Just for one day, Mr. Aso

MTC wrote in his blog:

"I thought about the Prime Minister and his night wanderings to the Okura and Imperial Palace Hotels the other night as I stared over the 580 yen limited-time-only mabo dofu/mabo nasu special at Matsuya.

I was not depressed at how I little could afford with my paltry dinner budget. Indeed, I felt quite the opposite: I was deeply embarrassed at how much food I was served for such a small amount of money. A steaming cup of miso, rice, salad and a piquant meat, tofu and eggplant dish...for a pittance.

Looking through the rising steam at the pair of graveyard shift cooks, a man and a woman in cheap but clean yellow uniforms and matching baseball caps, I felt shame at the thought of how little Matsuya must be paying them, when a full meal costs less than 600 yen.

What made it all the harder, of course, were the names on their uniforms. That night it was Min and En. Other nights it is Sui and O. Other still it is Lin and Chō"
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