Review of Love, Makato (Dear Sushi)

Restaurant week is a celebration of the diversity and culture DC has the privilege of attracting each and every year. I was comforted to see RAMW’s well placed link to immigration resources on their website. It’s a soft acknowledgement to the thousands of multicultural patrons, cooks, dishwashers, chefs, and restaurant owners of the DMV area that immigration issues can and will directly affect our everyday lives.

I would have been happy to write a clear and concise review of Dear Sushi’s cuisine. Unfortunately, I was not allowed the opportunity to dine at this first-of-its kind, celebrity Chef owned establishment.

The day my husband and I walked into the restaurant we knew there may be a wait due to high demand, or that we might be turned away if the restaurant did not have any tables, but we were unprepared for how quickly the Trump administration's rhetoric would affect our privileges as American Natives with apparent immigrant presenting features.

The hostess and proverbial gatekeeper of all sanctimonious establishments seemed to have a mission to get us out. I know everyone is sick and tired of hearing us complain about race, I get it I really do. I am also sick and tired of teaching you about the subtle and not so subtle ways in which your racism shows. Yet, I am willing to share my experience as a precaution and notice to anyone who may be affected by these attitudes, patrons beware. After my husband and I arrived, three other patrons arrived behind us, two of them a couple who seemed to have a reservation due to their prompt seating, and the third a single woman without a reservation who was also told like us that we would have to wait a few moments while the hostess sat the other two patrons. As we all sat on the bench directly across the hostess reception, I mistakenly wondered if like other establishments they reserved the bar for walk-ins and thought I should let her know my husband and I didn’t mind taking a seat at the bar. Perhaps my mistake was approaching her in such a naive and gleeful disposition because the encounter quickly escalated from there. As I let her know we didn’t mind sitting at the bar if it was available she replied, “We are all booked up today but you may go to the restaurant down the hall.” To which I inquired about their restaurant week menu, after all that is what we were there for. “I am not aware of that but they are VERY affordable.” An immediate wave of confusion hit my brain, and in that moment I realized we were not welcome. In response to her line of thought I simply stated we could wait for a table to be available to which she insisted it could be a while. “We can wait, thank you for your help.” She was visibly annoyed but curt as it is her job to be the first face and encounter of Love Makato. As we continued to wait for a short time of approximately five minutes she finally resolved to get rid of us once and for all. She approached the bench and in a hushed yet condescending whisper let us know, “We will not be able to seat you today as we are fully booked.” That was it, no invitation to return, no offer to book us for a later date, her offer to dine at one of their other more affordable food hall establishments no longer existed. She wanted us out so begrudgingly, we left. All the while the woman who sat on the bench beside us waited patiently for her seat at one of the five empty tables. Because I am many things but a pessimist I resolved to give the hostess the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she isn’t racist. They were all reserved tables after all. Maybe she was about to ask the woman next to us to leave as well. After all, why would a woman of color treat other people of color this way? I don’t have the answer to any of these questions. But my soul was screaming at me to grow up, to wake up, to resist. And so I grew just a little. As any logical person would do, I verified their reservation policy before I made assumptions of the whole encounter. I realized she could have let us wait for a table as their policy indicates a table is only held for fifteen minutes past reservation time yet our whole encounter lasted no longer than ten minutes. There was no real effort made to seat us but there was a real effort to let us know we were not welcome.

This is the first week of the second Trump presidency and the indignation and dehumanization has kicked into full gear. One thing is for certain us brown people, we will continue to carry this great country on our backs. We will continue to put food on your tables in the comfort of your homes or in the luxury of aesthetically pleasing restaurants. And in these many ways, we show our love and care for the people of this country unlike the culinary love letter Love Makato’s website advertises but failed to meet this week.

Graciously awaiting your allyship,

The brown people amongst you

(Posting for a friend.)