Jiro Ono and René Redzepi Have a Cup of Tea [video]

It's a lovely video. Thanks for posting. It seems as though what unites these two isn't that they both work in the gastronomic arts, but rather, that they are both driven to achieve perfection, and that they both share a certain sadness and also mania knowing that they want to achieve something that is impossible, and yet are so close. I also think it is what makes it so prescient for this forum -- many of us are the same way. We seek out new challenges. Refine old art forms. Think about things slightly askew. For me, seeing this conversation was almost like seeing three men discussing a topic across time. Jiro-san relays to Rene what his experience has been like as someone pursuing perfection, and says something along the lines of "When you are my age, you won't think about quitting... I know you... because you are me... and we can never quit. We just keep striving for the next thing." And Rene has (and this may be my American interpretation of his Nordic facial reaction) a sort of moment where he realizes that Jiro-san is correct. That he is both blessed and trapped with this relentless drive. Jiro-san then says something along the lines of "I won't live this long... but if I lived until you were the age I am now, I would want to be there to say 'I told you so' because I know you will never stop. You will always look for the next thing." And you can see his son, the third participant in the conversation, observing, and contemplating his father's mortality, his father's legacy, and his father's drive.

I thought it was quite beautiful.

For those who didn't know who the two men are:

Jiro Ono, Japanese sushi chef, is often regarded as one the greatest sushi chefs. Owner of "Sukiyabashi Jiro" a three-Michelin starred sushi restaurant in Tokyo. The documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" is about Jiro Ono, the restaurant and his son.[1]

René Redzepi, Danish chef, and co-owner of the two-Michelin starred restaurant Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark. Voted the best restaurant in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014. Renowned for reinventing and refining new Nordic cuisine.[2]

[1]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1772925/ [2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Redzepi

Ono is dedicated to Sushi and is relentless in his pursuit of perfection of that one thing. Redzepi, on the other hand, is relentless in pursuit of making exquisite food from humble ingredients local to what is to others consider a land of little variety, in a locale not known for gastronomic experimentation. They are not really comparable. They are good at different things, they just happen to both be in the food service industry, although at the highest level.

Link seems to be down for me.

Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/124820375