I’m almost at the end of season one of the Japanese-dubbed Culinary Class Wars that I’ve been watching as a way of learning Japanese.
There’s something engraved in my mind, other than the Japanese words and phrases I pick up from the show, and that’s the perfectionism of fine dining chefs.
I’ve always thought a little bit that fine dining was all about making classy, beautifully decorated food, yet I’ve realized that fine dining chefs seem to take a much more sophisticated and calculated approach, from ingredient prep all the way through plating. It was rather an eye-opening experience for me to see the show’s judge, Chef Sung Jae Ahn, insist on having a specific reason for adding each ingredient in a certain shape or texture. It even seemed philosophical from time to time.
The funny thing is that, after watching this show, while cooking I’ve asked myself certain questions such as “Are these ingredients all harmonized?” or “Does this sauce work well with this food?” Learning Japanese is the main reason I’m watching this show, yet I get the added benefit of changing my attitude toward cooking for the better.
And sometimes I have this thought as well – “What would Chef Ahn tell me about this dish?”
I think I know the answer.
It must be “Da tsu ra ku de su.”
(“You are out” in Japanese).