This is another great series for those who love manga about everyday life. Hana is a housewife in her early thirties. Her husband Goro works in a different city, so she lives alone, since she has no children (there will be a few hints later in the story about why she doesn't). Though she can be pretty energetic once in a while, most of the time Hana barely manages to deal with everyday life. She has a part-time job at a bookstore not too far from her house, loves food and lazing around on the couch reading manga.
When she's busy or tired, Hana slaps together a quick meal with anything and everything she has in the kitchen - a slice of shokupan (soft sandwich bread) with chopped cabbage, mayonnaise, Worcester sauce, bonito shavings and cheese. When she has the time and energy she goes food shopping and makes a proper meal, either Japanese or Western. I love this series because, just like Hana, I too love food - reading about it, shopping for ingredients and making it - but am often too tired to cook after a full day at work. So I laugh at myself while I laugh at Hana who's drooling over a recipe or a hastily put together meal, sitting in her living room that looks like a tornado just ripped through it - manga, laundry and trash everywhere. While we women go about our busy lives, it takes a lot of effort to keep a proper house and cook meals, especially for those who live alone and might not have the inclination to do so (societal pressures don't help either). Altogether, a quiet, relaxing and often cheerful story about an ordinary life. I hope it ends up being serialized for decades, so I can share moments with Hana for as long as possible.