Coronavirus in Tokyo, Day 3: Sukiyaki, Spaghetti, and Baby Chicks

Not only have all classes been cancelled, but also, our work schedule has been shifted to avoid the commuter rush. Our work day for this month now officially starts at 10:30 AM. That means I have plenty of time in the morning. What did I decide to do with all this time, you ask?

I made spaghetti sauce. In the morning.
I’ve never done that before.

Meat Sauce:
– fresh tomatoes
– canned tomatoes
– ground chicken
– onions
– garlic
– Italian herbs
– salt and pepper
– red chili powder
– just a pinch of curry powder

After getting to school, I of course checked on the chicks near my desk. They’re even more active today! They stretch out their necks more, jump around and flap their wings, and they seem a lot more aware of their surroundings. They have started preening, which they didn’t do the previous day. They’re also a lot more vocal!

Another new development is that you can see their little wing feathers poking through the fluff. Apparently, females’ feathers grow a little quicker than the males’, so at this point, I’m guessing that we have three girls and one boy. But, only time will tell.

After work, two Japanese teachers and I went to a sukiyaki restaurant at 5:30 PM. A while back, I had done some grading for one of the teachers, and she very kindly treated me to dinner in return! That is far more generous than anything I expected! Honestly, I would have done the grading without thinking twice about it, either way.

The sukiyaki restaurant is called Engawa, and it’s just a few minutes from Ogikubo Station, so we could easily walk there from the school. The interior was beautiful, and the staff were incredibly polite and kind.

We began by ordering a couple appetizers. The first was an assortment of sashimi, followed by little fried fish. Both were delicious. I don’t really think of myself as one who loves sashimi, but it was incredibly pleasant. It must have been high quality, as the fish was very tender and almost buttery in texture.

After sitting and chatting for over an hour, our kind server brought over our cast iron pot and gas stove. She put in the broth, and then added in the vegetables.

After letting them cook for a while, she returned and started cooking the meat for us. I say cook, but really, the meat is only dipped in the broth for a few seconds so that it stays juicy and tender. She actually served us each two rounds. The first was slightly more done, and the second was very rare. After that, she left us to serve ourselves.

We followed this up with a delightful little desert. It was milk gelato with pecans. What a lovely evening, and I owe it all to my incredible colleagues. Thank you! ❤