PLENTY MORE FISH
WINNER: MOST SATISFYING RETRIBUTION, SCARLETT STILETTO AWARDS, 2019
Anna Tolmer’s hands still shook slightly when she placed seafood dishes in front of customers, even though she had worked at Tokyo Ocean for six years. Struggling to meet the regular patrons’ eyes or make small talk, Anna had at least learned to force a smile on her face. It was false but adequate, marking time before escaping back to the sanctity of the tiny kitchen. Unfortunately, this culinary peace was regularly ruined by proprietor Oshiro Togoyaki, who berated her in broken English.
“You stupid girl. You drive my customers away,” he barked. “You pretty. You smile more.”
Oshiro was a bad tempered, chauvinistic chef whose authentic Japanese seafood creations were his own recipes, and, consequently,
