Good morning FFF!
Here's a quick review of the movies from the last week or so (to ignore, go to the bottom of this post for tonight's movie selection):
For our last movie night, the feature was Soul Kitchen, a German comedy based on the experiences of two Greek brothers operating their Greek restaurant in Hamburg. Needless to say, this movie doesn't focus on the food served at Soul Kitchen, but the relationships among those involved with the restaurant's unorthodox operation. Not much cultural discussion was had afterwards, and I think we were all still a little shaken up by Biutiful the week before. However, I'd like to mention that a week ago Sunday a few of us watched Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It'll seem more relevant in a moment.....
From various friends, I had heard only negative comments about 'Jiro'. Some thought it was dull, boring, not focused enough on sushi, and overall uninteresting. I on the other hand really enjoyed it. Those who had not seen it were left with polarized opinions of 'Jiro', clearly unable to anticipate their own imminent reaction to the film. What follows is not a spoiler alert, you really just have to watch the movie to understand what I'm talking about. Here's the trailer:
Instead of just pushing play, I gave the newbies to 'Jiro' a cursory introduction: I simply said to approach the film not as a culinary documentary but rather as a snapshot into the life of a shokunin, or man who seeks perfection his craft. I think my magic worked, as the general attitude was quite positive. For those of you who watched 'Jiro' thinking it was going to be about food, and disliked it, I encourage you to see it again, with the following cultural discussion in mind:
Jiro is the master at what he does: making damn good sushi, apparently the best in the world. A seat at his restaurant starts at $300 and only goes up based on what's at the fish market. He did not gain success overnight: he perfected his sushi making for decades and is the oldest restaurant owner to have received a 3 Michelin Star rating. Perhaps approaching Jiro's story through a Western lens makes it a little difficult to get the most out of the movie. For example, here in the States, a quick rise to the top is lauded, while those who work hard for a long time are generally given less recognition (debate fodder). Historically, this is not the case in Japanese culture. Another example is when one apprentice nearly shows emotion when recalling having properly made the egg sushi, for which Jiro proclaimed him a shokunin for the first time. There are further nuances in the relationships among the various apprentices, Jiro's sons, and Jiro which are also curiously outside the Western realm. No one looks at Jiro directly in the eyes and only once does an apprentice address Jiro's oldest son directly. It's not simply the kitchen hierarchy, but a more subtle (or perhaps not so subtle for us) deference to one's teachers.
Something not clarified explicitly in the film is that shokunin is a composite of two words: one related to the kitchen, and the other meaning one who attains a higher state of being. In English, or better yet, most 'western' languages, a literal translation might be artisan or head chef, ie mastery of technical skills; however, this doesn't fully encompass the 'higher state of being' part. In Japanese, this actually implies one who strives to do his best for the general welfare of others. Thus, by seeking perfection (which Jiro understands is clearly unattainable yet you try anyways), a shokunin does not gain anything for himself, per se, but performs his art for the betterment of others.
I hope that with this little bit of extra background, those who disliked the movie the first time will watch it again under shifted auspices and maybe enjoy it!
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Tonight's movie selection consists of City of Men:
Hope to see you there tonight!
-FFF
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