First Impressions: Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

 I first read about this film here and here. Since it was on the theme of Mastery, I just had to watch it. 

One problem is that I am completely not a foodie. So I am certain there was much in the film that went over my head. That said, there was a lot about the film that impressed me in spite of my handicap. 

Jiro reminds me of one of those unflappable characters that show up in every Charles Williams novel. Jiro is a master of his craft. He has reached that point where he has the work has entered his blood and he can grasp patterns at a glance.

Does Jiro believe in in-born talent? It seems so, since his son mentions talent during one of his interviews in this film. However, towards the end of the film, Jiro makes it clear that he considers himself to have been a bully and a non-ideal student at school - a bad boy - who make good on his second  chance and now lives a life dedicated to mastery in his profession. 

The film talks of his difficult childhood, how he left home and started working early in life, how he endured all sorts of unpleasant work, and became a man dedicated to mastery in his work. But one thing was missing. How did he get started in this line of work? Who was his inspiration? Who was his teacher? Does he stand in a line of a long tradition of sushi making or is he a self-taught innovator?

The title of the film is "Jiro Dreams of Sushi." But when did he start dreaming of sushi? Was it from childhood? Was it as long back as he can remember? Or was it after he witnessed some expert making sushi and had eaten some really good sushi? 

The Father/Son bond is very beautifully shown. Jiro takes great pains to pass on, not only his cooking skills, but his life philosophy to his apprentices and most importantly, to his sons. He is building a legacy that must not died with him. 

Seeing Jiro and his employers cook here reminded me of reading about Butcher Ding and Woodworker Zi Quing.

They have flow. They are in the state of Wu Wei, perhaps. Another thing - none of them every seem to be in a hurry. They massage octopuses for more than an hour, as if they have all the time in the world. Thomas Sterner in The Practising Mind says that deliberately working slowly has actually helped him to do better quality work, and somehow the work gets done faster than if he tried to hurry!

 

One thing that strikes me very much is how un-selfconscious they are - all of them. Jiro, his son, his employees. The restaurant has the Michelin 3 Star rating. Do they worry about being able to sustain their quality? One of Jiro's employers talks about how Jiro's son needs to be twice as good as Jiro to be even considered equal to him. Makes sense. After all, Jiro had to learn everything the hard way, and his son has had the advantage of being trained by Jiro since his young adulthood. The pressure on him to perform, to out-perform, rather, his Dad must be immense. Yet in the film, he is cool and collected, serenely moving through the market and inspecting fish for purchase. 

Then it struck me. These people don't live in their heads. They are out their into their lives. Perhaps the very act of working with their hands has kept them psychologically and spiritually sound and sane.