(Thread 1/3) I have just seen the most polite outright rejection of big business and hustle culture that I've ever encountered at a tiny ma and pa Japanese restaurant in rural Aotearoa #NewZealand and it was so satisfying and heartwarming to see.

The restaurant is based in a town an hour away from where I live. It's run by a Japanese couple in their 50s who make a small number of dishes, exceptionally well. Katsu chicken, karaage, and sushi and the best coffee I've had in this country so far. (And that's saying something.)

The walls are covered in steam punk art and artifacts. There are shelves by the doors full of sprouting avocado seeds in jars for sale to fund raise for a local charity. The customers are mostly local and the owners know almost all and their orders off by heart.

In the four times I've visited, the customers come in a steady stream. The place is incredibly gentle. Many soft spoken women wearing noise cancelling headphones. Rambunctious farming blokes seem to chill out when they drop in for their lunch sushi orders.

When we dropped in this time, the place was obviously busy, only two tables were full but customers were coming in steadily. The owner barely had time to share his usual coffee facts with us. His wife was quietly working in the kitchen at full tilt. (1 of 3)