"Here you go." Miguel served Janine a steaming bowl of sopas.
Janine looked up at him. "Thank you. But I didn't order this."
Miguel smiled. "It's on the house. I'm glad you came back."
"Mmm! This is good!" Janine exclaimed after tasting a spoonful of the soup.
"Really? Thank you. I'll tell them to permanently put it on the menu."
"Yeah. Nung una akong nag-order, sabi ng waitress nyo wala nga sya sa menu."
"Ah, oo."
"Kaya yung chicken noodle soup nalang in-order ko tapos pinapalitan ko ng macaroni yung noodles."
"Hmm..." Miguel recalled the incident where a customer requested a change from egg noodles to macaroni. "Wala ang sopas sa menu namin for personal reasons."
"Oh"
"...I actually cooked this particular batch just earlier. Sort of like an experiment na rin. Okay naman yung lasa diba?"
Janine was slightly in awe with Miguel's candidness considering that they barely knew each other. She nodded and scooped another spoonful of the soup to inspect it further. "May bacon? Yun yung nalasahan ko sa unang subo e."
Miguel nodded. "The smokiness of the bacon adds another flavor layer kasi."
"Definitely." Janine agreed.
"But of course, the original and simplest way to cook it is still the best, I think."
"Ah. Actually, this is the first time I've eaten sopas with bacon. Can I be honest with you?"
"Oo naman. I mean, your opinion as a customer matters a lot."
"Matagal na ako naghahanap ng sopas na tulad nung nakalakihan ko. And this one is the closest to what I'm familiar with. Yung walang..."
"Hotdog" Janine and Miguel said in unison.
Surprised at their similar reaction and comment, they looked at each other as goosebumps came over them.
"Ayaw mo ng hotdog sa sopas?" Miguel asked while motioning to sit on the chair across Janine. She nodded to acknowledge him.
Janine shook her head. "Para sa akin, ang hotdog, para sa kanin o tinapay."
"Kanin. Kahit kanin lamig." Miguel said.
Janine nodded again. "Sandwich..."
"Pwede. Pero mas masarap kasama ng kanin tapos may tomato ketchup."
