Menu

K was surprised to find the ramen shop was even smaller than what he expected. There were no more than a dozen of seats, and only two were occupied.

He took a chair close to the chef - a short middle-age man with much grey hair. There was no waitress. The chef gave K a glass of ice-cold water and said, "Good night, sir."

K nodded and put the water aside. He knew that traditional ramen shops serve only cold water - no green tea, soft drink, or other fancy liquid. He cleared his throat and said, "Good night. Em... May I have the menu?"

In no time the chef gave the late customer a dingy sheet of paper.

It took no more than ten seconds for K to read it through - for the menu was unbelievably brief and there was nothing much to choose. There was just one kind of broth and one type of noodle. No dumpling or other appetizer. Texture of the noodle was fixed by the chef, and apparently customers were not allowed to add extra spices into the broth. The only thing that he needed to decide was whether he wanted an extra egg.

And K picked yes.