Nicolas Soergel graciously brings two tiny plates to the table. They each contain three pinkish "umeboshi" (salted, dry plums), but those on one of the plates have been preserved for just one year; the ones on the other plate — whose skins are a little more wrinkled — are three years old. "Please savor the flavor of 'ume,' " he says in fluent Japanese.
And sure enough, the older ones smell and taste subtly milder, though both kinds contain the same amount of salt.
Hang on a minute. This is umeboshi — not wine or sake, over which people often compare the fragrance. Isn't it a bit strange to sniff at sour plums? Soergel nods, grinning.