February 2, 2019

My dearest,

There’s still so much to learn.

You’re telling me about the colourful little cakes your client in Bangkok shared with you. It’s called kleeb lamduan, she told you. Traditionally made with lard, it’s infused with the fragrance of candles or aromatic joss sticks. These days the Thais use plant-based fat; some of the animal fat savouriness is lost.

There’s still so much to learn about Thai culture, I reply. Even after all these years of us immersing ourselves in it. We could say the same of Japanese way of life. No matter how often we visit Bangkok and Tokyo, we have more to learn.

And that’s more than okay; that’s the entire point of travelling, no? And I could say the same of us. Even after all these years, there’s still so much to learn about each other, about how we are together, how we fit and how we fight, how we love and how we grow.

So much more — what better gift than this?

Yours, ever and always.