The Ritual of Szechuan Eggplant
August Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Food”
Mouthwateringly delicious. But beware, eye-wateringly spicy.
We pilgrimage to a restaurant some distance away once a year, twice if we’re organised enough.
We follow a ritual of not eating breakfast yet booking the first sitting for lunch.
We pretend to look at all the options on the menu, even teasing a little by ordering a couple of other dishes for starters.
But let’s face it. We’ve been dreaming of the Szechuan eggplant since we last came here.
The waiter warned us it was spicy and that we should be careful.
“We know,” we say with knowing glances as we clink our Negronis and wait for the food to arrive.
Vibrant, sweet, crunchy with cashews, thermally hot on a bed of succulent greens, it always goes well until we bite into a whole dried chili. Surely, our mouths are blistering. An all-over body sweat breaks out. The next sip of our wine tastes markedly different.
Like a battle we have endured, we share and finish the spoils, leaving fatigued yet sated. But by the time we return, we will be ready for it once more.
Enjoy six-word stories? I’m just discovering the joys of teeny-tiny tales here at the Six Word Photo Story Challenge.
As a vegetarian myself, I was intrigued by Julia_Elsie’s photo and warmed by the story that comes with it…
