Jiro Dreams of Sushi is one of the best documentaries I’ve seen in a long time. It’s likely in my top 5 favorite films I’ve seen this year. The music, the videography, the story – all amazing.
This was the first documentary where I found myself taking notes. Jiro is a fountain of wisdom when it comes to mastery. Obviously, in his case sushi, but the principles apply across every craft.
Even at 85, Jiro is still pushing himself to become better. He fell in love with his work (big difference from the buzzword “finding your passion”) and dedicated himself to the craft.
Random Notes from Jiro Dreams of Sushi:
– To make delicious food you must eat delicious food.
– Without good taste you can’t make good food. If you taste isn’t better than the customer, how will you impress them?
– Why buy rice you can’t cook properly?
– Each ingredient has a perfect temperature to be served at. It isn’t enough to have the right ingredient. You need the right context.
– Sushi is 95% prepared before the sushi chef touches it, but the chef gets all the credit.
– “Always doing what you’re told doesn’t mean you’ll succeed in life.”
– Repetition builds intuition.
– Money isn’t his main focus. When he says “We don’t care about money” most people (on YouTube) don’t understand what he means. He wants the best ingredients and to work with the best people. What it costs him to get that is irrelevant. All he wants to do is make the best sushi. He doesn’t want to make good sushi as cheap as possible. He wants to make the best.
– When his parents didn’t allow him to come back home he was forced to succeed. He had no other option.
– When you think you know it all, you’re fooling yourself.
– There is so much you can’t learn from words, only from doing.
– Always look ahead and above yourself.
– Always strive to elevate your craft.
Go watch the documentary. It’s currently available on Netflix Instant.
The Trailer for Jiro Dreams of Sushi
