Nagaland = food + gossip - subtlety

So I've changed my mind about salmon. I don't absolutely hate it. It's gorgeously slick and delicate when raw. 24 hours after the question 'when are you going to cook for ME?' a mini sushi feast evolves. Mai prepared miso soup with udon noodles, seaweed, tofu and crab meat followed by an array of hand-rolled sushi. We trickled out to the garden in the pink-tinged darkness of winter in the northern hemisphere and relished sake, strawberries, and ice cream. The evening reeked of Nagaland. Maybe it was the sing-song tone of Malaysian-English, the incessant chatter about food and recipes interspersed with cheeky gossip, or the matter-of-fact remarks from the grumpy chef who reminded me so much of my favourite cousin. Mmmmmmmmmmmm.