By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years

Along a roughly two-mile stretch of Massachusetts Avenue exists a secret world, one with high-profile names, ritzy locations, and extravagant experiences that many can only dream about: the kitchens of Embassy Row.
"That was my school," he said with a grin.
"In the kitchen, I never finish learning. I'm learning every day," said Ismar Reyes, chef for the Embassy of El Salvador and owner of El Nopalito, a Salvadoran restaurant in Silver Spring.