‘Four sets of chopsticks, but only one serving of pickled ginger?’
By Isabelle Orr, Entertainment Editor
“I’ve never felt so betrayed,” said Phillip Dumay, 27, at a press conference last Tuesday.
After a long day of working retail, Dumay ordered takeout from his favourite Japanese restaurant, Sushi Super.
“Even though I only live a 15-minute walk away, I used SkipTheDishes to get it delivered,” Dumay added. “It was a real tough day.”
To add insult to injury, the sushi order showed up at Dumay’s house with four sets of chopsticks—even though the meal was for Dumay alone.
“After a long shift of folding and refolding shoddily-made clothing at Zara, the only thing I want to do is go home, put my feet up, and stream nine consecutive episodes of Rupaul’s Drag Race while eating seven pounds of sushi without judgement,” Dumay told reporters. “Is that too much to ask?”
Reporters went straight to the source to find out what the order entailed.
Natsuko Nakamura, a waitress at Sushi Super, pulled up Dumay’s bill.
“He ordered the veggie combo, which is a vegetable roll, cucumber roll, and an avocado roll. Then agedashi tofu, a sweet tofu roll, a yam roll, edamame, and a side of vegetable tempura,” Nakamura said. “And a Diet Coke.”
Did Nakamura believe this was a meal for one?
“No, this is a good amount of food for two post-marathon runners, or a barbershop quartet,” she told reporters. “I’ve been working in the sushi industry for seven years, and I’ve never seen a single person who was able to eat this amount of rice in one sitting.”
“I could easily eat that, and more,” said Dumay. “It hurt that they assumed I had three other people to share this well-proportioned meal with.”
Other Press reporters talked to food scientist Orville Butterworth to learn more about the correlation of stress and food.
“When people have a long, tiring day at work, they seek to fill the void left by the lack of job-provided healthcare with the most amount of oil and carbs they can consume,” said Butterworth. “People who have to say, ‘What can I get for you?’ more than 20 times a day are more prone to ordering these meals. So are people who have to wear an ugly uniform, or one that chafes in either the crotch or the neck. Basically, any job in the food, beverage, or hospitality sectors—any job that has to deal directly with the public.”
“I’m not the first person to face discrimination against the size of my meal, and I won’t be the last,” Dumay said. “I’m standing up for myself and for other workers in the public sector who just need a little time—or a lot of food—to unwind.”
When reporters left, Dumay was ordering a cauliflower burrito, two sweet potato tacos, and a small size of nachos.
“For one,” he added.
