When it rains, we fry
Roof taps out a beat and the pan answers back
windows fog and the room shrinks to the warm circle of the stove
I pull the bowl from the fridge the batter stays cold
scallion waits on the board the oil thins and shimmers
the first ladle goes in and the room turns quiet
I reach for the rain-night pancake mix the one I keep on the second shelf
the 28cm pan knows this song already
edges turn the color of late afternoon and lift on their own
flip once let it breathe on a wire rack and the crisp deepens
a pinch of salt falls like rain and the steam carries it
In Venice we didn’t have makgeolli so we passed a small ombra glass around
small pour slow talk rain against the glass and heat rising from the plate
octopus becomes octopus jeon squid becomes squid jeon names after taste
what matters is the sound the smell the people leaning in
If the rain lingers I set a second pan and keep the rhythm
batter cold pan hot single flip rack rest
someone laughs someone asks for the recipe I point at the window
outside writes the beat inside keeps the crunch
when the door opens the floor darkens in small maps of water
jackets hang heavy chopsticks click once and the table gets louder
Between batches I wipe the rim and feed the flame a little air
the oil returns to a soft shimmer the batter to a soft pour
we wait for the edge to speak then we turn it once
stack cools on the rack and the kitchen smells like a good memory
the rain stops the pan remembers
to every guest who came to our home and shared a night and a memory with me endless thanks
#rainyday #jeon #venicevibes #homecooking #aftervenice