"Jiro Dreams of Sushi"

[jpr54_]

I saw this much written about documentary-

It was enjoyable and a credit to Jiro, his 2 sons,restaurant workers, and purveyors of fish.

[pogophiles]

Saw it this weekend and really enjoyed the film. May finally be able to eat sushi with my wife now, as it quite piqued her interest! Highly recommended!!

[Holly Moore]

A paraphrased quote from Jiro, "Every day cook better than the day before."

I'd love to eat at Jiro's but could not hack the pressure of him staring at me as I manipulate a pair of chopsticks.

A great movie that should be shown to freshmen their first day of culinary school and again to seniors at graduation.

[jpr54_]

I think it is also proper to eat sushi holding with your fingers

Edited April 4, 2012 by jpr54_ (log)

[jsmeeker]

Saw this film last weekend. Enjoyed it a lot. I guess the son takes over when Jiro passes away? It seems that he can take over just fine. The reports where that he was always the one running things when the Michelin inspectors were there.

[NancyH]

We saw it last night (with EG-ers Tom and Edsel) - we all enjoyed it a great deal - and sought out the best sushi at Gingko in Tremont (Cleveland) after. One insight I came away with was an understanding of why such restaurants are so expensive - they "waste" (very much in quotes) a lot of primo product getting the apprentices to work the food to the master's satisfaction. That cost is obviously subsidized by the customers. I had never thought of it that way, until I saw the process at work in this film.

[Kohai]

I saw this movie recently and loved it. It's a fantastic exploration of the Japanese shokunin tradition.

Since I will be heading back to Tokyo in June I decided to have a Japanese friend make a reservation for me so I could see it for myself.

They wouldn't accept my reservation as a foreigner.

My friend pressed them and they said they would accept a reservation from a hotel concierge. Since I'm tatami-surfing rather than staying at hotels, I have no access to a concierge.

After a second phone call, they grudgingly agreed to accept a reservation under the condition that I call three days in advance to reconfirm the reservation.

I hope the sushi is good enough to wipe out the slightly bad taste in my mouth from this experience.

[Judy Wilson]

There's an interesting article in this week's edition of The Stranger (Seattle alt-weekly) about some former apprentices of Jiro's in Seattle. http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/huge-sushi-news/Content?oid=13524459

[Doodad]

Where can this be seen? Is it on netflix or hulu?

[jmolinari]

Where can this be seen? Is it on netflix or hulu?

It was showing in theaters.

In Atlanta the only place showing it was Tara Theater on Chershire bridge. I don't know if they're still showing it though. When i went there were 10 people in a 500 person room

[Alex]

I saw this movie recently and loved it. It's a fantastic exploration of the Japanese shokunin tradition.

Since I will be heading back to Tokyo in June I decided to have a Japanese friend make a reservation for me so I could see it for myself.

They wouldn't accept my reservation as a foreigner.

My friend pressed them and they said they would accept a reservation from a hotel concierge. Since I'm tatami-surfing rather than staying at hotels, I have no access to a concierge.

After a second phone call, they grudgingly agreed to accept a reservation under the condition that I call three days in advance to reconfirm the reservation.

I hope the sushi is good enough to wipe out the slightly bad taste in my mouth from this experience.

On the surface, it sounds like they've had some bad experiences with last-minute cancellations by "foreigners." However, I'm wondering whether this also has to do with the attitude--which I've personally experienced--that gaijin are not equipped to truly appreciate Japanese food, especially the nuances of first-class sushi. For a great example of this superiority/condescension--including the memorable quote, "I've always believed that we Japanese have the best tastebuds in the world"--check out the last part of the Iron Chef episode with Ron Siegel as the challenger.

I saw the movie last weekend in Chicago. I'm glad I went, but it felt stretched out. It would have worked better, imho, as a 52-minute PBS special.

[ScottyBoy]

Just got to see this, fantastic on so many levels!

[mkayahara]

For those of you who didn't get the chance to see it in theatres, it's worth noting that it was released to DVD and Blu-Ray yesterday. I found it rather inspiring, so I'm definitely going to pick up a copy! (Yes, I still live in a pre-Netflix universe.)

[nickrey]

...

However, I'm wondering whether this also has to do with the attitude--which I've personally experienced--that gaijin are not equipped to truly appreciate Japanese food, especially the nuances of first-class sushi. For a great example of this superiority/condescension--including the memorable quote, "I've always believed that we Japanese have the best tastebuds in the world"--check out the last part of the Iron Chef episode with Ron Siegel as the challenger.

It is interesting then that Jiro said that Joel Robuchon had the best palate that he had ever come across. He wondered how good be could be if he had his palate.

I caught it on Qantas airplane movies. Very enjoyable but the subtitles are a challenge to read on a small screen, especially when they were white on a white chef's jacket.

[CharityCase]

An admittedly late contribution on this but having watched it and enjoyed it, I thought I would recommend it again to those who haven't seen it yet. I agree with Alex that it could've been trimmed somewhat. Thought the movie gave a pretty good overview of some of the non-food traditions in Japan (which I admit to not being familiar with) such as the rites of the first born to follow his father's footsteps. Wasn't sure if that was just some PR from Jiro to cover for the fact that he volun-told his son to follow him.

[weinoo]

And of course now there's Sushi Nakazawa, recently opened in NYC by an apprentice of Jiro's.

[eugenep]

I just needed to ask a question about this topic in case anyone might know the answer. 

 

Jiro came out with a book also and other Japanese masters said he was giving away trade secrets or something. 

 

I did take a look at the book and it describes the seasons for when fish is best - e.g., when a fish gains its fat during a specific season so it tastes better and should be avoided during leaner times etc. 

 

Like... I buy my fish here in the US and I always thought our supply chain was global so trying to pin down the best time to eat a certain fish won't make since the fish could be from Finland, China, Australia etc. or even come from a farm with controlled variables and stuff like that. 

 

But it looks like the Japanese, even though they are part of the global supply chain, do make sense of the seasons for when fish is best (owing to taking on more fat or some other factor). 

 

I'm trying to ask if anyone might have similar knowledge about seafood in the same in the same way (from a US perspective) and if they could share or suggest some books, websites or resources. 

 

So far, the only thing I know is that crab season and lobster season means better prices so I purchase and eat during those times. 

[heidih]

With the changing environment I suggest that you develop a relationship with local fish buyers and trust their info.  Yes they may source globally  but ones with integrity know their sources as best they can. Example  my local favorite https://santamonicaseafood.com/ They supply lots of the best seafood markets near me. You do not have a location listed - would help people help you. My favorite seafood is spiny lobnster so in season I chat with my people who buy from the divers.  http://qualityseafood.com/

[eugenep]

22 hours ago, heidih said:

With the changing environment I suggest that you develop a relationship with local fish buyers and trust their info.  Yes they may source globally  but ones with integrity know their sources as best they can. Example  my local favorite https://santamonicaseafood.com/ They supply lots of the best seafood markets near me. You do not have a location listed - would help people help you. My favorite seafood is spiny lobnster so in season I chat with my people who buy from the divers.  http://qualityseafood.com/

My fishmonger seems to busy with like a zillion people on the weekends or its Costco. There was this one fishmonger that was like...not naturally observant of the normal rules of human interaction owing to a tuff background (maybe time spent in prison etc. and now guts fish for peanuts etc.) 

 

But yes. It's weird though that the Japanese (based on the book at least) they seem to know the details this well sometimes 

[weinoo]

On 3/3/2023 at 8:48 PM, eugenep said:

I'm trying to ask if anyone might have similar knowledge about seafood in the same in the same way (from a US perspective) and if they could share or suggest some books, websites or resources. 

 

Sure - my caveat is that I never (or very rarely) buy any farmed fish nor shrimp. Eric uses some farmed at Le Bernardin, but if there's a seafood buyer I'd trust more than Eric, that person hasn't been found yet.

 

 

Le Bernardin Cookbook (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

Fish & Shellfish (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

The Young Man & The Sea (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

 

[Anna N]

I think the Japanese have such a unique relationship with fish as a food source that it's hard to imagine who has more invested in ensuring the highest quality available.