Seriously Listening (About Gyoza)

Day 80: Sunday, May 29, 2011

We had a birthday party for our friend Hashi. Actually yesterday was his real birthday, which he had spent with his girlfriend on a romantic date. Unfortunately we found that she had broken up with him that night.

Hashi and his girlfriend only dated four months, but she was actually his first girlfriend ever… and surprisingly she was very beautiful (we were all quite shocked when he first introduced us to her), so in a way, it was like his first love. Even though Hashi was now 34, he looked like a high schooler with his heart broken. He reminisced over his beer about how making gyoza(potstickers) with her was his most cherished memory together- Kayo and the other girls at the party almost cried when they heard that part- and then suddenly he began smoking, which looked just wrong and awkward because he had never smoked a cigarette before in his life.

We all tried our best to cheer him up… Shoko suprised him with a cake that had “Congratulations, Cool Guy” written on it in icing… and Yusuke did an impression of his ex, which involved making scary-eyes and inflating his cheeks at the same time. Hashi didn’t laugh then, but I did because I thought he did a really good job imitating her.