‘Jiro’, 10 years later
August 30, 2022 5:22 PM Subscribe
10 years after Netflix released David Gelb's documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi", Eater takes a look at how the film has impacted our perception of authenticity, a boom of omakase restaurants in the US, and its influence on a decade of food documentaries.
That seems like dot dot dot a weird conclusion to come to.
posted by jonathanhughes at 6:07 PM on August 30, 2022 [14 favorites]
posted by jonathanhughes at 6:07 PM on August 30, 2022 [14 favorites]
And the restaurant is effectively no longer open to the general public — reservations have to be made by a concierge of a luxury hotel, or diners have to already be regulars or given a special introduction.
This was in fact the reason cited for why Jiro lost its three Michelin stars back in 2019.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 6:19 PM on August 30, 2022 [8 favorites]
This was in fact the reason cited for why Jiro lost its three Michelin stars back in 2019.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 6:19 PM on August 30, 2022 [8 favorites]
This is timely. I've been meaning to rewatch Jiro Dreams of Sushi ever since coming back from D.C. this weekend, where we had a celebratory omakase meal at Sushi Nakazawa, the restaurant opened by the former apprentice chef featured in the documentary.
It's attached to the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, formerly the Trump hotel (aka the Old Post Office). And if it's a one-star Michelin restaurant, I can't imagine the experience of dining somewhere rated higher. Lunch was 20 courses, each piece placed just so in front of us. We were seated at 11:45, and ushered out at 1:30 so the staff could prep for a 1:45 seating. I can't possibly remember all of the courses, but one highlight was four different cuts of tuna from the same fish. Another course was two different sea urchins (a few other diners even opted for an entire flight of sea urchins, which were served in wooden boxes.)
It wasn't life-changing — I'll eat sushi again — but it was wallet-changing for sure.
posted by emelenjr at 8:25 PM on August 30, 2022
It's attached to the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, formerly the Trump hotel (aka the Old Post Office). And if it's a one-star Michelin restaurant, I can't imagine the experience of dining somewhere rated higher. Lunch was 20 courses, each piece placed just so in front of us. We were seated at 11:45, and ushered out at 1:30 so the staff could prep for a 1:45 seating. I can't possibly remember all of the courses, but one highlight was four different cuts of tuna from the same fish. Another course was two different sea urchins (a few other diners even opted for an entire flight of sea urchins, which were served in wooden boxes.)
It wasn't life-changing — I'll eat sushi again — but it was wallet-changing for sure.
posted by emelenjr at 8:25 PM on August 30, 2022
Making a fake documentary to justify running thousands a day through a fake restaurant would be a pretty good caper. Also, once I ate at a restaurant named Capers. Cost about $15. They didn’t serve capers.
(I like the Jiro documentary but I still prefer to eat cheap salmon rolls with coworkers at places that take walk-ins and only wipe out a fraction of the day’s wages.)
posted by michaelh at 8:54 PM on August 30, 2022
(I like the Jiro documentary but I still prefer to eat cheap salmon rolls with coworkers at places that take walk-ins and only wipe out a fraction of the day’s wages.)
posted by michaelh at 8:54 PM on August 30, 2022
If only Eater could have found writers who know something about how documentaries are made. Alas, ‘‘twas not to be.
posted by Ideefixe at 9:07 PM on August 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Ideefixe at 9:07 PM on August 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
This has sparked my regular compulsion to recommend with gusto IFC's "Documentary Now" series of pitch perfect parodies of documentaries starring Fred Armisen and Bill Hader. The one paroding Jiro is one of my favorites (although the grey gardens one is also amazing, really they're all incredible).
posted by dis_integration at 9:11 PM on August 30, 2022 [20 favorites]
posted by dis_integration at 9:11 PM on August 30, 2022 [20 favorites]
Imagine if you were trying to launder money through a restaurant and then won three Michelin stars. Nightmare! Perhaps this explains the quality of food at Planet Hollywood
posted by The River Ivel at 12:55 AM on August 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by The River Ivel at 12:55 AM on August 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
I enjoyed the documentary, but what I enjoy even more are the YT channels that just show meals being made at Udon (etc) shops in Japan. There are other channels specialising in, e.g., South Korea sharing the same format of just showing competent people working efficiently in kitchens without commentary or drama. It is both fascinating and relaxing.
posted by bouvin at 2:05 AM on August 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by bouvin at 2:05 AM on August 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
Just last night I was thinking about the man who makes tamagoyaki over and over again in that film.
posted by terretu at 2:15 AM on August 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by terretu at 2:15 AM on August 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
Jiro really kicked off a series of copycat and hopelessly-pretentious food documentaries. Meh.
posted by drstrangelove at 4:02 AM on August 31, 2022
posted by drstrangelove at 4:02 AM on August 31, 2022
The essay on authenticity is good, if a little surprising that the food world is still wrestling with an issue that is a pretty long-lasting stock part of Sociology 101.
It was also interesting reading about the boom in similar(ish) restaurants in the US, although I sort of feel that the second piece overplayed its hand with the statement that "Jiro also helped turn “foodieism” into an identity."
posted by entropone at 5:22 AM on August 31, 2022
It was also interesting reading about the boom in similar(ish) restaurants in the US, although I sort of feel that the second piece overplayed its hand with the statement that "Jiro also helped turn “foodieism” into an identity."
posted by entropone at 5:22 AM on August 31, 2022
Imagine if you were trying to launder money through a restaurant and then won three Michelin stars.
I have a friend who grew up in New Orleans. While visiting him once, he pointed out several restaurants which started out as money laundering operations, and got good/popular. (Although not Michelin star rated.)
posted by Spike Glee at 6:01 AM on August 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
I have a friend who grew up in New Orleans. While visiting him once, he pointed out several restaurants which started out as money laundering operations, and got good/popular. (Although not Michelin star rated.)
posted by Spike Glee at 6:01 AM on August 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
Honeyland is a great doc, and owes nothing to Jiro, but I wouldn’t expect Eater’s semi-pro writers to understand that.
posted by Ideefixe at 8:38 AM on August 31, 2022
posted by Ideefixe at 8:38 AM on August 31, 2022
we had a celebratory omakase meal at Sushi Nakazawa, the restaurant opened by the former apprentice chef featured in the documentary
I ate at the original in NYC a few years ago, in a traditional "get drunk and eat a fancy meal with your buds after a finance firing" afternoon. Not my best sushi meal ever, but still excellent. Service was disconcertingly smooth.
posted by praemunire at 9:24 AM on August 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
I ate at the original in NYC a few years ago, in a traditional "get drunk and eat a fancy meal with your buds after a finance firing" afternoon. Not my best sushi meal ever, but still excellent. Service was disconcertingly smooth.
posted by praemunire at 9:24 AM on August 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
My best sushi meal so far was at 15 East, but not at the omakase bar but sitting by myself at the tables. I now wonder if being not stressed out in front of a Michelin starred chef can be a factor for subjective enjoyment.
Instead of money laundering, watching Jiro 10 years ago made me think how privileged these luxury ingredients are. I love fancy food but the documentary showed me how sushi industry is fundamentally set up under capitalism. It feels like laundering except what's being controlled is who gets access and who gets to consume these socially exclusive natural goods (that are endangered and come from our more than ever polluted oceans), resulting in a social hierarchy. For example I remember Jiro Ono saying in the film that it wasn't right that young people were going to his restaurant because they had the money when older people he felt were more deserving after having been through life, etc. Something to that effect.
posted by polymodus at 12:00 PM on August 31, 2022
Instead of money laundering, watching Jiro 10 years ago made me think how privileged these luxury ingredients are. I love fancy food but the documentary showed me how sushi industry is fundamentally set up under capitalism. It feels like laundering except what's being controlled is who gets access and who gets to consume these socially exclusive natural goods (that are endangered and come from our more than ever polluted oceans), resulting in a social hierarchy. For example I remember Jiro Ono saying in the film that it wasn't right that young people were going to his restaurant because they had the money when older people he felt were more deserving after having been through life, etc. Something to that effect.
posted by polymodus at 12:00 PM on August 31, 2022
I still miss the $10 all u can eat sushi + sashimi that I had in Vancouver back in 2004.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 3:23 PM on September 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by St. Peepsburg at 3:23 PM on September 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
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This seems like... a perfect way to run a money laundering facility.
posted by pwnguin at 5:44 PM on August 30, 2022 [2 favorites]