I was bored this morning, browsing through Netflix trying to find something to watch, and I came across a movie that caught my eye: "Jiro Dreams of Sushi." The short summary read:
"This delectable documentary profiles sushi chef Jiro Ono, an 85-year-old master whose 10-seat, $300-a-plate restaurant is legendary among Tokyo foodies. Ono is also a father, whose sons struggle to live up to his legacy and make their own marks."
I love sushi, so the words "legendary" and "$300-a-plate restaurant" caught my eye. I wasn't really in the mood for a documentary though, so I scrolled on by. But it stuck in my mind, and I pulled out my phone and did a quick search on it to see if it'd be worth my time. It got overwhelmingly positive reviews, with four and five star ratings. More interestingly, one of Jiro's apprentices started his own restaurant right in my hometown of Seattle! Okay, I'll bite the bullet and watch.
The entire movie was in Japanese with English subtitles, but it was a very inspirational movie. Sukiyabashi Jiro is a small sushi restaurant located in a Tokyo subway station. The interior is very small and non-descript, and an ordinary person would probably just walk right on by. But this small sushi restaurant has attracted the attention of food critics around the world, and even earned a three-Michelin star rating, the highest rating possible! Each year, less than 100 restaurants in the world are awarded a three-Michelin star rating, and this small subway station sushi restaurant was able to earn that rare and prestigious honor.
The documentary was a mix of inspiration and art. The cinematography was amazing and made the food look melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The inspriation comes from Jiro himself. As of the time of filming, Jiro was 85 years old with no intentions to retire. He is passionate about his job and loves what he does. He's been working everyday since he was ten years old, only taking a break on national holidays and during emergencies (like funerals). His keen sense of taste and smell has led him to craft the perfect bite of sushi, that one bite that is a balance of all your senses. Umami. Every step of the process is crucial to reaching that end goal. The fish is bought fresh daily from the local fish market, and the restaurant only serves what is currently in season to ensure the freshest and most vibrant flavors. Different parts of the fish are tasted by the chefs to ensure they only serve the fish when it's been aged to perfection, and they only serve parts of the fish that have met a certain taste standard. There is a story about an apprentice who was trained to make egg omelets, and only after 200+ tries did Jiro deem it acceptable. It's all about perfection at this little sushi shop.
If there was a model for a perfectionist, it would be Jiro. Even after 75 years of perfecting his craft and being recognized worldwide, he still believes he has more he can improve on. He is hard-working, passionate, and humble. Not many people can say they love their work and will only retire once their body forces them to. Most people are knocking on the door of retirement as soon as they're financially capable.
This reminds me of a book I read a few months ago: "Outliers: The Story of Success." In that book, one of the chapters talks about how a person would need to work on a skill for an average of 10,000 hours before they can master it...regardless of whether you're a piano player or a basketball player. Jiro has been working for 75 years...leaving home at 5am and coming home at 10pm. Assuming he takes five days off a year, that's 459,000 hours of dedication to making sushi! Pretty amazing.
Now I want to try the restaurant, but at over $300/person plus a plane ticket to Toyko....that's one expensive meal!
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