Masitda Restaurant, Baltimore, Wednesday Evening

[spin_kick_snap]

To tell the truth and shame the devil--a saying Kathy's mom had adored when she was alive--when Dante had suggested that they go out for Korean food, Kathy hadn't expected much. Dante didn't speak the language, didn't know the culture, and his only real introduction to the cuisine was what Kathy cooked at home and the hundred of weird bottle and jars of seasoning she kept in the door of the fridge, next to the more normal bottles of mayo and ketchup and relish. It wasn't that she was expecting it to be bad or anything, but she'd figured something middle-of-the-road, declaring its authenticity by blaring k-pop from the mid-2000s with two kinds of kimchi at most and a couple of sushi offerings to round out the 'Asianness' of the menu. All of which would have been perfectly fine and Kathy would have gone home, full and happy, and not given it another thought.

She realized she was wrong the moment they stepped into the restaurant. It smelled like home, evoking a sense of nostalgia and homesickness so sharp she rocked backwards on her heels for a moment. The table next to them had seven different banchan bowls on one side of it and over the shoulder of another patron, she could spot a menu page devoted entirely to different kinds of kimchi, several of which had seasonal warnings next to them. Apparently this place thought it wouldn't do to serve Yeolmu-kimchi in the middle of winter and you know what? They were goddamn right.

Kathy reached for Dante's hand, squeezing it tightly, letting her grip speak louder than she could right then about how pleased she was with his choice of restaurant for the evening.

[Not for broadcast and for that guy she's with!]

Comments

[rebelseekspizza]

"Guess I got it right, huh," Dante said, letting out a soft, amused breath. "Yelp reviews are good for something after all."

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"Got it perfect," Kathy told him, eyes a little brighter than normal when she looked up at him to give him a happy smile. "See that old lady behind the cash register? I'd bet you anything you could name that she's related to most of the staff and still wears a hanbok at home."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Let's hope we don't get kicked outta this one then," Dante said, and offered her an easy grin as he tugged her up to the hostess stand.

[spin_kick_snap]

And they'd only been making out then!

...Though it was probably in the jjimjilbong's best interest to kick people out before it got very far.

"Does this mean you're going to behave?" Kathy murmured in an undertone as they reached the stand. "A table for two," she added in a regular tone to the hostess, who smiled and gestured for them to a follow. As they passed, Kathy automatically gave the older woman behind the register a small bow and a murmured, "Ajumma," not missing a single step. The old woman gave her a brief nod, a small smile on her face.

[rebelseekspizza]

"You look in your element," Dante said, smiling a little too.

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"I'm very Korean in America and those few times we went to Korea, I was very American," Kathy said, ducking her head a little. "But all this...if I close my eyes, I can almost imagine that we're going to have dinner with Mrs. Park up on the fifteenth floor."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante smiled a little. "Hold on to that," he advised.

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"Oh?" Kathy asked, mostly because she liked it when Dante got thoughtful.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Sounds like you're feeling like home, is all," Dante said, with an idle shrug.

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"Yeah," Kathy said softly, sitting at the table the hostess indicated with a murmured thanks. In Korean, obviously. "It just brings back a whole wealth of feelings, even more than memories."

Memories were treacherous. Feelings and impressions were much safer.

[rebelseekspizza]

"That's good, right?" Dante said, pulling up a chair.

He sank into it, sprawling a bit.

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"Very good," she promised. "The sounds, the smells, the patter of the language...it all brings me back to when I was a little kid. And that's really nice. But it also reminds me of just how far I've come from being a little kid. How much my world has changed. And I realize that I wouldn't go back, even if it were an option for me."

Coming here reminded her of her childhood. But it wasn't home anymore.

[rebelseekspizza]

"You went a long way since being a little kid," Dante agreed, quirking a grin at her. "I can vouch for that."

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"Oh believe me," Kathy said with a little grin. "I', all grown up now."

[rebelseekspizza]

"And I'm looking forward to finding out about that all over again tonight," Dante teased. "But right now, you gotta tell me what's good."

[spin_kick_snap]

"You mean what you should order off of this lovely, bug-free menu?" Kathy teased. "Well, I guess the question is, how much meat can you handle, Dante?"

[rebelseekspizza]

"Aw, you've seen me handle enough meat to know that," Dante said, winking.

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And I'm looking forward to finding out about that all over again tonight," Kathy parroted with a delighted grin. "But right now, you gotta tell me how hungry you are."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Pretty hungry," Dante admitted. "I skipped... second lunch."

[spin_kick_snap]

Which was absolutely a thing in their house, with a sped-up superball, a Nephilim, a mutant, and a mage who didn't need to consume extra calories, but was still a young man.

"Bulgogi, definitely," Kathy said. "I mean, it's seasoned beef. Impossible to go wrong. And galbi--those are ribs, you can choose pork or beef. Oooh and I like the sides they're listing with the samgyeopsal. That's pork belly, which is what bacon wants to be when it grows up."

She was getting hungry just thinking about these. And, for once, that hunger wasn't tainted by nausea, even though it was centered around meat.

[rebelseekspizza]

"... Okay, I'm gonna have... all of the above," Dante said, grinning.

He winked at Kathy. "Warming up to Korean food more than I already was."

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She gave him a wicked smile back. "Look, if you haven't realized by now how delicious Korean is to eat, there's just no hope for you."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Got a lot of flavor to it," Dante said, "But it's worth it."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I'd think the extra flavor was a bonus," Kathy said, arching an eyebrow at him. "Beats being bland."

[rebelseekspizza]

"You know me, I'm a white boy," Dante teased.