Food Trophy: The Photo

I was in the airport in Tokyo for hours. 

Eventually hunger set in. I surveyed every dining option in my terminal. My funds were limited. Fast food was an option. I could just point at an image at a counter and then take my food off into a corner somewhere. 

No. 

That would probably leave my digestive system uncomfortable in the long run. Plus... too easy. (That's right. I challenge myself when it's not even necessary.) So I found a restaurant, took a deep breath, and greeted the host in Japanese. Then I ordered my meal in Japanese. At one point I asked for more tea in Japanese. 

And here's the thing... I barely speak Japanese. Seven days earlier I'd managed to forget the few words I did know. Yet, people understood what I was saying. I ate the food I wanted to eat. I drank what I wanted to drink. It seems like such a simple interaction, such a small feat.

Sometimes though, it's those little things -- appreciating what we might usually take for granted or the victories that might only matter to us. This was one of those things. And in that, this photo became a lasting representation of me doing something new and a bit scary. It's my small, food trophy.

©2013 Kristin Serna This post and these photos should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup.