Ohagi is special
Noserumi
The sun has been rising earlier recently, so since I sleep without curtains, I have naturally found myself waking up earlier.
I wake up late in the winter and early in the summer.
My constitution, which is affected by the times of sunrise and sunset, remains unchanged...
A few days ago, I woke up in the dim early hours of the morning and for no particular reason, I suddenly had an idea to cook some red bean paste in the kitchen.
For me, red bean paste means ohagi.
Cooking red bean paste means
It marks a revival of the time he spent working at the food stall in Kokura, where he went almost daily for four and a half years.
The ohagi that the preparation ladies made from lunchtime through the evening were more delicious than any I had eaten at any Japanese confectionery shop up until then, and the records and memories of that experience remain unwritten to this day.
Preparation for the stall begins at around 4:30 in the evening, and the dismantling and tidying up of the preparation area is completed at around 2 a.m., but as the stall is being packed up, the lady hands you your pay and gives you either oden, rice balls, makizushi, inari, or ohagi (rice balls) that are left over from the day.
The confidence that theirs is the best in the world and the love that makes them want to eat it for breakfast
I remember the lady who worked the hardest, doing the preparations, getting ready and cleaning up that weren't visible from outside.
This time, I realized that I had forgotten to take a picture of Ohagi, so I looked for it and remembered the food stalls.
I came across a photo from about 6 or 7 years ago.
For me, ohagi is special.
It doesn't exude tranquility, beauty, or elegance, but rather the indescribable atmosphere of late night after being engulfed in the hustle and bustle of activity.
I remember the rice being very soft and not too sweet, and when I got home I was unsure whether to put it in the fridge or not.
Even with today's ocean of excellent information, I cannot find myself, and the memories of each and every encounter and relationship are vague but irreplaceable, and I feel happy to be able to live my life cherishing such small things.
Have another irreplaceable day today.
