キャミー・タング著「戌年」連載小説 プロのドッグトレーナーであるマリ・ムトウは、厄年を迎えている。 犬小屋と訓練所の改築をしながら、いつも不服そうにしている家族と同居することになった。母と姉に言わせれば、犬の毛とよだれかけにまみれる仕事は、家族にとって恥ずべきものだという。彼女は元カレを説得し、数ヶ月間犬を預かってもらうことにした。しかし、彼の兄は、数週間前に彼女が誤って車に追突した、怒り狂ったセキュリティ専門家であることが判明する。 アシュウィン・ケイトウは十分な問題を抱えている。叔母が玄関先に現れ、同居を希望している。彼は彼女にすべてを借りているので、断ることができません。母親が家を出て行った後、ネルおばさんはアシュウィンと弟を引き取り、愛のあるキリスト教の家庭で育てた。しかも、弟のダスティもアパートを追い出され、居場所を求めている。しかし、彼は犬を飼っている。そして、その犬の飼い主は誰だと思いますか? しかし、旧友でオアフ島のノースショアでデイスパを経営する私立探偵のエディサ・ゲレロから依頼を受ける。マリの施設で奇妙な破壊行為があり、3年前に失踪したエディサの妹の財布を発見する。エディサはマリが危険な目に遭っているのではと心配する。警備の専門家であるアシュウィンがすでにマリを知っていることを知ったエディサは、忙しい若い女性を密かに監視することを彼に依頼する。 アシュウィンは、活発でのんびりとしたドッグトレーナーに不本意ながら惹かれていく。彼女は、幸せそうな母親を思い出させる。その母親の裏切りによって、彼は人と距離を置くようになったのだ。マリは、アシュウィンの冷たい外見を見抜き、彼が家族に忠実な男であることを認める。彼は、彼女のキャリア選択を批判するだけの母親や姉とは違う。 マリのバラバラな家庭とアシュウィンのバラバラな家庭の中で、過去を隠そうとする人たちから、彼らの周りに危険が迫ってくるようになる。彼らは、影で動く秘密に光を当てることができるのか? 過去に発表されたパートへのリンクはこちら。 *** 第8章 - 恐ろしくも真っ白な不動産書類 『みんな仲良くできないのかな?』 マリは無用に力を込めて箱に本を投げ入れた。最近、なぜ彼女は人生の中で全員と言い争いをしているのだろう?もしかすると、これは本当に悪いアイデア
Captain's Log, Stardate 04.16.2008
In Sushi for One?, the first scene is a “Red Egg and Ginger” Chinese banquet. At the end of the book, the last scene is in a Chinese wedding banquet.
Both types of banquets serve similar foods. There are some dishes that absolutely must be served at one or the other—for example, when Captain Caffeine and I got married, my Chinese father-in-law-to-be said we had to have some sort of chicken dish for good luck or good fortune or something like that.
The Captain and I went to the wedding of one of his cousins about a month ago, and it was traditional Chinese banquet style food. I thought I’d share the more interesting dishes.
WARNING: NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART OR CHICKEN LOVERS.
First off, the fried rice dish. This was totally yummy! The rice was served or steamed in banana leaves, which gave the rice this absolutely fabulous fragrance and flavor. Isn’t it beautiful, too?
This banquet happened to be heavy on the seafood. Which was probably good, because I’m heavily allergic to crab and slightly allergic to shrimp and lobster. If there had been stuff I could eat tons of, I would have, piggy that I am.
Thing is, with Chinese banquets, I don’t know why, but they always make sure to serve the animal’s head with the dish. So even though this lobster was stuffed with some yummy shrimp paste so that it was no longer, technically, a lobster, they still served it with it’s lovely head. Staring right at everyone on the table as we spun the lazy susan around.
Lastly, the famous chicken dish that is required at a wedding banquet. This one was actually quite tasty, especially since I could eat more of this than the crab and lobster and shrimp dishes, but Chicken Little is, you have to admit, an unusual dinner companion.
I have a sick sense of humor because I found this quite amusing rather than off-putting. Maybe because I’ve been to so many Chinese banquets and seen so many other chicken heads?
I’ll be honest, the chicken heads at banquets was the inspiration for Kazuo’s art piece that Grandma Sakai buys for the bank in Only Uni.
Now, relax, there are other dishes at a Chinese banquet that don’t involve animal heads. Boring dishes like salad with crab and shrimp, fried noodles, black bean sauce clams (my personal favorite), and abalone with Chinese black mushrooms (one of my dad’s favorites). But those pictures are just not as entertaining to me as Sebastian and Foghorn Leghorn, up there.
Oh wait, Sebastian was a crab, wasn’t he?
In Sushi for One?, the first scene is a “Red Egg and Ginger” Chinese banquet. At the end of the book, the last scene is in a Chinese wedding banquet.
Both types of banquets serve similar foods. There are some dishes that absolutely must be served at one or the other—for example, when Captain Caffeine and I got married, my Chinese father-in-law-to-be said we had to have some sort of chicken dish for good luck or good fortune or something like that.
The Captain and I went to the wedding of one of his cousins about a month ago, and it was traditional Chinese banquet style food. I thought I’d share the more interesting dishes.
WARNING: NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART OR CHICKEN LOVERS.
First off, the fried rice dish. This was totally yummy! The rice was served or steamed in banana leaves, which gave the rice this absolutely fabulous fragrance and flavor. Isn’t it beautiful, too?
This banquet happened to be heavy on the seafood. Which was probably good, because I’m heavily allergic to crab and slightly allergic to shrimp and lobster. If there had been stuff I could eat tons of, I would have, piggy that I am.
Thing is, with Chinese banquets, I don’t know why, but they always make sure to serve the animal’s head with the dish. So even though this lobster was stuffed with some yummy shrimp paste so that it was no longer, technically, a lobster, they still served it with it’s lovely head. Staring right at everyone on the table as we spun the lazy susan around.
Lastly, the famous chicken dish that is required at a wedding banquet. This one was actually quite tasty, especially since I could eat more of this than the crab and lobster and shrimp dishes, but Chicken Little is, you have to admit, an unusual dinner companion.
I have a sick sense of humor because I found this quite amusing rather than off-putting. Maybe because I’ve been to so many Chinese banquets and seen so many other chicken heads?
I’ll be honest, the chicken heads at banquets was the inspiration for Kazuo’s art piece that Grandma Sakai buys for the bank in Only Uni.
Now, relax, there are other dishes at a Chinese banquet that don’t involve animal heads. Boring dishes like salad with crab and shrimp, fried noodles, black bean sauce clams (my personal favorite), and abalone with Chinese black mushrooms (one of my dad’s favorites). But those pictures are just not as entertaining to me as Sebastian and Foghorn Leghorn, up there.
Oh wait, Sebastian was a crab, wasn’t he?
Comments