By Late January. The scheduling tension with Brian has not resolved — it has receded, the way all tensions recede between divorced parents, not disappearing but going underground, joining the geological layer of accumulated frustrations that every co-parenting relationship sits on top of. The frustrations are: he assumes I'm available. I assume he should help more. He thinks my cooking classes are "optional." I think his beer industry networking events are "optional." Neither of us says "optional" out loud. We say "schedule" and "availability" and "flexibility," the diplomatic language of divorced parents who are too mature to fight and too frustrated not to.
I made gyudon — the beef bowl, the fast comfort food, the weeknight meal that takes twenty minutes and feeds two people and tastes like someone who loves you made it in a hurry. The gyudon was for Miya, who senses tension the way a barometer senses pressure: accurately, without understanding the mechanism. She said, "Are you and daddy fighting?" I said, "No, we're scheduling." She said, "It sounds like fighting but quieter." She is right. It sounds like fighting but quieter. The quieter is the maturity. The maturity is the effort. The effort is exhausting. The exhaustion is the co-parenting tax, paid biweekly, in the currency of restraint.
I visited Ken in Sacramento. Monthly trip. He is doing well — the "well" that means stable, the "well" that means not worse, the "well" that Nakamuras use to describe any state that does not require immediate action. Ken is well. The garden is well. The daikon is well. The miso soup (his) is well. The Parkinson's is well, which means it is present and managed and not discussed, which is the Nakamura way, which is the only way Ken knows, which is the way I am sometimes grateful for and sometimes want to shake.
I cooked for him — Fumiko's dishes, as always — and we sat at his table and ate in silence and the silence was the language and the language was the love and the love was the silence and the circle does not need breaking, the circle is complete, the circle is: father and daughter, eating, quiet, the food between them the only conversation they need.
The gyudon I made for Miya that night reminded me why I keep coming back to these simple, fast, deeply satisfying Japanese-inspired dishes — they carry weight without requiring explanation. When I cooked for Ken in Sacramento, I stayed in that same register: food as language, not performance. This teriyaki pork is the recipe I reach for when I want something that feels like the meal my father and I shared: a sweet-savory glaze, tender meat, rice to hold it all together. It takes almost nothing to make and gives back more than you put in.
Teriyaki Pork
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin, sliced into 1/2-inch medallions
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons sake (or dry sherry)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
- Steamed white rice, for serving
- Sliced green onions and sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- Make the teriyaki sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, mirin, sake, brown sugar, honey, garlic, and ginger until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
- Sear the pork. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork medallions in a single layer and cook 3–4 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through (internal temperature 145°F). Work in batches if needed. Transfer pork to a plate.
- Build the glaze. Reduce heat to medium. Pour teriyaki sauce into the same skillet and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook 1–2 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens into a glossy glaze.
- Finish the dish. Return pork to the skillet and toss to coat in the glaze. Drizzle with sesame oil and remove from heat.
- Serve. Spoon pork and extra glaze over steamed rice. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 370 | Protein: 36g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 890mg