The movie seems to reveal something so effortless, yet the entire film is at Jiro's place of work. Rather, it seems to be his studio, and the empty plates in from of each seat are his empty canvas. With each fish Jiro uses he is "creating a union between the rice and the fish" which he explain is essential for sushi to taste good. Jiro reveals the way he has made sushi for years, only minutely perfecting recipes-mostly by tweaking the times in preparation steps. Jiro is firm in these traditions, and sees no need to expand the restaurant or add to the simplicity of his sushi recipes A food critic who idolizes Jiro explains that progression of Jiro's plates creates an important "flow" to the course and while he ate it felt like he was listening to music. Sushi gets an even more artistic perspective when Jiro's eldest son explains the sensation of feeling good that someone gets in result of eating their sushi. A concept comparable to the refreshing "Ahhhhh" people make after drinking a refreshing beer. To feel good in the body through the sushi is quite intriguing, even for me, a vegetarian.
What drew me into this documentary was the cultural aspect of Jiro's restaurant and the way his son's fall into the business of their father. The eldest son is still working under his father, and the youngest son owns his own sushi restaurant. The eldest son wait's to succeed his father in his resturaunt. Also, we see the disconnected relationship between Jiro and his own father from a very young age, and the disconnected relationship between Jiro and his son's when they were children and he worked long rigorous hours. This documentary proves that falling in love with your work can become it's own way of life.
For Jiro, the fish creates the fluidity of that days meal. Whatever is the freshest, best catch of the day becomes the focus of the course. The apprentices and other workers in the kitchen do most of the work in the sushi preparation, handing off the nearly finished product to Jiro. He then presses the fish and rice together and glazes the fish with soy. The final product is displayed largely on the screen with a single piece of ginger on a plain black plate. We watch the subtle compression of the fish and rice, and the soy drip lightly on the plate.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Dir. David Gelb. Magnolia Pictures, 2012. Film.
Mastering Fish as an Edible Art Medium. Nicolas Rapold. NewYork Times, March 8, 2012.
"Jiro Dreams of Sushi Reviews," Rotten Tomatoes, n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2014.