'Dreaming About Fish', by Sarp Sozdinler

'Dreaming About Fish', by Sarp Sozdinler

I thrust my toothpick into the bowl of meatballs as the European duo onstage started criticizing the art scene in Japan. As latecomers, Jowi and I were sitting at the makeshift bar near the exit door, which lent us a false sense of independence from the sitting crowd. “People are afraid to spice things up in Tokyo,” Jowi said, then swerved on her stool to spit the last bite of meatball out onto her palm. I took off my peacoat and folded it on th…