Higher

The chef remained silent for a while, and, then, he said, "Why is it necessary to become famous and get a higher ranking in your Tire-Man's Guide?"

"Two reasons there. First, you can attract more customers... em... so that more people could have the chance to enjoy your ramen!"

"Sir, my shop is small and seats are limited. There's really no way for me to serve any more people. After all, I am no financial tycoon and have no ambition of running a chain store. All I want is to have a handful of people enjoying my cookery and become satisfied every evening."

"Alas, look, even if you don't want a big business, you certainly need a good one. If you have a higher rank, you will attract more big spenders and make a better profit."

"That may be true, but, if I have to give up my character and flatter those thick-head terayaki or curry lovers in order to make a big money, I shall be another Faust!"

K shook his head and left the shop. He could never imagine what money can't buy.

Rank

K decides to continue with his speech, "The problem is, not everyone from that 1000 experts are interested in ramen. Some of them know only Italian cuisine, and some only French or Chinese. Even if they know about Japanese food, some are specialized in tempura and others sashimi. To impress all - or the majority - of them, a restaurant must be all rounded in every aspect."

"What do you mean?" The chef asked - he was fully awake now.

"What I'm getting at is, to make your shop rank high and be famous, you must not confine yourself to ramen. Let's formulate a strategic plan to enrich your menu - how about including udon and soba as a start? A few weeks later, we can add sushi and teriyaki, followed some months later by Canton and Thai cuisine."

"Em... May I ask what's the point of being all-rounded if that means losing my own edge?"

"My friend, having an edge does not help you outshining the others in this ranking business."

In no time, the chef thought of the story of Mao Sui (毛遂).

Guide

To the surprise of K, the chef sounded confused, "Is that the case? So...?"

"Oh, no big deal. I just think a ramen shop of such an outstanding quality should receive an appropriate recognition. Em... let me introduce myself. I am K. Yes, the food critic. If you may allow, I can give you some little suggestions so that you could get a higher rank in the Tire-Man Guide."

"Yes...?" The chef said. He did not appear interested, but, rather, he just didn't want to prohibit his guest from speaking.

K moved closer to the chef, "My friend, to begin with, you must understand the rule of the game. The ranking of a restaurant in the Guide does not only - and, to a large extend, does not at all - depend on the quality of the food being served. It is, on the other hand, a voting system. The editor of the guide seeks the opinion from one thousand food critics around the world and asks each and every one of them whether they think a restaurant is good or not in their own perspective."

The chef nodded - or, was he dozing off?

Ramen

A moment later, K's nightfood was served.

And... K was not satisfied - not only satisfied; he felt he was in heaven. The noodle, the broth, the spring onion, the bamboo shoot, the thin slice of pork, the egg - the heat, the grease, the texture, the saltiness, the fragrance - every ingredient in the bowl and every stimuli that ends up in his parietal cortex was - just right. There was no criteria for a perfect ramen in K's mind before he pushed open that little wooden door. The chef showed him the way and made a live demonstration of perfection.

The only thing that K would have to complain was, for the rest of his life, he would never enjoy any other ramen.

***************
K could not remember how long he stayed in heaven before he finished with the noodle and returned to reality. Probably no more than 15 minutes - but, against the theory of Einstein, it appeared an eternity. When he looked around, the other customers had gone. The chef was quietly wrapping things up - trying not to disturb his last guest of the day.

K sipped some cold water to clear his taste bud and said, "I must take my hat off, sir. Your ramen is amazing!"

"Oh, that's my honor." The chef blushed a little and bowed.

"Em... but, please do not be offended - may I ask a question? Why couldn't I find your name in the Tire-Man's Guide?"

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.

Nightfood

Midnight.

K was walking alone in the street. He had just excused himself from a banquet, but he had no intention to go home yet. There was a full moon to appreciate, and the breeze of early autumn was addictive. But, above all, he was hungry.

As a food critic, having an empty stomach is not a familiar feeling to him. Unfortunately, all food that he poured down his throat a moment ago in that exquisite steak house seemed to have stuck in the back of his spine.

He had a gut feeling that he needed some night food to comfort his soul. Yes, that's all the reason for his wandering.

Soon, something caught his eyes. Around the cul-de-sac there was some fuzzy but inviting light from an old wood-frame window.

It was a small ramen shop.

K walked closer and took a deep breath. A familiar smell. Yes, a broth of pig bone, enriched by the flavor of chicken, further highlighted by some soy sauce.  Oh, it's Kantō (関東) style.

"What could be better than having ramen at this time of the day!" K said to himself as he pushed open the door.

王安石

Yes, the second story of Sima Guang is his relation with Wang Anshi. In fact, the story of Sima makes no sense if we do not mention Wang.

The incident was, once again, well known to most of us: The Song empire was weak and faced an immense thread from her neighbours. When appointed by Emperor Shenzong (神宗) as the prime minister, Wang attempted a series of drastic socioeconomic changes - widely known as the Xī Níng Reform (熙寧變法).

Although the intention was good (for example, the Song government was running a huge budget deficit, and Wang proposed a new taxation system - the idea was actually very similar to what the Democrats of the States are now doing), Wang was more or less an idealist and did not pay sufficient attention to work out the practical details of his new system.

And here enter Sima Guang: When the Reform was first announced, he wrote to Wang and suggested the existing system should not be changed so quick and drastically. Unfortunately, self-confidence blinded the eyes of Wang, who considered Sima too old-fashioned and retorted in a lengthy letter. The two of them, used to be good friends with mutual esteem, broke off that and there. The new policies transformed and became a continual political struggle between the reformists and conservatives.

And the rest is history.