When the cherry blossoms bloom, I think everyone knows that spring has come again. In my case, before that happens, I receive a message every year telling me that "spring is coming soon."
It's a farewell message for transfers. It's a seasonal thing every March when customers come to tell me, "I'm leaving Nagoya." When they say, "Actually," at the counter, I get, "Oh, I see." It's only then that I clearly realize that it's spring.
After the greetings are finished, the cherry blossoms bloom, then fall, and green leaves grow lush.
This series of events comes together, and it really makes me feel that spring has arrived .
This year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, two people came to say goodbye to their transfers. I was grateful for that. Strangely enough, they both came on the same day, and by coincidence, they both said, "If it weren't for COVID, I would have been transferred last year, but it was delayed a year and now it's happening."
One of them is returning to the Tokyo headquarters from the Nagoya branch, and the other is being transferred to Chicago, fulfilling a long-held wish.
Of course, I do feel a little lonely, but in my case, the feeling of joy and solitude is greater than that, as I think, "Take care, let's meet here again someday."
I noticed this at my middle school graduation ceremony. I saw everyone crying and regretting their farewells, and I thought to myself, "Huh? I'm not that sad." Even if we're apart, we can meet again if we want to, so why am I so sad?" I had this mysterious confidence.
Now, quite some time has passed since then, and as I see off our regular customers as they leave Nagoya, I still feel a mysterious confidence: "Take care, and I'm sure we'll meet again ."
In fact, some former regulars say things like, "I'm on a business trip to Nagoya today, so I haven't come here in a while." When that happens, it becomes a great achievement, and they think, "Look! I met you! I knew it!"
I feel like I'm becoming more and more overconfident every year because my unfounded confidence is accompanied by achievements. This spring is our final time to say goodbye, but I'm thinking it's okay because I'll have plenty of things to talk about when we meet again.
Furthermore, when someone comes to Bokumo after a long time, they sometimes say things like , "Since I started coming to this store, I've come to like wine, and even after I've been transferred, I'm still drinking wine," and I can't get enough of that. So, of course, we'll serve a really good wine that wasn't on the schedule by the glass, in a large serving.
Given the current situation, I think some people will be heading off to new environments this spring without being able to say hello. But it's okay. Don't worry, we'll meet again. If you really want to see me, we'll definitely meet. I'll do my best here, so do your best in your new environment. Let's talk again.
This week's wine and snacks
PAPER ROAD PADDY BORTHWICK PINOT NOIR 2017 WAIRARAPA
Paper Road Paddy Borthwick Pinot Noir 2017 Wairarapa
New Zealand has many famous Pinot Noir producing regions, but Wairarapa is said to have growing conditions that are quite close to those of Burgundy, the birthplace of Pinot Noir.
This wine certainly reminds me of Burgundy Pinot, with a gorgeous and gentle aroma and flavor. It has a very beautiful fruitiness that makes me want to drink it. I love this kind of wine. In the past, I liked strong flavors, but now I like gentle wines with a fruity taste that seep into my body. I guess I'm at the age where I want to be treated kindly.
The dish I paired with this was paella. I found out that the Mediterranean bar El Jardin in Nagoya had started selling a retort pouch kit that would allow you to easily make paella, and I thought it would be good to take to camping trips, so I bought one.
However, after receiving it, I remembered the terrible experience I had during my solo camping trip last month due to lack of preparation, so I felt I needed to do a practice run and decided to try making a prototype in my kitchen at home.
As a result, it went well. It was very easy. The kids said it was delicious and ate it all up. Okay, next is the real thing. Let's take it to the camp.
