Flashback Fave: Kayoko aka Your Humble Editor

It's really hard to choose my most memorable post on Umami Mart. They're like my children, I must love them all the same! Well that might not entirely be true, and although I haven't blogged much over the last year, Umami Mart is a part of everything I do. The blog started so casually, but soon began to steep into every aspect of my life. I denied it at first, but now I've resolved myself to this supernatural force that is Umami Mart.

There have been so many wonderful memories for so many years. But if I must choose one that I hold dear, it is the Umami Mart Writers' Party in NYC in May 2011. What a night! MOTO hosted us in his posh Chelsea apartment (RIP, hello FiDi!) and many of us traveled far and wide to dine together for just one night. Yoko, Washi and I came from California, Anders from Copenhagen and Vanessa and Payman from Brooklyn. Many of us met for the first time, in real life, that evening.


































Ryohei designed the menu and from that, Payman came up with a cocktail pairing for each course. What a feast! We had all been so intimately involved with Umami Mart in our own ways for so long, that this reunion held special meaning. We already seemed to know so much about each other, even though we had never been in the same room. And I think that's what makes Umami Mart special -- how personal we get on this blog. We all hold different interests and motivations, but our columns are our own little worlds that we share with our readers. It's not really so much about food as it is about US.

At the end of the day, food just doesn't taste as good without the company of family and friends. Over the years, Umami Mart writers have become my family, no matter where they may be in this world. It is a place where we can write to each other and share our adventures and stories and keep each other in the loop.

Thank you everyone for writing and reading and supporting Umami Mart through the years. I hope it continues to inspire us to enjoy a life of exploration and good humor.

Cheers!

*Flashback Fave is a series where eight writers look back on the most memorable posts of Umami Mart. Come back each day for the greatest flashbacks!