A woman writing a novel with food

March 4, 2019 2:11 PM

Helen Rosner interviews Japanese-American chef Niki Nakayama for the New Yorker: Kaiseki has a predetermined flow, its interrelated courses incorporating dozens—if not hundreds—of ingredients and techniques to form a single narrative arc. A kaiseki meal takes hours to unfold. Junko Sakai has likened a sushi chef’s approach to that of an essayist, and a kaiseki chef’s to that of a novelist. And yet kaiseki does not broadcast its own cleverness. There is no futuristic culinary chemistry or flamboyant tableside showmanship. Its practitioners talk about it almost as a form of service, a subordination of the self. When I met Nakayama, she told me that, in kaiseki, “the ingredients are more important than you, the cooking is more important than you. Everything about the food is more important than you, and you have to respect that.” She added, “There’s a part of it that’s really prideful and ambitious, and yet it tries to hold itself back.”

In a follow-up thread on twitter, Rosner suggested some supplementary reading about gender, Japanese cooking, and modern fine dining, including the articles below:

"Gender equality in the sushi world is still a long way off, but these women are working to change it." By Naomi Tomky for Saveur

Twelve years ago, following a short but eye-opening stint in prison, Mary Stallworth needed a new career. Floating around Detroit kitchens as a line cook between gambling binges wasn’t going to cut it anymore. But because the restaurant business was all she knew, Stallworth worked to advance past the line. Half Japanese and half African-American, she found a unique niche as the liaison between the sushi bar and the rest of the kitchen at Chen Chow Brasserie in Birmingham, Michigan. She picked up skills, first making rolls for family meals, then training to help put out large orders. Just as she began to feel she had found her calling in the world of rice, fish, and seaweed, the sushi chef left. And the new hire—a big gun out of Japan—refused to have a woman at his sushi bar. “I had fought so hard to get out of the kitchen,” Stallworth recalls, “but he wouldn’t even look at me.”

The Japanese Origins of Modern Fine Dining, by Meghan McCarron for Eater.previously

Around the world, a single aesthetic dominates the uppermost echelons of fine dining: The courses will be small and many. The plates and vessels will be distinct, often rustic, and sometimes surprising. The elaborate plating demands precision, either to execute a clever visual joke, or to produce a heart-stopping evocation of terroir. And all of these bites tell a story — of an ingredient, a person, or a very specific place. Each of these stories is unique, but not so unique that Central in Lima cannot be compared to Gaggan in Bangkok. Where, exactly, did this intense, exacting, intellectual form of haute cuisine come from?

posted by ChuraChura (15 comments total)

Here's a direct link to The Chef's Table episode about Nakayama and n/naka as mentioned in the New Yorker. It is a beautiful episode.

Having eaten at n/naka (and many of the other restaurants often considered "the best" in the world), I can definitively say that n/naka is one of the best, if not best, restaurant in America. It certainly is the best meal I have eaten in the country.

And as a queer person of color, it makes me so happy to see a queer woman of color do so well in such a challenging and sexist space. It gives me hope for all the future chefs out there who continue and will continue her amazing work.
posted by Ouverture at 2:52 PM on March 4, 2019 [11 favorites]

I had a modest kaiseki meal once, and it was like a gentle demanding flow of dishes each one calling for my full attention nail it was gone and the next dish was making its appearance. The meal might have taken a few hours or weeks; it’s hard to say.
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:20 PM on March 4, 2019 [2 favorites]

I have heard nothing but good reviews about n/naka and I totally want to splurge on a meal there but goddamn tables are hard to get
posted by flaterik at 3:53 PM on March 4, 2019 [1 favorite]

I cannot conceive of such an experience, in writing it seems wholly alien to me. I thought Soylent powder mixing was too much rigamarole to chug down a meal, this is not an experience anyone should ever waste on me. Still, it's not hard to recognize this is an art form, the way it's approached and handled sounds identical to processes in making art to communicate an idea.
posted by GoblinHoney at 4:03 PM on March 4, 2019

I worked with Niki Nakayama's wife Carole for a few years, and have a very high respect for Carole's talent and capability as a collaborator. It's hugely gratifying to see Nakayama and n/naka's success. I can't easily afford to eat there (and wouldn't want to try to impose on a former coworker for a discount), but at some point I'd love to try it.
posted by tclark at 4:22 PM on March 4, 2019 [2 favorites]

Traditional Kaiseki can seem overly austere to westerners. Don't be surprised if you splurge on a meal in Kyoto or Tokyo and don't really enjoy it so much as admire it.

It's a lot about the presentation, but also the texture of foods almost more so than taste. The texture bit especially can be odd to Western palates.
posted by JPD at 4:24 PM on March 4, 2019 [7 favorites]

FYI, if you're more aurally inclined, there should be a companion interview/feature to Rosner's article coming on this week's episode of the New Yorker Radio Hour.
posted by mykescipark at 5:05 PM on March 4, 2019 [2 favorites]

I have the chance to eat kaiseki ryori in Ishikawa (known as Kaga ryori) about once a year when we take my mother-in-law to a super duper ryokan (her treat). It's great.

On the other hand, a lot of resort hotels lower down the value chain tend to ape multi-dish kaiseki ryori, feeding you a seven-course meal of average-quality food that fills you to bursting.

Anyway, my advice is to go to Kanazawa, rather than Kyoto, and try to go to a hot spring hotel that is at a higher price point, rather than budget. Ishikawa in my opinion has the best food in all of Japan (but Fukui has the best booze).
posted by JamesBay at 6:33 PM on March 4, 2019 [3 favorites]

I have had omakase at Nishino, Shiro, and most recently at Kashiba (Shiro's current place - all three places are in Seattle). I think the meal at Nishino was possibly twenty-five years ago now. It was very strongly reminscent of the concepts and time spent described here. All three of these meals were easily in the top ten most amazing food experiences I have ever had.
posted by mwhybark at 7:11 PM on March 4, 2019

> Ishikawa in my opinion has the best food in all of Japan

Kanazawa is the new mecca for foodies in Japan since the Shinkansen now travels there...
posted by gen at 7:52 PM on March 4, 2019

Gen, not Kanazawa but close to Katsuyama (where I believe you go for skiing), I recommend Miwakowasure no Yado in Yamanaka Onsen. Overlooks the Korogi Bridge, and the food is very good. Hanamurasaki is also quite good -- it ought to be because it's so pricey. My mother-in-law of course took us there as a treat.
posted by JamesBay at 9:24 PM on March 4, 2019 [1 favorite]

I'm in Kanazawa tomorrow for lunch.
posted by JPD at 9:28 PM on March 4, 2019 [2 favorites]

Since other people are making good thoughtful comments about food and culinary artisanship and barriers of privilege in the food industry, I will be the fluffy person declaring that I will totally watch/read the thinly-fictionalized mouthwatering romantic comedy food movie based on the Iida-Nakayamas' story. Like, this is 100% my romance jam, official good good romance shit:

When Nakayama first met Iida, through OkCupid, she marvelled: Iida was also Japanese-American, had also grown up in Arcadia, and was also—improbably—a sushi chef. They lived five minutes away from each other. Nakayama’s dog was named Sammi; Iida’s was named Sammy. Nakayama felt that her entire life was falling into place.

Their DOGS! Had the same name!

Even when her relationship with Iida became serious, Nakayama avoided coming out to her mother. (Her father died in 2004.) “I’d never say the words ‘I’m gay.’ I’d say, like, ‘I have a friend! Who lives with me now!’ ” When she and Iida got engaged, she wasn’t sure how to break the news: “I remember telling my mom, ‘I think you should come to Hawaii in August, because Carole and I are going to go through a celebration. Of our friendship.’ She was, like, ‘Are you getting married?’ I said yeah, and then she said, ‘I’m O.K. with it.’ I left her that day in shock. I was crying—all these years of carrying this, and finally to get to this point.” At the wedding, Nakayama’s mother walked her down the aisle.

This is so bittersweet and darkly funny and wholesome, y'all!!!
posted by nicebookrack at 9:45 PM on March 4, 2019 [13 favorites]

I have had omakase at Nishino, Shiro, and most recently at Kashiba (Shiro's current place - all three places are in Seattle). I think the meal at Nishino was possibly twenty-five years ago now. It was very strongly reminscent of the concepts and time spent described here. All three of these meals were easily in the top ten most amazing food experiences I have ever had.

Of that list, I've only eaten at Kashiba. It was definitely one of the top ten food experiences ever.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:49 AM on March 5, 2019 [1 favorite]

Great article on the spirit of Kaiseki!

I've spent a lot of time in Japan and have been wined and dined many times - including at many Kaiseki restaurants.

I do appreciate the Kaiseki experience - what is described as the flow in the article, and the necessary setting, ideally looking over a small Japanese garden or so, the kimono-clad waitresses etc.
And yet, I find the Kaiseki experience to be very rigid. I suppose you can adjust for allergies (I think they usually ask), but other than that, the whole affair is planned through and there is not much choice. And given that there are usually 10 dishes or more, each dish is rather tiny. Which means that it's hard to skip something that you don't like (e.g. some of the stuff with the weirder textures). Somehow that would feel quite offensive to the cook, not to mention the hosts, if you're invited. Very difficult if you're a picky eater.

So give me izakaya food instead every day of the week! Just put the stuff in the middle to share and eat and reorder what you like.
posted by sour cream at 8:23 AM on March 6, 2019