Our story so far …

Citadel and GS are two thriving Japanese restaurants.  Lotsa customers.  Opening nights, the stars come in after for the sashimi fugu.  Rolling in dough, so much that the local wiseguys even noticing.  Profitable, yep, but complicated to manage — a real hairball.

Citadel’s top knife-wielder, guy named Misha, decides he can do better independently, so he and a couple of his buds leave and start planning to open a competitor called Teza.  Through the grapevine they hear about a pretty good sushi chef across town at GS, name of Sergey.  Teza courts Sergey and he eventually gives notice.

Sergey’s on his way out the door.  Suddenly a bunch of the city’s finest jump him and take away his knife set.  Next day in court the magistrate confronts him:

"Mr. A, laboratory tests confirm traces of GS’ fish on your knives.  What do you have to say for yourself."

"Your honor, with all due respect that charge is ludicrous.  My late employer couldn’t care less about traces of their fish.  They only regret I left with my hands."

At which point a kid rides up on a bicycle with a sign: Singh’s Edge

"Anyone need some sharpening today?"

Sergeant at Arms: "Roopinder, you’s in big trouble."

UPDATE: Bloomberg columnist Jonathan Weil tries pouring some oil on the same troubled waters, and without resorting to my tortured mixed metaphors.  Hat tip Clusterstock (bit of sense there too, including the comment stream).