In all my knowledge of Japan, apart from the "manner", the "spirit of the craftsman" is the one that impressed me the most.
"Shiren" means "craftsman" in Japanese. In ancient times, the social status of craftsmen was relatively low. The class division of scholars, farmers, industry and commerce was not only in our country, but also in Japan, which also belonged to the big Confucian cultural circle.
The spirit of craftsmanship means that a person not only regards the handicrafts he is engaged in as his own profession and career, but also as the sustenance of his own personality. In the continuous practice of handicraft, self-cultivation and spiritual realm have also improved. Knowing and doing are united, and from the end, it is quite similar to Zen. This is not surprising. Japanese people also believe in Buddhism. , And tea ceremony is an art that embodies the three flavors of Zen Buddhism.
Traditional craftsmen focus on their fields of expertise and persevere in the pursuit of the highest skills. This is the "workmanship spirit."
One day for dinner, I had a buffet with my parents at the hotel. In addition to Chinese and Western food, the restaurant also provided Japanese cuisine. I happened to love Japanese food, so I went back to the table with a large plate of sashimi and sushi. . Thinking about it now, it really smells like a cow chewing peony.
Before I finished watching "The God of Sushi", I certainly would not think that sushi is "sashimi on top of rice and then pinch it up" (because I have seen Conan, it is a bit of common sense of sushi), but I don’t actually know what to watch. How much hardship and sweat is behind the seemingly simple sushi.
I remember watching "Farewell My Concubine" before. After watching "Farewell My Concubine", many scenes, scenes, and plots were forgotten. Only one line was deeply engraved in my mind: "It is a lifetime, one year less, one less One month, one day missing, and one hour missing are not a lifetime."
Dedicating a lifetime to a craft, a career, and a belief, how many people in this world can do it?
Now I know that a Japanese did it.
Ono Jiro, a seemingly ordinary Japanese name. However, this "bad old man" has twice received Michelin three-star reviews, and was even identified as "the oldest Michelin three-star chef in the world" at the age of 86 by the Guinness Book of World Records; his "Sukiyabashi Jiro" sushi restaurant is located in In the basement of Tokyo Metro Ginza Station, there are only 10 seats. The restroom is even outside the restaurant. You must book at least one month in advance to eat the sushi here. The minimum consumption per customer is 30,000 yen. There is no menu in the restaurant. Side dishes and drinks are provided, only "Recommended by the chef", and all dishes are calculated based on the current price of the ingredients of the day. At first sound, most people can't help but think: How can such a restaurant continue to operate? Wouldn't this restaurant think about its customers?
Maybe Jiro didn't think about it! Do not deal with anything other than sushi, but focus on this kind of cuisine, and always serve customers with "the most delicious sushi". Isn't this the idea and practice that customers consider most? It is precisely because of Mr. Ono's awareness that Michelin will give the highest three-star evaluation and praise this store for "always having the spirit of perfectionism."
The world of sushi is very simple-fish, rice, vinegar, salt, soy sauce, these things constitute a sushi. However, the food made with such a simple material has a fascinating and rich taste, which is a very magical thing. For decades, Mr. Ono has been advancing on this path, constantly telling himself "It must be more delicious", "It must be more delicious", and constantly strive to climb the peak of sushi technology-even though no one Know where the tip is. Sometimes in the middle of the night, if you have a good idea, you will suddenly sit up from the bed; even in your dreams, you often dream of rows of gorgeous sushi. This is Mr. Ono's pure sushi world. However, even after making sushi for so many years, Mr. Ono still believes that his skills are far from "perfect".
This is the "workmanship spirit".
How delicious is Jiro sushi? I may not have much say if I have not tasted it myself. However, looking at Mr. Ono's strict requirements for himself, his two sons, and the young apprentices in the shop, you can probably imagine how delicious it is. Whether it’s hot towels, scented tea, tea sets, these items that will directly face customers, or side dishes, seasoning boxes, omelettes, fans, knives, feather kettles, bamboo baskets, etc., customers will not pay much attention or even see them. Mr. Ono has a lot of special requirements for things, or the unremarkable things like wasabi and ginger slices that go with sushi. For example, wasabi must be selected from the wild wasabi of the Izu Peninsula to grind the required amount with specific movements, strength and speed on the grater; the sourness and spicyness of the ginger slices after marinating should be round, soft and smooth after entering the mouth. Refreshing taste; the side dish box is a specially-made wooden box with a bamboo mat at the bottom. In order to give a luxurious impression, it is placed at a slightly inclined angle, or the corners of the box are stacked; tea sets are all please High-quality pottery made by famous masters (it is said that there are also tea bowls made by Mr. Ono himself); the curtains above the sushi table will alternate between hemp and indigo curtains according to the seasons; and as a restaurant, it is the most important and the most important thing to ignore I would never justify myself by saying "is it right that the sushi restaurant is full of fishy smell?" A thorough cleaning will be carried out every morning and evening-these look big or small Things are all condensed with the hard work and wisdom of the sushi chefs.
Apart from these things, the most important thing for sushi is the choice of ingredients. To make delicious food, it is necessary to buy the best quality and freshest ingredients. Mr. Ono has always purchased the ingredients from the best local fishmongers, shrimp vendors, and rice vendors for many years since he opened his business. Suppliers also regard Mr. Ono's recognition as the highest honor. The person who supplies him with tuna only sells tuna, "Only one tuna in the whole market is the best, I will buy that one, or I will buy nothing at all"; the person who supplies him with shrimp has been in the business for dozens Years ago, he was very experienced, "When I saw fresh shrimp in the morning, I would think, ah, this is very suitable for selling to Jiro"; the person who served him the rice has the best choice of rice, "there was a famous hotel If you want to buy rice from me, I don’t sell it. I only sell (the best rice) to Jiro because he only knows how to cook this kind of rice. Rice that can’t be cooked is useless.”
While demanding the quality of the ingredients, Mr. Ono is also so demanding that ordinary people can hardly imagine the staff in the store. "Is the employee with the shortest working hours in our store? One day, one day. Reporting in the morning, and ran away in the evening." Mr. Ono's eldest son, Zhenyi, replied. "The employees who just came to work in the store should start by twisting the hot towels. If the towels are not twisted well, they won't let you touch the fish; after ten years of cooking, they will start to teach you how to bake tamagoyaki (egg rolls). "An apprentice in the shop said with emotion, "When I first started learning how to bake, I kept failing and I was frustrated every day; after doing this for more than two hundred, the master (Mr. Ono Jiro) finally nodded. I said, "This is the taste that should be." I almost shed tears and tried to suppress my excitement." In the Roppongi Hills branch, Ono Takashi, the second son of Mr. Ono, recalled: "My father said to me at the time, Only success, no failure, you have no retreat."
This is the "workmanship spirit."
What is the concept of Michelin three-star? A one-star restaurant is “worth a visit”, a two-star restaurant is “worth a detour to patronize”, and a three-star restaurant is “worth a trip to taste”. Even if you want to fly to Japan, you can definitely get back the fare. This is the charm of the Michelin three-star restaurant. After being rated as a three-star restaurant by Michelin, Jiro Sushi's customers have many foreigners and three-star chefs from other restaurants and even countries. But as the tasting spy of the Michelin Guide said: “(Jiro Sushi) is really amazing. No matter how many times I’ve eaten, I’ve never been disappointed.” Yes, no matter where the guests come from, they are all Mr. Ono's craftsmanship was completely conquered. "The customer thinks I am a big star." In front of the camera, Mr. Ono smiled heartily, not at all like the chef who was standing behind the sushi table with a serious and indifferent expression. "But when these ingredients are handed over to me At that time, the sushi was actually 95% complete, and the customers thought that I had some magic.” To
quote the famous French chef Joel Robuchon (Joel Robuchon) said: “If the cooking process is perfect, the quality of the cooking is not good. It may be bad." Mr. Ono’s sushi, from the selection of ingredients to the preparation to the final kneading, and even the subtle details, have achieved the best he can do, so his sushi is superb.
This is the "workmanship spirit".
Even though he was over eighty years old, Mr. Ono still did not stop working. He is the kind of old-fashioned person who would dislike the fact that even holidays are too long and wasteful, and he wants to work hard every day. Watching Mr. Ono put his hand vinegar behind the sushi table, pick up the fish, dip it in wasabi, knead a ball of rice, and knead these ingredients into a variety of exquisite sushi one after another, and one can feel it all at once. Kind of solemn ritual. It is this kind of rigor and seriousness in the work that he is engaged in that makes Mr. Ono as a Michelin three-star chef, right? However, this sense of mission is hard to see today.
"I have been making sushi for decades. If I suddenly don't make it one day, wouldn't I be useless?" Mr. Ono said.
In the popular words, he is "making sushi with his life".
I think this is the "workmanship spirit".
If I'm lucky, I hope to visit Sukiyabashi Jiro in my lifetime to taste Mr. Ono's sushi and chef's sushi.
At that time, I might also find my own answer.
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