Gemotions

The newspaper lay open on the kitchen counter, the headline screaming its verdict: "The Emperor's New Noodles." Leo, the owner and chef of "Little Osaka," felt a strange tightening in his stomach. He’d risked everything to open his ramen shop.

He glanced at his reflection in the stainless steel. His usually jovial face was now a mask of confusion. The critic had called his broth “watery” and his noodles “uninspired.” He felt a tremor in his hands as he picked up his apron.

The familiar smells of soy sauce and miso suddenly felt alien, the kitchen a hostile landscape. He found himself staring at a bowl of simmering broth, his mind blank. He didn’t know how to begin to address the situation. He just stood there, lost in thought.