Pedal Strike

The first time I saw a pair of rollers under someone, I was too interested in horses to remember much of it.

It was on a Japanese TV show featuring an array of late teens and twenty-somethings who were venturing out into interesting careers. A jockey and a keirin racer were featured together; and having dreamed of getting my own exercise jockey license for years, I mostly ignored the keirin racer. Even when he was perched on rollers, playing video games because the next four hours of boredom would kill him otherwise, I was way more interested in the small, slight man who couldn’t eat and raced on horses.

Of course, I ended up on a bicycle, not a thoroughbred.

Still, being broke-ass poor means I’m eating more like a jockey. Okay, I’m not throwing up my food [too wasteful, sorry] or only eating 12 almonds for lunch [apparently that’s what they do…go watch “Jockeys,” it’s amazing]. But even with the pounds I want to shed, the thought of surviving through winter on rice cakes is a little daunting. What the hell am I going to do when finals hits like a fucking hurricane and the only thing in my pantry is a can of beans? Don’t even get me started on how I’m supposed to stay on the rollers on that kind of diet, either.

Enter my mother, who, after having disparaged me of being fat for the past 23 years, decided she’d rather have a zaftig daughter than an anorexic one. Okay, she cares and worries about me, too. And though we don’t have that giggly girly mother-daughter relationship, we both think weird things are pretty awesome.

Case in point: [pre-packaged] Yokosuka Navy Curry. It says “Navy Blue,” which is obvious. That also scares me…does “navy blue” refer to some sort of flavor? What exactly does “navy blue” taste like? Is the curry actually going to be navy blue?

I’m pretty sure my Mom sent this care package – stuffed with rice crackers, cookies, and about three pounds of soba noodles – mostly to show me this curry. And despite my hesitations, I’m glad she did. Because assuming this isn’t navy blue in color, Japanese curry is straight up comfort food; caloric and absolutely delicious.

Keirin racer food, as opposed to the crumbs that make up a jockey’s diet. Yeah, my Mom’s fucking awesome.

Tags:   care packages · jockey · keirin · mom · yokosuka navy curry4 Comments