ramen weather

Anxiety levels are always high when I'm back at home. But not just in the typical ways you could guess for adult child returning back to den of someone else's rules and habits. I regress about 20 years in mentality, but whenever I open a cabinet or drawer to find it stuffed full of papers and tools and snacks and toys and just all around junk, I feel the daunting task of one day having to be responsible for cleaning it out. Then I slowly close the cabinet or the drawer and walk away and tuck myself into my temporary bed and try to sooth my brain into believing I can just pay someone to take care of the mess when the time comes.

I can't even bring myself to really stay in the kitchen. The fridge is full of 2, 3, 4, 5 year expired jars and blocks of things, and the pantry is full of 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 year expired bags and cartons of things. The reluctance to throw anything out. The inability to begin any form of organization. Is this mental illness?

Before you say anything, yes, this is where I get it from. But at least I have control over my own things. Did anyone ever question if I, too, have a mental illness though?

I made these fried enoki with togarashi last year and looking at this tangled mass of fungi without any indication of where it starts and where it ends is not unlike looking behind any door in my parents' house.

I went through my photos and tried to find all the ramen pictures I had collected since I stopped bothering to blog about ramen. I'll be honest, I'm not the most critical ramen eater. All I need is a rich and salty soup, chewy noodles, and lots of add-ins. Bonus points for egg (because I'm not actually willing to pay extra for it).

Softshell crab variation from some place in South Bay.

Brisket ramen at a Japanese + BBQ place from the last last time I visited Ann in Austin.

Classic bowl from one of the Ippudos in Japan.

Another bowl from a ramen market in Kyoto that was filled with shops from each of the major regions of Japan. I don't remember which region I picked.

A fantastic chicken leg at Mensho that time Joe saw me on a date through the window.

Actually not ramen - but disappointing bowl of saimin from Star Noodle in Maui.

Less disappointing bowl of saimin from Kauai where the spam was fried and the broth had more depth.

I... really can't recall where this is but apparently I also ordered some sort of honeydew beverage.

Finally a bowl by street light from Joyce and Em's long talked about Shinmai on one of the first nights we were able to eat out again.

More ramen with Joyce and Em at Marufuku this time. I think... I do remember liking Shinmai more. Or am I biased by the corn?

Inky bowl from Ramen Nagi, where we snailed along in a long ass line that wrapped around an overlook in the middle of a fancy mall.