At Gardermoen by John Saunders

The cold air thin with the clean cut
of Nordic manners
as rows of blond hair and blue eyes
arrive and depart
with the same chopstick coordination
of the circular colour coded dishes
that revolve on the “Let’s Ho" Sushi counter
where I am seated,
a stranger in the culinary land of the rising sun,
interpreting the price of colours
and rainbow combinations,
settle quickly on the “Healthy Option"
purple combo of raw
and marinated prawn and salmon,
rice slices, ginger and carrot salad.
The atmosphere of Scandinavian coolness
is tempered by the Japanese aroma
and visual pleasure of the cavalcade
of ancient sacred food,
prepared by the beautiful Nipponese waitress
who may not be from Japan
and perhaps, has never left this land
of Thor, fiords and snow,
although to look into the deep oriental
pool of her eyes,
you would never know.


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