Summary

In “Eating the City,” when Rina left work for lunch, “the steaming hot air” reminded her “of childhood vacations . . . deep in the mountains of Nagano” (173). She and her parents would spend time here “over the Obon festival” (173). They stayed with her grandmother, who cooked foods from the mountains and “her vegetable garden” (174).

Since childhood, Rina had avoided vegetables. When her colleague Yuki noticed her picking the tomato from her sandwich, she said not eating vegetables was “bad for you” (175). Rina thought “the vegetables in Tokyo were horrible” (175). Yuki suggested ways for her to procure fresh produce in the city.

Walking home, Rina “thought nostalgically” about her summers in the mountains (177). She remembered the garden, air, and insects. She recalled taking walks and scavenging with her father. One day, her father killed a sparrow and cooked it for Rina. She now...