Do you like sushi? If yes: Me too!
But the fish and I, right now, it's more like three. So, instead of eating it, I decided to watch the movie "Jiro, Dreams of Sushis" which is a documentary directed by David Gelb and tells the story of Jiro.
Jiro is a little old man who dedicated his whole life to making sushi. He runs a small establishment in Tokyo's subway. 10 seats. And honestly, it doesn't look like much.
To discover Jiro is to discover a man who has dedicated his life to his passion, forgetting the rest of the world... Obsessed with one thing: creating the perfect sushi.
As we discover he has a family, a wife and two sons. He realizes that he has been little present during his life. His children follow in his footsteps. Because he decided. He left them no choice. In turn, they will make sushi... with the same perfection.
Jiro likes sushi. In any case, the art of preparing them.
He selects his fish carefully, knows each fishmonger, knows where it was caught and when exactly. Then, he kneads it for hours, cuts it in front of the customers, serves them, and watches them swallow and taste his work.
Jiro is watching. He observes the astonishment, comments and facial expressions of customers. He wants to know if the taste of perfect sushi touches his customers right in the heart.
What history finally reveals is that this little gentleman, passionate about sushi and his profession, received three stars, the highest possible rating from the Michelin Guide...
And I don't even know if he did it on purpose, if he even looked for it.
If you want to eat at Jiro's, you'll have to go to Tokyo. And wait three months between the time of your reservation and your meal. And of course, without forgetting to pay several hundred dollars for the menu offered.
The Sushi of Jiro are obviously worth much more than those I used to eat in my favorite sushis restaurant in Brussels as the pictures below show you...
Anyway. The film is slow. Calm. Beautiful.
We discover the madness of passion for a profession.
Must see if you like the art of sushi creation, if you like Japan, if crazy entrepreneurs touch your heart.