
What the heck am i doing...
He then gobbled down what remained of his bento and ended the meal.
For the first time, i wanted to call Ryo 'Mom'.
This is the story of the shiitake-phobic, useless, almost-thirty man.
Ryo-chan,
Really thank you.
Thanks to you, i had a good meal!
This is a message from the Subaru who was at his limits.
Shibutani Subaru
Edit: It was probably in 08? During one of the con MCs the guys told the story of Ryo and Subaru going for nabe together, and basically Ryo'd thoughtfully left out the shiitakes, since he knew Subaru hates them.
Thing is when Subaru opened his bag back at the hotel after the meal......................
there were shiitakes stuffed inside.
Guess who was the culprit. :D
J-web∞レンジャー 10.01.14 渋谷すばる
The story about the bento
Work has just ended, and i'm now on the Shinkansen.
I didn't even have time to eat during the breaks at work, and was planning to eat during the return trip on the Shinkansen instead. And so, as always, i grabbed one of the bentos placed in the dressing room in the morning.
I was starving and looking forward to eating the bento.
Of course, it'd been left cold, since it was for the morning after all.
But i shan't be picky.
I was glad enough i had something to eat.
I opened the bento quickly
I was told earlier on that it's split into two layers - yummy-looking side dishes in the top layer, rice with salmon and something like shredded fried eggs in the bottom one.
When i lifted the top layer to take a look at the bottom one, i thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.
Yes there was salmon on top of the rice
And there was also something like shredded fried eggs sprinkled on top.
But on top of them all,
Reigning in the center in large numbers,
Was shiitake.
A bento with absolutely no warmth in it
And topped with my most hated food in the world, Mr.Shiitake
Moreover, because a clear plastic sheet was used to separate the two layers, Mr.Shiitake was tightly squashed onto the salmon, something like shredded fried eggs and rice
with shiitake gravy seeping through them all.
I've eaten countless bentos to date, but i've never had such overwhelmingly disheartened feelings facing one.
But the degree of my hunger was also so overwhelming that it left me with no liberty to be picky.
And so, slowly, one by one, i decided to direct Mr.Shiitake to another place, so that i could still eat the areas other than those that Mr.Shiitake had touched in the center.
Although the degree of my hunger was overwhelming, the mental devastation i was going through was not to be underestimated as well.
Can't help it
It's the fault of my pickiness.
Unexpectedly, as i was eating my bento heavyheartedly, an overwhelming,
piping hot,
delicious-looking,
freshly cooked,
aroma of the pork cutlet bento...
was drifting from somewhere very near me...
No way.
In the midst of my grueling battle with Mr.Shiitake, i'd forgotten that he was sitting right next to me.
Nishikido Ryo.
We were so near, yet as though living in two different worlds.
What's with this feeling of our hearts being miles apart
He always calculates beforehand the time we would board the Shinkansen and have the staff to buy the pork cutlet bento for him while it's still freshly cooked.
He was eating the freshly cooked, piping hot pork cutlet bento with stunning enthusiasm and overwhelmingly happy expressions.
And blowing "Fu~ Fu~" while eating too.
If you ask me, he looked like he was eating noodles in hot soup.
Although it was not like it was awkward, but towards him,
I just couldn't bring the words out of my mouth...
A thing like this...
"Ryo, won't you gimme some"
......
No no no!
How can i say that!
I can never say that!
I don't dare to say that...
I should be glad i have something to eat.
"They are who they are.
We are who we are."
That's what my mom always says.
Don't compare yourself with others.
Be happy with what you have.
I understand now, Mom.
I finally understand what you mean.
Having lived for 28 years, i have finally understood with heartache what you mean.
I do not have enthusiasm like Ryo does, but i shall be happy with what i have and eat on at my own pace, in my own style.
Just as i picked up my chopsticks again with these thoughts in mind, Ryo said softly...
"Subaru-kun,
do you want some?"
......
Are you kidding, oei.
Never did i expect Ryo to take the initiative to say such touching words...
I was so happy...
But! However!
No matter what i'm still considered the older one
As a friend who has been working with him since young!!
As the older one!
As the older one!
As the older one!
As the older one...
As the... older one...
...
.........
"Really?
I can? Oh Ryo~~~"
I said it...
I actually replied like that...
I just replied him like that...
Moreover, the two pork cutlets and the soft fried eggs in his bento were of a proportion that was just nice for the rice left.
Just nice, Ryo...
Ryo... You...
Isn't the proportion of the cutlets and eggs absolutely perfect for the rice...
Anyone in my place would have welcomed the touching ending of the story with the kind intentions of Just-Nice-Ryo...
It should have been like that...
It should have been like that...
It should have been Just-Nice-Ryo...
I was about to reply "I think forget it!"
But i realised if i say that, it would have served his kind intentions injustice, and so with gratitude i took a cutlet with my chopsticks and put it into my bento.
Just then!!
"Take some fried eggs as well."
Ryo...
Oh Ryo...
Oh Nishikido Ryo...
Oh Just-Nice-Ryo...
Aren't you really Just-Nice-Ryo-chan...
Even if it was just by chance, you were Just-Nice-Ryo
You would have wanted to maintain that Just-Nice-Ryo, wouldn't you...
It is true that out of your warm and gentle kind intentions you've given me a pork cutlet,
But you would have been able to re-allocate the proportions if it stopped at that, won't you?
As long as you re-allocate the warm little fried eggs properly, the sums would still have tallied fine, right?
And yet you went on to offer the warm little eggs to me...
To such a shiitake-phobic, undeserving, almost-thirty old man...
I feel so sorry...
With those intentions alone, the old man is already moved to tears in his heart...
I've already taken a cutlet that is very important to you, and so, now, yes now, let me as an older person express my thanks properly, but no, i'm not taking those fried eggs!
Eat those fried eggs yourself, and maintain your Just-Nice-Ryo.
With these thoughts in my heart, my hand reached out to take the eggs with my chopsticks.
So useless...
I'm such a useless fella...
What the heck am i doing...
He then gobbled down what remained of his bento and ended the meal.
For the first time, i wanted to call Ryo 'Mom'.
This is the story of the shiitake-phobic, useless, almost-thirty man.
Ryo-chan,
Really thank you.
Thanks to you, i had a good meal!
This is a message from the Subaru who was at his limits.
Shibutani Subaru
Edit: It was probably in 08? During one of the con MCs the guys told the story of Ryo and Subaru going for nabe together, and basically Ryo'd thoughtfully left out the shiitakes, since he knew Subaru hates them.
Thing is when Subaru opened his bag back at the hotel after the meal......................
there were shiitakes stuffed inside.
Guess who was the culprit. :D