Tale Of a Cheese Cracker

This is a Japanese rice cracker. Most people hear rice cake and the like and go, "Blegh!" But truth is, there are many kinds, quite a number of which are plenty delish. This happens to be the exact kind my cousin Jojo and i used to share as teenagers.

Jojo and i grew up together. She always looked out for me. I loved her like a sister. In summer, we used to stay up watching TV, chatting, giggling, and having late-night snacks such the one shown above. She'd twist the almond off and let me have the cheese-topped cracker, rich and smooth and crunchy all at once but without the nutty distraction - just the way i liked 'em.

Then she discovered boys and the rest was history.

When my best friend IA was in town recently, she attempted to solve the mystery of my abandonment issues, and had the insights to crack the code. Jojo was the trigger, IA concluded. I'd had no idea. I'd felt perplexed all along.

I'd spent years looking for this almond cheese cracker, in a futile attempt to recreate my youth and its pleasant memories. The cracker was nowhere to be found. I had assumed that it was out of style and out of production.

Then one day, 20 years later, there it was at a local Japanese store, coyly and humbly on display. It couldn't have been more inconspicuous. I could've walked right by.

Sinking my teeth in this perfect blend of dairy and soy, the world is right again. It's OK Jojo and i have grown apart. It's OK she doesn't know who i am any more.

Trust me, food is never just food.