'Jiro Dreams Of Sushi': Perfection, Carefully Sliced

'Jiro Dreams Of Sushi': Perfection, Carefully Sliced

Jiro Dreams of Sushi Movie Review

In NPR’s review of the movie, Mark Jenkins constantly tries to communicate the meticulous environment of the world that is Sukiyabashi Jiro. Ono is described as man who is motivated by ritual and honor and his son Yoshikazu is driven by duty to take over the restaurant after his father retires, even though Yoshikazu wanted to be a racecar driver at an earlier point in his life. Apprentices must learn to squeeze hot towels for weeks before they learn how to slice the perfect egg. Octopus must be massaged for at least 45 minutes before it is ready to be served. This kind of diligence is also shown in the concerto metaphor that Jenkins discusses later in the article. The metaphor is used to describe a multi course meal at the restaurant. Each course represents a movement in the concerto, and each course is designed with painstaking accuracy for the most precise
dining experience. Jenkins believes the music to be “obtrusive at times but its precise structures suit the movie’s tidy outlook” (Jenkins, npr.org). What’s ironic is that Ono is viewed as a traditionalist but he sees himself as a maverick, and that is also the case with the seafood suppliers he buys from. But, they are so traditionalist that they are antiestablishment. They are not going to be content with fitting the norm of every day life because everything must be done a certain way. One vendor says that if he does not find the best fish, then he does not buy fish at all that day. This diligence, structure, and perfectionism is a cornerstone of Jiro’s life and thus a cornerstone of Sukiyabashi Jiro.

Mark Jenkins

www.npr.org

National Public Radio

Movie Review

http://www.npr.org/2012/03/08/147972050/jiro-dreams-of-sushi-perfection-carefully-sliced