Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka’s last meal, and the reason why she sometimes carries cooked scallops in her bag, trace back to her unstable, unpredictable childhood. She talks about being kidnapped by her grandmother and why a gluten-free spaghetti dinner brings her comfort, even as someone who doesn’t have a gluten sensitivity. 

Atsuko’s first foray into entertainment was working at an ice cream chain that made employees sing and dance for tips. Atsuko loved it, but host Rachel Belle interviews two other folks who had no idea they had to perform at their restaurant jobs, until they saw it happening on their first day. One at Chicago’s famous Wiener’s Circle and another at a now-defunct steak house chain.  

Atsuko is on tour now! You can also watch her standup specials on HBO and Hulu.  

• Get tickets to Rachel's event: Food Fight x America’s Test Kitchen in Seattle, November 8! 

• Become a Cascade PBS member and support public media! 

• Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle. 

• Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings. 

• Follow along on Instagram. 

• Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame.