Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Few days ago, Nico, my brother told me about this movie. Once I heard, I feel interested in this movie. This movie was produced on 2011, directed by David Gelb.

This movie have a slow plot, there is no action or over drama thing. This is pure documenter. The first time I saw it, I felt asleep in the middle of the movie *sigh. But I can tell you, the philosophy of this movie is very deep. Jiro Dream of Sushi story is about a Japanese sushi maesto named Jiro Ono. He has a small sushi restaurant  named Sukibayashi Jiro located in Ginza train station, Tokyo. This restaurant only has 10 guests capacity and do not have any toilet inside. If the guest would like to go to the toilet, they have to go to the train station restaurant.   

But what amazing is, this chef aka sushi maestro, is already 85 years old and still very healthy in doing his job. His restaurant gets 3 perfect stars from Michelin on 2008. 3 perfect stars mean, it is worthed if we fly to a country for only eat at the restaurant.

What makes this restaurant perfect? Many :) A food writer named Yamamoto, described Jiro and his restaurant in very detail. Yamamoto is a huge fan of this restaurant, he knows about Jiro’s personality and history of this restaurant.

The first time Yamamoto ate at Jiro’s restaurant, he felt anxious. Ate in front of Jiro is always made him feel anxious. But he never, even once, disappointment when eating there, Jiro always made very delicious sushi. The sushi is so simple. It is only consist of sticky rice with fish (or any other seafood like shrimp, octopus or calamari etc) on top of it. Most of the famous chefs who ever tried Jiro’s sushi always said, “how come something that very simple, have a very deep taste”.

Jiro only provide sushi, there is no other menu in his restaurant. He said, sushi taste will be distracted if we eat too many other foods. He can serve 20 sushi to one person. How about the price? The minimum order should be 30,000 Yen or USD 300. And we should reserve the place at least one month before to eat there, even some customer can eat there after a year prior reservation.

Yamamoto said, there are 5 personalities that a great chef should have. First, is working seriously and has consistency. Jiro rarely take vacation, one day off is too long for him. He almost always be in his restaurant and will go if there is very important event. Such as, funeral, but he will back to his restaurant after his ceremony. He ever got Guinnes Book of Record award. He sat day and night, he said he is extremely exhausted. Jiro really love his job, he said, when we worked, we should be falling love with our job and get into it.

The second personality is, eventhough a chef already mastered his skill, he will never stop to learn and to build his skill. Almost all of the well-known chef and customer praised Jiro of his genius in making sushi, but Jiro never felt satisfied. He even said, he adores Joel Rabuchon, a master chef from France, who also got 3 stars from Michelin. Jiro wishes to have sensitive taste and hand like Joel. If he had it, he will make more delicious and tasty sushi than he can. Joel ever came and tried Jiro’s sushi. And said that Jiro’s sushi is the best sushi he ever tried.

The third is cleanliness. Jiro’s restaurant is veerryy clean. Well, no doubt, Japan is one of most clean country. Even, when this movie inform about Tsukiji Fish Market, the place where Jiro buy the raw material for his sushi, the market is so clean and well organized. Uhm, eventhough I love Indonesia so much,  Japan is one of my favourite country. Hope someday I can go there. Even when I was at college, I took Japanese language class, incase someday I might use it if I go to Japan.. hehehe *finger cross. Banzaaaai!

The fourth, almost all of master chef  are not very patient, determine and insist to work with his own way. Jiro is a hard chef and father. His eldest son, Yoshikazu help Jiro to work at his restaurant. Yoshikazu is 50 years old. He will continue this restaurant, if one day Jiro decided to pension. Jiro applied “Shokunin” way of life, which is repeat the same routine every day so that he can mastered the thing that he repeat. He even always sat at the same side in train every day. Beside his eldest son, he employs some apprentice chefs. An apprentice chef will have same work for 10 years. If he already mastered his job, then new job will be given more. And this habit have successfully supported this amazing restaurant.

The last, based on Yamamoto, is the personality that gathered all of the previous personalities, which is passion. Jiro really has passion to sushi, he loved his job so much. Jiro have all of the personality, he is a perfectionist. Perfectionist always feel anxious, but he always gives the best for his efforts and works.

Jiro’s restaurant always buy raw material from the expert. For tuna, he buys from the merchant that only sell tuna. Buys shrimp from the merchant that only sells shrimp. Buys rice from the rice expert.

Jiro’s youngest son, Takashi also open his own sushi restaurant at Roppongi Hills, Tokyo. Takashi open the restaurant identically same with his father’s restaurant.  Since Jiro usually us his left hand, while his son not, all of the decoration that Jiro’s put on the left side, Takashi will put it on the right side. Takashi said, this time he cannot make sushi as delicious as his father’s, because his father already made sushi long time before he was born. Many people said, Takashi served sushi just like his father but with more relaxed way.

From this movie, I have one favourite line, which is “there is no miracle come in a short time”. Eventhough miracle sometimes come in instant, it will not last long time. Jiro tried to fulfil his miracle when he is awake, but he also often dreams about sushi and get many new ideas. So, if we wish a miracle we must work on it repeatedly, not only for a day, but it might be take many years, or maybe 10 years just like what Jiro did with his way of life, Shokunin.

Picture taken from :

http://genkinahito.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/jiro-dreams-of-sushi.jpg

http://www.tenkai-japan.com/2009/02/17/sukiyabashi-jiro-ginza-sushi/

http://newbuddhist.com/article/jiro-dreams-of-sushi-and-the-art-of-perfecting-your-craft