STORY INFO
Base Stock
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Author
Scott Christenson
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Categories
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Danh mục
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Update
6 months ago
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Part Chapter
1/??
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Reads
117
Content
In the steamy air of Mizuna’s kitchen, beads of sweat trickle down the 30-something Japanese job candidate’s face.“Which restaurants have you worked in in New York?” I am holding the afternoon interview to replace the fifth prep cook who’s left this year for higher pay elsewhere.“None.” He shakes his head. “In Japan. Soba.” He gestures kneading dough with his hands. In the kitchen the hiss of the gas burners is constant. With his limited English and my very basic Japanese, this co...
Outstanding reviews
Congratulations. Highly recommended.
Thanks and you gave me some v helpful feedback on the way.
Thanks and you gave me some v helpful feedback on the way.
Thanks and you gave me some v helpful feedback on the way.
Yes, it reads smoother now🙂
Scott, while this is sad about the ALS it is also uplifting. The connection of the cultures from the get-go is clear. In the end, it is very clever to have Kaz's parents stop by the restaurant. Relaying some tidbits about food history was wise and helped the story along. This story is witty and cleverly written; the connections to culture over food amaze me, and you pulled it off so neatly packaged. Well done!This is not your typical kind of story but it is equally amazing. LF6
Thanks for reading Lily, happy to hear the little diversion into culinary history added something to the story. Relieved that the heavy drama could also be uplifting in some ways.
Always a pleasure to read your work, Scott. No problem at all. LF6
A funny, realistic, busy, yet gentle and sad look at immigration. One of my favorite lines is "Kaz works like a machine in the kitchen so I can forgive him for not being good with customer service." A quick, clean revelation that the narrator still thinks of Kaz transactionally, as if not speaking English is something to be forgiven; it really makes the ending more powerful. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for commenting Katy. That's very insightful what you say about immigration. In a longer version I'd def have a Kaz pov chapter and give him more agency in the story. The tv series 'Little America' was so good at showing the POV of immigrants and humanizing their perspective, I hope to write something like that in the future.
Yeaaah! More music this week, I love it! You got your Salt N Pepa!! ;) This is well written, Scott. You have a unique way of telling a story but it works. It all melts together and in the end, we are left with this sad conclusion: Kaz died. Yet, youstill you leave us on a hopeful note. Your MC is touched by his experience with Kaz but still moves on, never forgetting him. Isn't that just how life goes? Great job.
Thanks for reading Anne;) Haha, I think your story inspired me to write a story with a 90s pop music thread in it, with a sitcom dance scene. The story is based on an amalgation of people i've known and stories I've heard, and people just have to move on like you say.
Thanks for reading Anne;) Haha, I think your story inspired me to write a story with a 90s pop music thread in it, with a sitcom dance scene. The story is based on an amalgation of people i've known and stories I've heard, and people just have to move on like you say.
Thanks for reading Anne;) Haha, I think your story inspired me to write a story with a 90s pop music thread in it, with a sitcom dance scene. The story is based on an amalgation of people i've known and stories I've heard, and people just have to move on like you say.
Brad is a very American name, like Chad or Zack.A.L.S ? Damn. That’s colder than iced buckwheat noodles. It’s weird to think about all of the people we meet and then when you hear that something happened to them after. Poor Kaz.
Yeah, ALS happened to a friend of a friend of mine, Sad story. He was an expat bartender in Tokyo, and dropped a glass one day. I thought it would be more relatable to move the story to America. Yes, there are some names that are very american or british. Living in asia for 20 years, and esp in hong kong, I feel like I'm living in both cultures and can get a laugh out of one of our American names. "Hi I'm Randy."
Don't forget Fanny Craddock, and Dick Whittington. Sorry to hear about your friend. That sucks.
they would have been a great couple!
They’d go together like jigsaw pieces I’m sure.
They’d go together like jigsaw pieces I’m sure.
THanks for having a rethink. There's a bit of a moral message that we should be kind to everyone in our lives, we just don't know how important we are to them. The only part of my story I didn't like was the little diversion to have beers with the wall street friend, who's not connected to the story in any way and was just there for some exposition.. but I think every story needs a change of pace in the middle before coming back to the main thread.
Need him to amplify what I just said. 1) the owner goes through several Cooks 2) he cannot get attached 3) he goes out with other people instead of just his Cooks.Conversely: 1) the cook makes no relationships in the light. 2) The prostitute represents a relationship that is temporary and done in darkness. 3) the parents of the cook have limited information though their son has been gone for a while...He is following a dream. The narrator is part of that dream
that's true. there's a theme in this that the MC doesn't have any real friends or relationships.. his life is a bit empty, having beers with a wall street guy he doesn't really like on a monday highlights that. Many stories have bit about to prostittues to hghlight the MC's emptiness too. Light. that's interesting too. everything in this story happens in the dark until the ending. I think you've talked me into rewriting this for the New Yorker.. after all it is a new york story.
Hi Scott,Oh this one was so lovely! I loved the way you incorporated food into this piece. I loved the way you chose the setting. I thought it was absolutely gorgeous how you ended this piece and created an air of beauty. Boy, you made me hungry! Nice job! Congratulations on the shortlist!
Thanks Amanda, happy you liked it. I've enjoyed so many books and articles about food, something about all those 5 senses imagining something, so thought I'd give it a try. Hope you can have a nice raamen sometimes this month;)
Congrats, Scott! Well done!
Thanks Chris! Happy this all worked.
A gentle, lovely story about the immigrant experience and achieving dreams.
Thanks for reading, nice to hear you enjoyed it.
Congratulations!!
Thanks Wendy😃
Gonna be a good Friday. Quick, go give some HKD to a priest.13¢
Will wish for a mr goround win in 2033:;
Oh the money? I don't know. The guys in India in Nigeria only steal from you people that got paid by reedsy. The rest of us shortlisters and quiet folks don't seem to get robbed as often. :)
Woohoo!! Congratulations Scott, this was awesome! 🎉
Thanks Anne!
A well-deserved shortlist recognition, Scott. Congrats and kudos, my friend!
Thanks Delbert, and look forward to seeing your writing as well in 2023!
Thanks Delbert, and look forward to seeing your writing as well in 2023!
Thanks for reading and commenting Zack. When I write these types of stories, I'm definitely picturing it visually like a tv sitcom, so its interesting that you picked up on that! Yes, 12 months of binging youtube writing videos and posting here I guess I've learned a few tricks, especially in the show-don't-tell zone. I'm still working on slowing things down, someday I will write a one scene story;)
Congrats on the shortlist, Scott! Well-earned and well-deserved for this one.
Thanks zack! Happy to have made it.
Thanks zack! Happy to have made it.
Thanks for reading, and happy to hear you enjoyed it. I do try to put in a lot of little details from my 3 months as a restaurant worker in Wisconsin, combined with many years of living in Asia. Interesting to hear about Chinese food in Germany. I just spent a a few weeks nearby working remotely in Innsbruck Austria and 'schnitzl' seemed to be the default meat option everywhere! Really enjoyed the bread and cafes, and great cheese.
Thanks for reading, and happy to hear you enjoyed it. I do try to put in a lot of little details from my 3 months as a restaurant worker in Wisconsin, combined with many years of living in Asia. Interesting to hear about Chinese food in Germany. I just spent a a few weeks nearby working remotely in Innsbruck Austria and 'schnitzl' seemed to be the default meat option everywhere! Really enjoyed the bread and cafes, and great cheese.
Thanks so much for reading and your kind comment. Happy you noticed the photo with the heart, I didn't know if that was out of left field, but that was the sort of thing I saw in Japan with friends and coworkers that was slightly different and an interesting cultural difference.
And lovely.
I love this story! Kazuki is very likeable but so is the narrator. The ending was bittersweet and hopeful! Well done 👏
Thanks Rama, I usually write silly satire, and don't write many dramas so happy to hear I got the tone right.
Thanks Rama, I usually write silly satire, and don't write many dramas so happy to hear I got the tone right.
That's sad to hear you know 3 people who had ALS. I had heard a second hand story of a middle age bartender dropping glasses, and thought it was so tragic.
It gave a unique aspect to the story of Kaz. I think it’s good to bring attention to diseases and disabilities in our writing now and then!
Congrats on shortlist! 🎉
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