Katsuman!

Today is the day I see Katsuman for the first time.

Katsuman is the owner and chef of a restaurant near Blue Street in Yokosuka. He speaks little English, is very meticulous, has a heart for children, refuses service to certain Americans and Japanese, has posters of Hawaii all over his walls, plays Hawaiian music, makes delicious food, has no concept of time, and never turns his sign to open. This is what we know about Katsuman.

When we peeked in the door, the lights were out. It seemed, he was prepping his vegetables for the day. Pointing the seats at the bar, he asks us if we wanted to eat using mostly body language. "Hai. Arigato!" Mama calls out and we take off our shoes to go sit down.

"Dinner, dinner! I hungry. Noodles? Soup? I see shapit. I use it, please."

Daddy and I entertain ourselves with chapstick for the long haul. Disregarding us, Katsuman busies himself in the back and along the wall of his kitchen. We watch everything he does. I put chapstick everywhere. Then, I put chapstick on Daddy 12 times. "Shapit, here. Open, please. I use it. I close it. Here, Daddy shapit. No, I hold it. Dinner. I see it. Chicken up high. OOOooo."

Katsuman starts rolling food in flour and paste. I am reaching for the plates.

Mama Roo and Daddy Bear can barely restrain me as I watch our chef delicately place each serving onto a plate. Two men joined the end of the bar soon after we were seated, so there are extra plates. "Kami's plate? Dinner? Salad. I see it. OOOO!"

Dinner comes with soup, rice, a bowl of sesame seeds, and amazing sauce that goes over everything. Mama loves the ginger salad dressing. Katsuman does everything for you. He shows you how to grind the seeds, put the sauce in, coat your salad in dressing, and drizzle the sauce in the right places. I have my very own bowl of rice. Then, Katsuman brings me my own banana. Mama thinks he got it from his house. She says he lives upstairs.

I eat everything, tempura veggies, battered chicken (katsu), battered pork (tonkatsu), little rolled appetizers, salad, rice, soup, and tea. My favorite is soup! "Noodles? No noodle soup. Yum soup. More tea. More soup. Daddy helping."