Snickerdoddles

USA. A hibachi restaurant. My American friends brought me here to enjoy the cuisine of my homeland, and I witnessed a ritual I have never seen in eight hundred years of being Japanese. The chef stacked onion rings into a tower. He filled it with oil. And he set it on fire. "THE VOLCANO!" my friends cheered. They knew the ritual. They had seen it many times. In Japan, I have eaten ten thousand meals. No one has ever built me a volcano. I said nothing. A guest does not question the ceremony. "Is this how they do it back home?" my friend asked, glowing with joy. "...The technique is flawless," I said. A samurai may retreat. He may not lie. He may, however, aim the truth very carefully. Then the chef flicked a shrimp through the air at my face. "Catch it!" the table roared. In my land, food is set before you with two hands and an apology for the wait. Here, the shrimp attacks. I caught it. With my mouth. The table erupted. The chef saluted me with his spatula. I have received medals with less pride. "You're a natural," the chef said. "My family has trained for this for generations," I said. It was not technically a lie. We trained. Just not for this. My friends drove me home, full and happy, honored to have shown me my own country. A man does not question the volcano. He catches the shrimp. Whatever this cuisine is, wherever it was truly born — the fire is real, the joy is real, and I caught what was thrown at me. That is Japanese enough.

🚨 UPDATE: 8 people charged in Sex Ring “Underground Bunker” for Paying adults to Rape their Children and Pets — Ages 3-16. Trial delayed as mom pleads guilty and flips on co-defendants In Bibb County, Alabama, eight suspects ran a sex trafficking ring out of an underground bunker where children as young as 3 were drugged, bound, and raped with adults paying to abuse them. Animals were also targeted. Rebecca Brewer and mother of some of the victims, pleaded guilty to sexual torture and nine counts of first-degree kidnapping. As part of the deal she agreed to testify against the other seven defendants. The trial for the remaining suspects has been delayed while the case expands, including a federal investigation into at least one of them. These monsters turned their own kids and pets into victims for profit. How long will it take for every last one of them to face real justice?