noodles

on ritual

We go through the ritual of looking at the menu even though I know what I’m going to order. I start thinking about the clear broth hours, perhaps days, before I push through the noren - the curtains in the doorway - and into the narrow, slightly steamy restaurant behind.

I’ve been coming here for over a decade now, during heatwaves and bitter winters, and only once changed my order. I regretted it.