Closing Time

3 a.m., Zhongzheng Street, Taipei. The traffic roars constantly through the metropolis. Bordered by a multi-lane street and overlooked by a big freeway lies “Little Plates with Rice”, a late-night eatery where Mr. Kuo and his wife, Mrs. Lin, cook for the night owls. For the taxi drivers, the shop owners, the tattoo artist next door, for families and young lovers and even for the street dog still waiting for his owner’s return, this eatery is a refuge, a promise of a warm bowl of rice. One morning, riding back from the market, Mr. Kuo takes a different exit on the highway and goes to the sea.