Dear Poppa,
Remember when we used to eat dinner together, me, you, Jack, and Mimi. We would sit around the table, a steaming plate of chicken cutlets in front of us, and putting our napkins on our lap. I never forget to put my napkin on my lap now. Then we would all hold hands and Mimi would say grace. Your hand was my favorite to hold, calluses and all. Then, we would dig in. I watched this episode of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown where he goes to Japan with his friend Masa Takayama, and they explore the world of Japanese food through the towns where Masa grew up. This episode reminded me of us because they ate a lot of meals together, and it was always a comfortable and homey vibe. It felt like our dinners.
I know you were a worker bee, and you could never sit down and watch these episodes, but I would really recommend it, especially now that you have a little more time.
I know you don’t know what Tasty is, but it’s a company that makes videos about food online. I know its crazy what people come up with nowadays, but is really popular, and I love it. I watch their videos all the time, especially their Japanese ones, they are so interesting, I’m falling in love with the culture and food of Japan. Which makes sense why I loved the Anthony Bourdain episode so much. I also found a series on Netflix called Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, which deepened my interest in the food and culture of Japan. This series talks about how Salt, Fat, Acid, and Heat are all the components you need to create a perfectly balanced meal. Samin Nosrat (the host) goes to different places in the world to explore each of these components of food. For the Salt episode she goes to Japan and explores how they use salt in their cooking. I know you wish I would fall in love with Italian cuisine, or making pizza, but I think Jack can handle that.
Masa Takayama is an esteemed chef that owns a three- Michelin- starred restaurant in NYC called Masa. Bourdain says “to call him America’s most respected sushi chef would be an injustice, as he is more than that, much more.” It costs almost $600 dollars to eat at his restaurant per person! Good thing Mimi liked your pizza, and not sushi.
I’m sure you learned about Ethos, Logos, and Pathos either when you were in college or after that, you’re the smartest guy I know. Anyway, I think this episode leans a lot into the use of Pathos to appeal to the emotional message of Masa growing up and learning and changing and ending up where he is now. “What was it about him that set him apart, took him from a rather bleak farming community in rural Japan to become first, the toast of Los Angeles and later, the king of New York.” I wonder the same thing Bourdain does about Masa about you, what sets you apart and made you into a successful business owner you were?
When I think of good food, our family comes to mind first, coming over for dinner are still some of my favorite memories. Mimi doesn’t cook as much anymore, but she learned how to make pasta this year, and it was really good! Her and Brandon made it for me, it made me happy to see her love cooking again. You and her taught me that one of the most personal things is to share a meal with family or friends, and in this episode that really comes through.
They angle the camera close to the table whenever Bourdain and Masa are eating together, and it is almost to the perspective of you sitting there with them, it gives you a cozy yet familiar vibe. This is also reflected in Masa’s restaurant, where even though it is a high end meal, you dress casually and comfortably, and no tip is given, it is like having a meal with a friend.
One of the more emotional parts of this episode is around 25 minutes in, when we meet Masa’s mother and daughter. There are many old photos shown of Masa growing up, and they all have a meal together talking about Masa when he was younger, like any mom would. This scene reminds me a lot of when we would have family dinner, everyone is relaxed and helping out around the kitchen, the picnic table surrounded with pictures old art projects. We would eat Managottis, but they eat a traditional Japanese comfort food, Motsuni, a mixed meat and vegetable stew. Masa doesn’t have to be the professional chef he is in New York, just like you didn’t have to be the boss around the table, he can relax and have a nice home cooked meal, which everyone needs every once and awhile.
Masa has come a long way from a farm town, to his first job in a small sushi restaurant, to the now well known, esteemed chef that he is. Everyone has to start from somewhere. There are people in all of our lives that show you what it takes to be successful and to show you that if you work hard, anything is possible, that person to me was you Poppa. Masa’s story shows you that all you need is drive, it does not matter your past, only what you make of your future. This episode sits you down with Masa himself and lets you into his life, it is an emotionally thrilling story, and Bourdain does an excellent job of telling it. Maybe this episode will help you fall in love with Japan and its food just as much as it did to me. I hope you get a chance to watch it, if not we can watch it together when I get to you.
I love and miss you,
Livy
Liv Talevi's Travel Blog 