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"Jiro Dreams of Sushi" (2011) - Documentary about 85-Year-Old Sushi Master Jiro Ono


Ericandblueboy

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Okay, I apologize for the tag's irreverence. Jiro left home around 7 or 9 to become a sushi apprentice. Over time, he became the master and Michelin had no choice but to give his restaurant 3 stars and declare his restaurant the best sushi restaurant, even though every time they ate at this restaurant, it was his oldest son who actually made the sushi. The movie shows that Jiro is very dedicated to his craft - doing the same thing over and over again and at the same time, looking for ways to improve. At one point though, his son expresses dismay over the disappearance of certain species and more or less blames us plebes who don't know shit about sushi yet demanding sushi at every turn. Why the fuck does Safeway sell sushi anyway? And who the fuck eats Safeway sushi? After watching this movie, I'm going to stop eating shitty sushi (it's okay to eat California rolls, since no fished died for that). Save your dough for Sushi Taro's sushi counter, Sushi-ko with Koji, or Kaz. According to the movie, Jiro's joint starts at 30,000 yen, or about $400 for 20 pieces of sushi. $20 a piece!

Oh, Jiro says it's the lean tuna (akami) that carries more flavor, if properly selected. He acknowledges that fatty tuna is now very popular but he implies fatty tuna is for chumps.

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shit..., fuck..., fuck..., shitty...

Get a California roll with soap in it and consider using a thesaurus.

Supermarkets (other than Safeway) sell sushi because there is an obviously profitable demand for it and it is a convenient alternative to dining out. Supermarkets also sell industrial bread which is not of the best quality but chumps buy it because there are very few other retail options for superior bread.

Safeway gets top ranking for supermarket sushi / Sushi 'chefs' sent by big franchises. (2004 article)

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Get a California roll with soap in it and consider using a thesaurus.

Supermarkets (other than Safeway) sell sushi because there is an obviously profitable demand for it and it is a convenient alternative to dining out. Supermarkets also sell industrial bread which is not of the best quality but chumps buy it because there are very few other retail options for superior bread.

Safeway gets top ranking for supermarket sushi / Sushi 'chefs' sent by big franchises. (2004 article)

They're rhetorical questions. It's also a rant. Not my most eloquent post but I think most people get the gist of the movie.

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This is an extremely well written and filmed documentary that is more about a type of idealism and vanishing way of life than food. The point of the movie is that what many see here as "perfection" is, for a number of reasons, unsustainable. It ultimately challenges the very notion of perfection as an illusion.

The story is also really more about the eldest son than Jiro, and there is a stunning revelation about the son's true role in Jiro's business. The film maker wisely saves this information for the end of the movie. The first post apparently misses the significance of this and spoils a great moment. If you want to fully enjoy this excellent film, don't read this thread.

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I saw this at Silver Docs last year and talked with the director after the screening. He was pretty lucky to get access to Jiro which happened because his father was friends with the Japanese food critic, briefly interviewed in the documentary.

The film is beautifully shot compared to Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations segment on Jiro, still hearing Tony's commentary make it worth watching.

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I have created this simple "cheat-sheet" for anyone watching "Jiro Dreams of Sushi."

Print this out, and have it in your hand while you watch the movie. It will eliminate any need to struggle and remember names or places.

Everything is listed, within its own category, in chronological order. There is nothing in the entire film that isn't covered here, and none of this will be a "spoiler," diminishing your enjoyment of the film, so go ahead and study it in advance.

The only thing you *really* need to know before watching is the Characters, as they are often referred to while they're off-camera. Committing their names to memory before the film starts will help your enjoyment. Knowing the definition of Shokunin will help too, but that takes two seconds. You don't need to know any of the Places, Types of Sushi, or Quotes to derive any extra benefit from the film, with the possible exception of Roppongi. Do look for that fish moving, however - it's only a 2-3 second shot and it is Creepville - worth searching for.

Enjoy.

A Cheat Sheet to "Jiro Dreams of Sushi"

Places:

Ginza Station The location of Jiro's restaurant, Sukiyabashi: 10 seats, 0 restrooms, 3 Michelin stars

Tsukiji Fish Market Tokyo's main fish market

Roppongi Hills, Tokyo The location of Takashi's restaurant, Roppongi

Hamamatsu Jiro's hometown

Characters:

Jiro The master sushi chef

Yoshikazu Jiro's eldest son

Nakazawa Senior apprentice

Mizutani Former apprentice

Takashi Jiro's younger son

Fujita Tuna dealer

Hiromichi Rice dealer

Nouns:

Shokunin (Artisan) "The way of the shokunin is to repeat the same thing every day. They just want to work. They aren't trying to be special." "Shokunin try to get the highest quality fish and apply their technique to it. We don't care about money. All I want to do is make better sushi. I do the same thing over and over, improving bit by bit. There is always a yearning to achieve more. I'll continue to climb, trying to reach the top "¦ but no one knows where the top is. Even at my age, after decades of work"¦ I don't think I have achieved perfection. But I feel ecstatic all day"¦ I love making sushi. That's the spirit of the shokunin."

Types of Sushi:

O-Toro Fatty tuna

Chu-Toro Medium-fatty tuna

Akami Lean tuna

---

Menu Served to Mozart's 21st Piano Concerto in C Major K 467

Hirame Halibut

Suma-Ika Squid

Aji Horse Mackerel

Akami Lean Tuna

Chu-Toro Medium Tuna

O-Toro Fatty Tuna

Kohada Gizzard Shad

Hamaguri Hard-Shell Clam

Shima-Aji Striped-Mackerel

Kuruma Ebi Wheel Shrimp

Sayori Half-Beak

Tako Octopus

Saba Mackerel

Uni Sea Urchin

Kobashira Bay Scallop

Ikura Salmon Roe

Anago Salt-Water Eel

KanpyoMaki Dried Gourd Roll

TamagoYaki Grilled Egg

Quotes That Resonated:

"The tuna vendor is a tuna expert. The shrimp vendor is a shrimp expert. Each of the vendors are specialists in their fields. We are experts in sushi but"¦ In each of their specialties the vendors are more knowledgable."

"After Nakazawa opens his own place"¦ Takeshita and Masuda will be promoted to Nakazawa's position." [Watch for Nakazawa in future years.]

"In order to make delicious food, you must eat delicious food. The quality of ingredients is important, but"¦ you need to develop a palate capable of discerning good and bad. Without good taste, you can't make good food."

"The sushi must be eaten immediately after it is served."

"I make twenty pieces per person." [That's $15 per *bite* - it had better be good. I also count only 19 - if I missed one, someone please let me know - they come fast-and-furious, so be en garde.]

"Jiro is the oldest chef to have been awarded three stars by Michelin. He's in the Guinness Book of World Records."

"Business should balance profit with preserving natural resources."

"I don't know why I come here. My parents didn't take care of me." [Then don't go, and rest silent.]

"There were customers today that came to eat after seeing us on TV"¦ I am usually the one on TV and I'm the one making sushi which is what the customers expect. They think Nakazawa just carries the fish from the kitchen. Customers think that all Yoshikazu does is cut the fish. They think that the staff in the kitchen have it easy. And they think the master making sushi has the hardest job. But in reality, the sushi is 95% complete before it is brought out to me. So, the guy who is doing the least work gets to take all the limelight."

"I will admit I trained my sons more strictly than the other apprentices. But I did so for the sake of their future. Not because I wanted to be mean to them. It's something that I thought about from the beginning. Even if I were to be gone right now, I know that they can go on."

Bonus:

At 46:30, while a fish being butchered on the counter had its head nearly severed, and is being sliced down the spine, you can see its lips moving.

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