Lunch was Ramen Keisuke. It got a lukewarm review from my wife’s friend forever ago so it kept getting nixed when I suggested it. But Tosaka doesn’t open for lunch so it got the nod today. Despite the Showa-era kitsch decor it doesn’t have a “run by Japanese” vibe to it. But the flavor! It absolutely nailed my ideal of a deep, unctuous Tonkotsu soup. Very respectable chashu too, though not close to Tosaka’s charred perfection. It has instantly zoomed to the top of my list of best ramen places in Perth.
Grinding your own sesame seeds to add to the soup was a very cool touch.
Coincidentally, the night before on Mastodon this screenshot popped up in one of those “What movie is this from?” posts.
I fired off the answer and in no time got a couple of responses telling me to check my spelling. Yep, my iPhone had helpfully corrected Tampopo to Tampon. Thanks, Apple.
Happily, Mastodon lets you edit posts, like all respectable social networks should do.
I went into Yvonnie Scarce’s exhibition The Light of Day knowing nothing about the artist or what I was about to experience. An Aboriginal artist from South Australia, Scarce’s handblown glass works illustrate the human effects of colonialism, from eugenics to negligent exposure to nuclear radiation. It feels like such a cliche to say that it was “powerful” or “thought provoking” but, really, it was. I need to think more about how much of our society was built on a foundation of, at best, turning its eye away from the harm it caused to Aboriginal people and, at worst, turning its power against them.