Connie’s Reviews > Someone to Cook For > Status Update

“Maybe it doesn’t matter how important she was—I wasn’t yet self-aware, so maybe forgetting her was inevitable. In the other hand, say I could remember my mother—I think that would mean that a part of me would always be lonely.”

“You can always make more friends. But I can never get another father, another man related by blood….”

“Being poor is the worst. Especially when it’s cold. The poor sinks right into you, you know?”

“The leaves fell and fell, and the sun sank sooner—the world was barren, and the wind was piercing. Signs of the oncoming winter were scattered all over the place.”

“But if I smell like garlic [from eating too many gyoza], people might hate me even more. What if the whole class starts avoiding me?” …
　“Then you’ll know people aren’t avoiding you because of your upbringing or your personality. It’s the garlic’s fault. And that’s a lot easier to handle.”
　“Are you kidding me? People avoiding me because I stink is way worse.”
　“You can blame it all on the garlic! Think of it this way—gyoza don’t just give you energy, they also become the source of why people hate you. That makes them the most useful food!”

“A parent needs to be prepared to sacrifice themselves no matter the cost.”

“I can’t be worrying about how much people like me when I need to look after you.”

“In good times and bad, I had someone who made dinner for me. And that, more than any one dish, was what gave me strength.”

“To be a child is to go along with whatever choices your parents make for you.”

“Does ten years let you forget?”
　“No, I still remember her. There’s nothing more painful than losing someone dear to you.”

“Rika had done everything she could to give me the one thing I wanted, and she made sure to tell me how much she loved and cared for me. But the stronger her love, the more brittle and fickle it became.”

“She said that ever since she became your mom, she had two tomorrows to look forward to. […] Her tomorrow, and another one, one where there were so many possibilities and futures beyond her own. She told me that by becoming a parent, her futures had more than doubled. Don’t you think that’s incredible? […] And I thought, ‘I’ve got to be a parent, too, if it means I can have all those futures.’ I felt like I’d discover Doraemon’s door to anywhere! But Doraemon’s fiction, and you’re real, Yuko, you’re here. […] Ever since you moved in, Yuko, I’ve had two tomorrows. Mine, and a tomorrow that’s so much more important than mine. And tomorrow comes every day! Isn’t that miraculous? […] I can’t imagine giving up something so wonderful—no matter how tough times get, I get to experience more futures than just my own.”

“But was love enough to uphold a marriage? Love seemed like it was only enough for lovers—not enough for family.”

“Even when I couldn’t bear to accept a delicious meal or encouraging words or a hand extended to help me, music could still fill me, body and soul.”

“Songs and movies and novels, they all have these lines that set my teeth on edge—about having someone to protect, having someone more important than yourself, how that makes you stronger. I thought they were all exaggerating. I’d had relationships before, and I’d never once felt that way. But when you came along, Yuko, I finally understood. Having someone more important than myself made me happy. I did things for you that I never would’ve done for myself. […] It’s difficult living only for yourself. Because you don’t know what actually satisfies you. Money, education, work, sex—you think maybe one of them is the answer, but somehow, none of them are. But watching you grow up, Yuko, whenever you smile at me, it turns out that’s all I needed. To realize what I was missing.”