“ The black soup arrives at the table already staining the sides of its wide white bowl, an inelegant-looking thing, lampblack-hued, shimmery with oil, menacing, its velvet surface rippled by off-white tangles of squid, by dull green spears of long bean. Stab a spoon into it to discover coins of flesh that lie in its depths, squid rings stuffed with brisket. The smell of sesame drifts upward on threads of steam. The flavors are intense and specific — squid ink and the sesame oil, long bean and soft brisket, the squid itself and a chili fire. They combine beautifully.
January 7, 2011
