trader joe's was still selling hyacinth bulbs in forcing vases for $3.49 each. i really want to get one even though i already have two plus some empty forcing vases. unfortunately i have no way of bringing it back with me (on the bike) without damaging the bulb. the forcing vases are shorter than the ones i have but with a wider bottom. if i have time the next few days i'm definitely getting one (bring some towels for padding).
i made it to the cafe by 10:30am. concord avenue is too narrow to ride in the street (there are no dedicated bike lanes anyway) so i rode on the sidewalk, the safer option. i did have to stop intermittently to walk my bike over slippery patches of ice, or worse, unshoveled mounds of frozen snow. i was surprised my father was already at the store. i started cooking a batch of black soy noodles and chinese dumplings, before mopping the salt stains from the floor. when i finally opened the doors at 11am, there were already 3 people waiting outside to come in. i found out they only wanted drinks though, but one of them did buy a bento to go.
my 2nd aunt didn't show up until 11:15am. she went and bought a subway sandwich first before walking to the cafe (that's why she was late). she split the sandwich between my father and i. she got the cold cuts sub, but because she typically adds all the ingredients, the sandwiches usually taste the same regardless. i ate only with the left side of my mouth, as the crown on my right side was loose. it doesn't hurt, but every once in a while i like to tongue it and feel it moving.
hyacinth A has started to open up a little bit. i won't be long now before we see flowers. i'm still trying to figure out what to do with these bulbs once they've flowered. i've tried looking up instructions online, nobody has a definite answer. it ranges anywhere from "just throw them out" to "you can't replant them," but no one has specific instructions on what to do next. i'm probably going to cut the spent flowers and repot the bulbs in soil. once spring arrives and the ground thaws out, i'll find someplace to plant them in the backyard.
it was busy today. for the first 3 hours we were opened, it became progressively busier each hour. ramen for some reason was very popular today; good thing my father made a fresh batch this morning so we had plenty to sell. my father had to leave before 3pm to take my mother to get a haircut, so the final hour was just my 2nd aunt and me. thankfully business started to taper off by that point. still, we ended up nearly doubling what we made last saturday, and overall it was a good week despite being winter vacation for local schools.
it's just my 2nd aunt and i manning the cafe for the 3 weeks that my parents will be on vacation. i'm a little worried because my 2nd aunt will be working the front taking orders but her english isn't very good. i can work the front, but i don't know how to make most drinks. it's going to be a pretty stressful 3 weeks. even today, i had to step in and field some incoming orders when i overheard my 2nd aunt making some mistakes.
the last customer we got was C, a regular. she was the one who called the cafe last friday night after we already closed, complaining that we screwed up her takeout order from thursday (which she was now eating on friday). she claimed we forgot to include her vegetarian bun. however i had video that clearly shows her eating the bun at the cafe before leaving.
C came right when we were about to close. after she made her order to eat in (she has a weird habit of paying after she eats), she reminded us that we forgot to give her a bun last time. i told her we didn't make a mistake, and even after i showed her the video proof (she asked to see it), she still didn't believe me.
i wasn't going to apologize for her mistake, and i told her we'd double check her order next time, make sure this doesn't happen again. this seemed to annoy her, and she started saying how she's been a longtime customer for nearly 30 years, and that she doesn't know if she wants to come back anymore. i would gladly give her a free bun if it meant i'd never have to see her again.
when i took away her finished plates, she said she was going to sit here for a little while longer. i told her we closed at 4pm. "what time is it now?" she asked. 4:15pm i said. she didn't say anything after that, but it still took her another 5 minutes before she finally left. i said good bye but she didn't respond back. i spent some time cleaning up because she left a mess at the table where she ate, food all over the food and table.
we finally closed up after C left. while my 2nd aunt walked home, i stayed behind and mopped the floors. i didn't leave until 5pm. i went to my sister's place briefly to see esmei before finally riding the bike home. my mother called, surprised i still wasn't home yet. she said the stylist gave her a terrible haircut, made her look like a boy. i said people will probably mistake my parents for a gay couple when they travel to japan.
i took home a leftover blueberry muffin which i ate as soon i got back. i steeped an assortment of teas to keep me warm: good earth sweet & spicy cinnamon tea and bigelow jasmine green tea. those are my winter go-tos as well as some red rose black tea.
i grabbed a roll of toilet paper from the cafe. i use toilet paper pretty sparingly, a single roll might last me a whole month (but i still want to get my own supply when i get the chance).
i wasn't sure what i was going to eat for dinner, but decided on some leftover frozen dill dumplings i found in the freezer.
