NaPoWriMo Day 8: Chazuke

Win or Lose

Hot rice or cold rice,
doesn't matter,
hojicha, genmai cha, Lipton black tea, even hot tap water
furikake,
ume paste,
large ume, wrinkled, puckered unseeing eyeballs,
ochazuke nori packets with trading card pictures
of famous Mt. Fuji scenes,
takuan,
pickled mustard eggplant,
sanbai zuke,
shiso seeds floating like bright green flower buds
grilled salmon
misoyaki butterfish
day old sashimi soaked in ginger and shoyu,
slivers of rare steak.
My father-in-law wasn't really back from his
almost monthly Vegas trips
until he sat down with his large chawan
of chazuke
win or lose
a Vegas tradition.  
-CKI