Jiro Dreams of Sushi

     At the behest of a couple friends I Netflix-ed this film and I have to say- this movie is a must watch.  It's about a man named Jiro Ono and his journey with the art of making sushi.  The movie as a whole is just as concise and beautiful as the sushi Jiro prepares.

His sushi is staggeringly simple in it's beauty. 

     According to Jiro's practices to make sushi properly there is an exhaustive learning curve.  As he spent a lifetime honing his skills, he forces the people under him to take the time to really learn.  I mean really, REALLY LEARN to do things- the learning that extreme repetition and familiarity brings.  Hours upon hours of training.  The people he works with must spend weeks learning to first properly handle a towel.  Just that.  Methodical towel folding.  Later w find he has some of the chefs massaging octopi for 45minutes to bring out the proper consistency and flavor.  Which is something he found after years of doing it himself.  Another chef almost cried after making an egg bread because after hundreds of them he had a single one that Jiro said, "THAT is how it should be made!"  That one small achievement is a great pride to be had.

     Someone mentions that there needs to be a balance in the fishing for the right stock while leaving enough for the future generations.  Jiro does this well.  He uses only the best ingredients, each now sought by specialists(a tuna buyer, and octopi buyer, etc) after a medical emergency years ago.  Limit what he buys to strictly the most worthy stock.  No mass producing at the cost of quality.  Only the most quality ingredients and only the best sushi makers are acceptable for Jiro.  These combined with the limited 10 seat store- he has slimmed the necessities down to the bare essentials. 
     The sushi is sold at a high cost, but the sheer amount of detail Jiro has, even down to the placement of sushi on the plate for right or left handed visitors, is unbelievable.  The details are where Jiro really gets it right.  Nothing is overlooked.  Consideration must be given to each and every step.  It is a rarity to see this much effort given to anything anywhere.  Jiro is a wonderful example to follow.  Eating at his restaurant is a simple and elegant experience. 

An apt screenshot-  One can always be better.

     The fact we never see his wife, home, or hobbies lends itself to the fact of his obsession.  Does he do anything else?  We don't know- and that drives home the point- it doesn't matter to Jiro.  Sushi, however, does matter.  And that is it, he found what he wanted to do and focused his life on that goal.  Jiro has an unmatched dedication to the continual perfecting of his sushi, and it is utterly amazing that even after receiving a 3 star Michelin review(the highest rating), he still believes there's room for improvement.  He is the first chef to recieve the award, and he honestly believes he can always do more, make things just a little bit better.  It's a lesson we could all learn, to strive to be just a little bit better in even the smallest details.