You Couldn’t Maki It Up

(I’m working at a Japanese cafe in Denmark which was started by a woman who teaches Japanese at evening classes here. She opened the cafe for her students to experience homely Japanese cooking, as well as showing the local city that Japan is far more than sushi; therefore, sushi is not on the menu, but we do have a lot of other dishes. This takes place when I am preparing onigiris — Japanese rice balls — and it’s half an hour until we open. However, due to the current heatwave over here, we have the front door and the backdoor open to make a draft to cool things off. Two customers enter and I notice them. I calmly approach them. These customers are of Eastern Asian descent.)

Me: “Pardon me, but we’re not open for another thirty minutes. The only reason the door is open is to get some air in due to the heatwave.”

(They just stare at me and blink, only to then ignore me and start looking around the cafe. Since we do have a fair bit of Japanese items for sale in the front of the cafe, I think I’ll just let them wander and have a little look around while I finish preparing those onigiris. Suddenly, one of the women speaks up.)

Woman #1: “I’d like some sushi, please.”

Me: “First and foremost, we’re not even open, as I told you five minutes ago. And second, we don’t serve sushi here, sorry to say.”

(I then explain the reasons behind why we don’t and suddenly, things turn sour.)

Woman #1: “Why don’t you sell sushi? Go back there and make me some sushi now. I am the customer and you must do what I say.”

Woman #2: “She’s right. You must make it for her; otherwise, we won’t be pleased.”

Me: “As I said, we do not sell sushi here. There are other places that sell sushi around here, but we don’t. As mentioned, the owner would like to show that Japan is more than sushi.”

([Woman #1] folds her arms and lets out a “hmph” sound, then turns around with the other woman. Before leaving, she looks back at me and says:)

Woman #1: “You know you’re going to fail anyway if you don’t sell sushi; in a year this cafe is long gone.”

(They left and I was just stood there, baffled.)