Mashiko's Open Letter to Bigot Diners

West Seattle's nearly 20 year old sushi restaurant, Mashiko, has written an open letter addressed to diners that express bigoted opinions about staff. It starts with, "We are honored that you have decided to dine at Mashiko," and quickly escalates, "To the bigoted diners: We find your ignorant comments to our staff offensive. When you then post them online, you prove to the entire world how cowardly and small you are." Mashiko's main points of contention are two-fold, but basically they both boil down to bigotry:

By claiming that there are no Japanese people working at Mashiko, you are not only incorrect, you are also demonstrating what a racist you are. Would you refuse service at an Irish pub if your server didn't speak with a fanciful brogue?

Mashiko addresses the fact that their sushi chef is both female and white and that apparently some customers are bothered by that:

Mariah (Kmitta) comes to work each night eager to share exciting new textures and flavors with you. Should you refuse her fare based on her gender or race, you are an absolute fool.

In the end, "...this discrimination nonsense has got to stop....Can't we start at home by making an example that race, gender, and sexual orientation truly do not matter?"

The entire letter can be found on their blog.

· Mashiko [Official Site]