After our embrace, he let me lead him over to the seating area, a larger area cleared than I would have left for others, space for his weapons and cloak easy to access. The main table had rice and tea cups on it, while the small side tables that were quickly arriving from the kitchen and being ferried in by ladies were arranged around us.
The first course was a simple fish dish, cooked with fresh bamboo salts and rice vinegar, the small individual fish were slightly crunchy but very satisfying. Added to that were a number of pickled vegetables and a boiled fruit that was in a ginger sauce, making it tangy rather than sweet. My notes about blending the cooking styles of both cultures together had been well listened to by the kitchen staff, yet another reason that I loved them.
The second
