MY-SHOYU is an attempt to enjoy creating unique flavors by primarily infusing dried ingredients in soy sauce to alter their taste and aroma.
One might say, "Why bother when there are delicious dashi-shoyu (soy sauce with dashi) options available for purchase?" And indeed, that's a valid point.
However, you might miss out on the joy of creating a flavor you love just from a little impromptu idea of your own.
It's somewhat similar to the debate of whether to make dashi from scratch or use umami seasonings, but also a bit different.
Since soy sauce is the base, it's also a bit different from simply adding a little soy sauce to a dashi base to adjust the flavor, but ultimately, the balance when using it is crucial.
Of course, it will be necessary to achieve a balance between the soy sauce and the added ingredients, the ingredients themselves, and even with the addition of cooking sake or vinegar.
While I, the author, enjoy making sharp, intense things, such as my own super-spicy chili oil, ultimately, it's essential to bring them to an appropriate conclusion.
The reason I'm talking about balance is because I recently experienced a sudden collapse of my immune balance.
It was a Sunday afternoon, and I had been feeling mentally and physically heavy for several days.
Then, the siren of a fire truck on its way to a fire. As a member of the local fire brigade, I reacted immediately.
I considered various factors: whether the fire was nearby, in the neighboring team's area, its scale, whether I needed to respond, prepare to go out, lock up, change into my firefighting uniform, and so on.
While thinking about all this, my body produced a large amount of adrenaline.
In most cases, these situations turn out to be false alarms or the fire is quickly extinguished, and this day was no exception; I didn't have to respond.
After calming down, I suddenly felt exhausted and couldn't move... I collapsed into bed.
Fever, headache, and a sore throat kept me immobile the next day. Ultimately, it was my first positive test for Covid-19.
Looking back, I can see that after the heightened tension and adrenaline rush, my immune system's defenses were breached, and its balance completely collapsed.
If I had been spending my time peacefully, this probably wouldn't have happened.
(Due to strict family management, I'm still isolated in my room, even days later.)
Normally, a balance, like a scale or a balancing toy, is maintained within a certain range, but a large jolt can disrupt it.
However, it's also true that because the balance was disrupted, I was oddly clearly aware of what was happening in my own body, and I learned something from it.
I feel that creating MY-SHOYU's flavor is similar.
(That makes no sense, I'm just convincing myself.)
Incidentally, when I heard the fire siren, I was home alone, roasting coffee.
When considering a response, the only option should be to turn off the heat.
However,
I thought, "How many more minutes can I continue roasting?"
"Should I roast until the very last moment before responding?"
"Will my wife handle it when she gets home?"
Ultimately, I turned off the heat there, confirmed there was no call-out, then resumed roasting (reluctantly, despite the less-than-ideal roasting state), and then fell ill.
The conclusion I drew from all this is something else entirely, and I'm honestly amazed at what I was thinking.
It's the idea that if you're home alone deep-frying tempura during a fire, you can't respond.
Even if you turn off the heat, you can't just leave hot oil unattended and rush out.
Even if there were children, would it be okay to leave them and go?
This is probably not a scenario that applies to professional firefighters, who aren't expected to respond to fires from their own homes.
It's also slightly different from the case of "what if a major earthquake occurs?"
I was reminded again of how many things one thinks about in an instant.
Perhaps thinking about such things caused my physical and mental balance to collapse... maybe.
The photo is unrelated to the main text.
