Jiro Dreams of Sushi: Preserving A Way of Life

 

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011) chronicles the day-to-day work life of 85-year-old Jiro Ono, a world-renowned sushi chef and owner of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a prestigious ten-seat sushi restaurant in Tokyo, the only restaurant of its kind with a three star Michelin rating. Although this prestige attracts sushi lovers from around the world to make reservations months in advance for one of the few seats at Jiro’s sushi bar, it is Jiro and his sons, rather than the restaurant, that provide focus for this revealing documentary.

Although the film’s production notes suggest the film “is a thoughtful and elegant meditation on work, family, and the art of perfection,” however, the relationship between Jiro and his eldest son moves beyond revealing the complexity of Jiro’s multiple roles as culinary success and loving but demanding father. The relationship also reveals the changing attitudes toward the environment that must be embraced for the dream of sushi to continue. In order to continue the traditions Jiro establishes as a sushi master, his eldest son Yoshikazu must encourage an aquatic conservation missing from Jiro’s experience. The drive to maintain his father’s reputation as a sushi master, then, parallels the desire to preserve the sea life that sustains it.

Biophilic Urbanism

                  Biophilic Urbanism

 I lost sixteen trees in my neighborhood

           

their trunks flattened

like ringed bar stools

empty and moldering under sawdust

where I drink kamikazes after hours.

Dolly and I walk past them now

turning our heads

toward branches

scattered over a thinning raccoon.

We see a deer beside a driveway

tail up, waiting like an acolyte,

leaving a lonely trail

behind as it runs

like lights through picture windows

           

ice crystals flicker on its path

muffled roars telling us

to follow its glow.

No Internet, No Fun

I found out how much I rely on my Wifi when I lost it last week.

Although I certainly had Internet access at school, as an English and film professor and administrator, I had only a few minutes during the day to check email and upload work on our online classroom.

Losing email at home reminded me of all the work I do after school.

Of course I do a lot of grading at home, but with the online classroom, much of it is now completed online. Students submit papers through dropbox to save printing costs and paper. I provide comments in the comment box beside their papers. And then I submit a grade---again online.

I also organize much of class using the content, class calendar, and news sections of our online classroom. To help my students, I upload as much as possible into the content section according to the class modules--assignments, rubrics, readings, powerpoints, links, and videos. I also like to go beyond the calendar where assignments are posted to outline the class structure in the daily news section. Each news item includes an overview of the activities of that class day, as well as images, links, and content to support each element of the class plan. I follow this process for each of my classes, so it gets time-consuming but provides clear structure for each class day.

Unfortunately, much of my administrative work also requires Internet access. I direct our National Writing Project site here at EIU, and all report, grant proposal, budget, and resource information is on their website on a password protected page. Last week I had to upload a grant proposal and submit two budgets using this online system.

I also coordinate our film studies minor and needed to prepare for a meeting. Ideally I would have completed a newsletter draft that included information only available online--summer and fall classes, film festivals and conferences, and assessment data.

None of this was possible at home. I couldn't even access my email (or Facebook or Twitter or Blogger).

After a near meltdown, several calls to my Internet provider, and two new modems, I'm back online. And I've learned much about my work practices. School is where I teach. Home is where I work.