危轉機 Farce and Hamartia

明明老了不認老, 頻頻提當年勇, 或從頭到腳堆砌學生時代負擔不起, 今時今日也未必適合自己等等時尚名牌, 大抵是中年危機最表層症狀; 再深入, 便是條條大哉問… 近來吾兒青春期發酵, 一窩子misfits摔門互吼, 突覺前陣子職場種種不過小巫見大巫.  不是完全無理解善意, 頂頭上司從書架找出本Raising Boys塞給我, 前兩日春分, 團隊彩印我喜歡的Botticelli名畫春天, 悄悄懸掛於辦工室正牆逗我會心微笑 :)

With a Teenage Rex in the house, our household of midlife crisis vs. adolescence has raised stress to the level of art.  The modern art of chaos, parody… all crumble into a farce.  I needed much self helps in the form of writing and reminiscing our winter retreat in Tokyo.  Sizzling crabs on crackling charcoal and sake fused snapper stew.  I told you, I am taking the 'comfort' of comfort food very literally.

於東京過新曆年未曾書寫, 近幾年頻赴東京, 熟悉有份安寧, 是老朋友的默契老情人的窩心.

常於名不見經傳的深夜食堂用餐, 極鮮的炭烤螃蟹, 燒酌滋潤的金目鯛鍋, 總有位專注料理的師傅, 喧囂外故事滿滿的食客.  少女時並無如詩情懷的我, 現下更談不上醇酒心事, 智慧是平衡桿, 漸漸懂得怎麼走, 不需刻意.

Although known for the chocolate-covered biscuit sticks Pocky, Japan has the the resurgence of slow food snacking.  The An Stand popup shop of Toraya offers weary travelers freshly prepared rice dumplings in sweet red bean paste.  Another landmark wagashi shop in Ginza serves grilled mochi cake wrapped in crispy seaweed. 

沒什麼比寒風刺骨來碗熱呼呼的紅豆湯更熨貼, 我喜歡的和菓子老店虎屋創新快閃店An Stand, 現點現煮的葛粉汁, 湯圓口味月月更新, 生姜, 柚子, 綠茶… 日日得來一碗方休.  亦跑銀座鹿乃子, 於二樓雅座邊靜觀五光十色購物人潮, 邊細賞畫框鑲就古董紙雕人型, 等待那盤噴香軟糯的磯邊巻… 從不等待愛情, 我們所愛皆是不存在的東西, 對美食我卻異常具耐性, 那是現實的支撐點.

Yakitori is another must eat in wintery Tokyo.  The tug of war between wings, cartilage, drumstick, minced meat ball teases one's palate to no end. 

庶民燒鳥膳不可錯過, 鹽燒, 醬燒, 蔥燒, 手羽先, 雞皮, 軟骨, 肉丸子… 竹籤串串好有成就感, 末了加點雞油炒飯, 吮指有餘韻.

The ritual of tea is my spiritual yoga.  From preparation to the act of sipping, to live in the present finally has an easy to follow step by step road map. 

品茗乃精神瑜迦, 東京茶寮雨後春筍, 這次新發現海苔老舖山本山日本橋新設茶屋:  開放式陳設, 桌邊勺水奉菓侍茶, 時令甜點一字排開候選, 我對冬柿最沒抵抗力, 每見必點.

One ordinary vacation afternoon after I finished stocking up my stationery and art supplies, Little V and I had tea at Higashiya.  We savored one bamboo tray after another of exquisite yokan, dried seasonal fruits, tofu custard and sweet rice manju.  Moments of bliss do not stay… still I was grateful for the fleeting glimpses. 

某日攜小V逛伊東屋鳩居堂月光莊囤買紙筆畫具, 蹓完母子倆到Higashiya歇腿喝午茶, 雖知人生無常, 世事瞬息萬變, 此刻和半大不小的頑皮兒共享三層竹編圓盤各色羊羹蜜餞豆腐包子艾草青糰, 滿溢靜謐的幸福感.

Kaiseki ryo-ri resembles a journey in all senses.  From the season's signature colors and aroma, to the chemistry between texture and taste each fresh ingredient plays, the ephemeral touch becomes a lasting memory.

銀座臥虎藏龍, 吉澤的入口隱密, 氛圍雅斂懷石會席細敏.  我畢竟是設計師, 欣賞傳統標記葫蘆的新派演繹, 飯桶如我, 傾心顆粒晶瑩滑潤的米飯, 一碗接一碗.

My new discovery this trip has got to be the Shiseido Tea Salon… twice I visited, I the only visitor both times!  I had the entire gallery/bookstore/cafe all to myself and read away several gorgeous books before I bought copies for my library.  The interior design of black, white, neutrals and geo fit me so well to a fault.  Here's to the selfie narcissist :P

資生堂多角經營, 我不用彩粧, 錢全進貢在品牌的餐廳書廊茶沙龍, 後者或許名聲未傳開, 兩回都只我們獨桌包場.  咖啡茶點不算出色, 選書卻頗有意趣, 有幾本讀庫畫冊, 冷門的花卉辭彙和攝影集.  簡潔明快的室內設計與我向來穿衣風格不謀而和, 來張selfie自戀一番, 夫子自道:  多年來黑白中性灰棕藍, 從未花俏; 長髪束馬尾, 不蓋頭掩臉.  正面思考, 似乎年紀很輕時我便十分清楚自己型格, 省卻隨波逐流的冤枉路, 而因為經典, 年青穿到老也沒差, 沒有小孩扮大人, 熟女裝少女的尷尬.  負面評論則是, 我若多花心思描眉擦胭脂, 捲髪梳瀏海, 嬝嬝穿遍各式顏色長裙短裙高跟鞋… 我的人生會否多采多姿? 我執的食古不化, 究竟讓我錯過什麼風景?  人到中年, 問這些為時已晚吧.  

Another tough weekend where Little V pushed Mr. LK and me to the edge with his constant tantrums and raging hormone glum.  Raising children might be fulfilling in the end but definitely not pleasurable.  There is no shortcut to parenting… we must face what we create to end ourselves(moving from Shakespeare to Greek Tragedy).