It's been five years since I thought about writing a menu on a chalkboard...
A customer who has been coming to the store since shortly after opening.
Looking at the blackboard above the counter, he said, "It's been five years since I heard you were planning to write the menu on the blackboard, so it's all brand new now..."
I think there are fewer and fewer customers who recognize this as a blackboard now.
I don't have any plans to write a menu in the future.
Now then…
It's been five years since I started living in the tenement house.
As if looking back on the past, his wife quietly said, "There have been a lot of difficulties, but I don't think I want to live in a nice apartment like the one we lived in before."
There are no screen doors, there are huge drafts, the floor is slanted, there are bugs I've never seen before, weasels appear, stray cats relax in the back, I get bitten by lots of bugs, it leaks, the walls are falling apart, the light from next door leaks through the gaps in the wall, etc.
Compared to the apartment I've lived in before, unexpected things happen and it takes a lot of effort, but when I think about it, I don't think I'd want to live in an apartment again... You might feel a little suffocated.
Even if I were to move to a place other than Abeno, I think I would find another dingy old house.
It may take some effort, but it never feels inconvenient; in fact, the effort itself is an attraction.
I can really feel like I'm "living here." I feel like I can relax and unwind.
I can't find the right words to describe it...
I wasn't interested in it when I was younger, and I only realized it after actually experiencing it.
It's ultimately a matter of personal perception of value, but I hope that people who visit our store will be able to sense this atmosphere and take it home with them.
I thought about this while listening to the lady's story.
Matazo-san and Shirokuro-san
Matazo hasn't been seen since the beginning of the year.
I thought he had passed away, but I was able to see half of his face.
