A friend of mine had recently posted on Instagram about a fancy Japanese meal she had enjoyed while at home. A famous Japanese chef who normally works at the super famous (and extremely $$$$) Japanese and Michelin-star rated restaurant Ushiwakamaru is offering both catered Japanese meals for small parties as well as individual a la carte dishes for pickup downtown on 23rd Street. I stared at her fancy bowls of ikura don, or salmon roe over rice with salmon, and anago don, or sea eel with Sancho pepper and Japanese yam over rice and actually salivated. I can barely remember the last time I had a high-end meal out… Was it for my birthday in January this year? I really do not know. The fact that I cannot even remember this made me feel even more down.
Just the thought of having something so delicate and decadent like salmon roe or snow crab made me feel both excited and miserable at the same time. All these experiences that we were once able to enjoy in restaurants… is no longer happening. I looked at Chef Abe’s website, outlining amazing photos and his weekly updated menu, and thought about when I could order this. Maybe I will do it for my birthday weekend coming up. I deserve this treat, right? I deserve to have a fancy meal regardless of whether COVID is happening. Indoor dining is no longer allowed here. A restaurant like this would not want its patrons freezing their asses off in “outdoor dining” setups in this cold winter. Plus, this helps struggling restaurants and restaurant workers!
Chris was not a fan of this idea. “No, we can go out for that after the pandemic has ended. I’m not going to enjoy eating something like that at home.”
I rolled my eyes. Really? AFTER the pandemic has ended? You mean, like in 2030? It has nearly been a YEAR of working from home and not being able to live life the way we normally would want to. I do not think I can wait until the country gets its shit together before I can finally have a splurge meal. Life goes on. The world goes on. I WILL STILL GET OLDER. I am going to have my ikura don.