【November】 Deliciousness Knows No Borders: “Deep-Fried Oyster Set Meal”

Bright red camellias are blooming on my daughter's fingertips. Perhaps noticing my puzzled look (I was wondering why she had them on when it it isn’t even Christmas) my daughter laughs.

"These are Sasanqua camellias," she says.

I look at the dimples on her cheek and remind myself of how I once thought they were the mark of someone fated to fall in love. I resent myself for ever thinking that.

 

In fact, my daughter did fall in love. With a Japanese man she met at university in Paris.

 

Ignoring my protests, she chased after her lover immediately after graduation and moved to Japan. It has been two years. Since my daughter hadn’t returned home once, I’d finally came to see her myself.

 

"I’m going to treat you to some very special Japanese food," she said, taking me to a local restaurant called Yayoi Ken. Apparently, "Yayoi" means March.

 

"The green in the logo is 'young grass' color. It’s the color of spring when plants and trees begin to sprout. Japan has many color names associated with the seasons and emotions."

 

My daughter, who works as a nail artist, tells me this with a touch of pride. That is why she painted Sasanqua camellias, which bloom from late autumn, on her fingertips using scarlet mixed with yellow. Because it overlaps with the atmosphere of the autumn foliage, she says.

 

France has plenty of colors, too. Camellia rouge. Wine bordeaux. Isn't that enough? I want to say. But I can't. Because my daughter has chosen to live in this country.

 

"Here is your Deep-Fried Oyster Set Meal."

 

I stare intently at the dish the server brought. To deep-fry oysters? To eat them with Worcestershire sauce or tartar sauce? Honestly, it’s hard to accept, but unable to resist my daughter's expectation, I timidly take a bite.

 

"...Huff."

 

The oyster, creamy as a stew, begins to melt inside my mouth. I didn't know that even when fried, oysters are smooth enough to drink. The contrast between the crispy batter and the softness of the meat is exquisite, and I am lost for words at an umami I have never tasted before.

 

I had no idea you could eat them like this.

 

Adding tartar sauce makes it even richer. Squeezing lemon makes it refreshing. Then, a change of flavor with Worcestershire sauce. As I repeat the process, the fried oysters disappear into my stomach, one by one.

 

"I've been wanting to let you try this for so long, Mom."

 

Seeing my daughter so happy, I finally give in.

 

Here, in a place unknown to me, she was meeting people and encountering things I would never meet, and living her life right now. It wasn’t entirely a scary thing. It was wonderful.

 

If her daily life is filled with delicious things, then that’s enough for me.

 

"While I'm in Japan, teach me about lots of delicious things I don't know."

 

As I say it, the dimple on my daughter's cheek pops out. I know. I'll have her paint Sasanqua camellias on my fingertips, too. Having decided this, a small dimple appears on my left cheek as well.

 

Story: Momo Tachibana Illustration: Mog Hatakeyama