(Please scroll down for the English version.)
くらや食堂
次から次へと来る台風の間、見事に晴れた日があった。僕は昼から柏木のくらや食堂まで自転車に乗った。お店がそれほど大きくなくて、木のテーブル、椅子、壁が店内に独特のあたたかさを与える。僕は阪神タイガースのカレンダーの下に座り、鳥にんにく炒め定食を注文した。国道１６９号線を走る大型トラックが青いのれんを揺らし、僕は数秒対岸の山を垣間見ることができた。キッチンからクリルのシューシューとにんにくの匂いが漂ってきた。
２年前に川上村に来た僕は、現在のくらや食堂しか知らない。国道が元々柏木の街並みを通り、劇場や映画館や様々な店に挟まれた。奈良交通のバスターミナルの近くに、くらや食堂があった。対向車が来たら困るほど国道が細かったが、この街並みがとても賑やかだった。その国道が山の下に移された時に、くらや食堂は現在の場所に移転した。
「ミョウガを食べるけ？」と店長の倉谷さんはカゴを持ちながらキッチンを出て、僕に聞いた。柏木に昔の賑やかさがなくても、倉谷さんは奥さんと一緒にお店をとても明るく続けている。「人が減っていて、ネガティブな考え方が多いけど、希望を持って、ポジティブな考え方を持っていて欲しいな。」と倉谷さんは言った。本人に会ったら、その気持ちが絶対に伝わる。くらや食堂に来るたびに、そんな倉谷さんと話し合うのが一つの楽しみだ。もちろん料理も一つの楽しみだ。
鳥にんにく炒め、きんぴらごぼう、豆腐とミョウガの味噌汁、サラダとご飯が運ばれた。高級な料理ではなくても、とても美味しくて食べやすい。お店のメニューに麺類や丼などがあるが、僕はいつも同じものを注文する。僕は次回、別のものを食べたいと思い、倉谷さんのおすすめを聞いてみた。「昔から単品で作っているけど、最近カレー風味の鳥揚げ出し炒め定食を作っている。やっぱり鳥が多い、私は鳥が好きやから。」香ばしくて、温かそう。雨の日にぴったり合う、前向きの料理だと僕は思う。
Kuraya Diner
In between the typhoons coming one after another, there was one incredibly clear day. Around noon I rode my bicycle to the Kuraya Diner in Kashiwagi. The shop is not all that big, and the wooden tables, chairs, and walls give it a warm feeling. I sat below the Hanshin Tigers calendar and ordered the Garlic Chicken Lunch. The large trucks driving down Nat. Hwy 169 flap the blue shop curtain, and I can catch a glimpse of the mountain on the other side of the river for a few seconds. The sound of the grill and the scent of garlic drifted out from the kitchen.
As I just moved here two years ago, the current Kuraya Diner is all I know. The national highway used to pass through the town of Kashiwagi, sandwiched between a playhouse, movie theater, and many shops. Near the Nara Kotsu Bus Terminal was Kuraya Diner. The highway was so narrow that any on-coming cars would cause trouble, but this town was still very lively. When the highway was moved down the mountain, Kuraya Diner relocated to where it is today.
“Do you eat myoga?”, the shop owner Mr. Kuratani asked me as he carried a basket out of the kitchen. Even if Kashiwagi does not have the same liveliness it once had, Mr. Kuratani and his wife continue running their diner with a bright outlook. “With fewer and fewer people, there are a lot of negative ways of thinking, but I want everyone to have a dream and stay positive,” Mr. Kuratani said. That feeling definitely comes across when you meet him. Every time I visit Kuraya Diner, I look forward to speaking with Mr. Kuratani. I of course look forward to the food as well.
The garlic chicken, kinpira burdock, tofu and myoga miso soup, salad, and rice arrived at my table. It is not high-class food, but it is delicious and easy to eat. There are a variety of noodle and rice bowl dishes on the menu, but I always order the same thing. I was thinking I want to try something new next time, and asked Mr. Kuratani for his recommendation. “I’ve been making this dish for a while now, but recently I’ve been making the Curry-flavored Chicken and Fried Tofu Lunch. I like chicken, so as you might guess, we have a lot of chicken dishes.” It sounds very savory and warm. I feel it is a forward-thinking dish, perfect for rainy days.
