Far East Cafe’s Timeless Memories

Re “Little Tokyo Landmark Plans a Comeback,” March 17: Cecilia Rasmussen’s article on the Far East Cafe caused me to think about whether or not my grandfather was one of those young Japanese men lined up outside the cafe on Saturday nights. The Far East Cafe represented a place that our family shared Sunday dinners and, as we grew older, it was the place that represented timelessness. Every time we returned to share a meal, the high, wood-paneled booths returned us to a time that was from our youth.

I will always remember my younger sister clumsily eating a bowl of rice in her high chair and having half of it end up on the floor around her. That story was one of many we shared when we all congregated on the mezzanine for my grandfather’s wake. With the ceiling fans slowly mixing the warm summer air with the sweet smells from the kitchen below, my father said to everyone there, “Please eat because this is where o-ji-chan [grandfather] wanted us to be, all together sharing a meal.”

Thank you for resurrecting the memory of my grandfather--I can even smell the almond chicken as I write. I can’t wait to return with my family to share more Sunday meals, retell all the old stories and see if my sister, albeit a few years older, is a little more adept at eating a bowl of rice.

Kaz Baba

Los Angeles