York City's evening snack street was one of its "dark sights."
In fact, every city had snack streets, but those in the Dinge District were mostly set against daytime skies, white clouds, and the sea, while York City's snack streets suited only the night's chill, noise, and grime.
The influence of literature, film, and television on people's perceptions was enormous. Several famous seaside cities in the Dinge District seemed to have existed for romance from the day they were founded, while York City's palette suited only cold political dramas and bloody royal court dramas;
When many writers and screenwriters plotted their stories, they liked having spies and agents exchange intelligence on York City's snack streets, as though the head of an intelligence agency could only confirm a report's authenticity by lowering his head, licking the envelope, and tasting soybean paste.
Vien's upper echelons had actually noticed this long ago, but more than twenty years earlier, a minister of culture had said:
"As long as the empire continues its policy of cultural colonization in the colonies, then thirty years from now, fifty years from now, even a hundred or two hundred years from now, even if the empire's armies can no longer remain stationed on colonial soil, the people in those colonies...
"When they hear that our 'king' has passed away, they will grieve countless times more deeply than we Vienese do."
Kallen chose a relatively out-of-the-way stall that mainly sold fried rice. It was the best way he could think of to avoid contact with Vien miso.
Of course, that only meant avoiding contact, not keeping his distance, because the miso was provided like pickles for customers to add themselves. If he declined, he could eat just the fried rice.
"Two servings of fried rice."
"Certainly, sir. Just a moment."