Netflix and Prep
As of this past Friday, February 1, The JET interview is under my belt and I’m feeling pretty good about it. I definitely over-prepared. I switched my gold nose hoop to a tiny imperceptible glass bead (you’re welcome, Mom). I prepped answers to 64 questions they could possibly ask me based on thoroughly scouring JET Program boards on Glassdoor and Reddit and made my car riding buddy quiz me on the drive to Boston (thank you, Alice!). I prepared a 5-minute class-teaching demo I could use for just about any topic and any age group.
They, of course, asked me none of the questions I prepped nor did they ask me to stand and present anything (I’ve heard horror stories). It was actually pretty laid back and straightforward. We’ll see what happens! I don’t find out until April.
In the meantime, I’ve been taking advantage of the smorgasbord of Japanese and Japan focused series, movies, and documentaries on Netflix and Amazon Prime. What a treasure chest!
I feel like the food was literally speaking to me.
First stop, Season 8, Episode 6 of Anthony Bordain: Parts Unknown, “Japan with Masa”. Wowee. I feel like the food was literally speaking to me. Nandi (my live-in ex-partner) and I were both groaning and welling up with tears at every bite they took.
The fish, the seaweed, the vegetables, the rice — everything is just so damn fresh, supple, succulent, and simple. And there’s a story behind all of it that is not just cultural, but also earthy and seasonal. It’s a bit much.
At some point, Masa Takayama (the three-Michelin-starred New York-based sushi chef around whom the episode is centered) and Anthony Bourdain delved into the “mysterious force” that is umami, which they both agree is much bigger than just a flavor, and possibly the universe.
This vegetable is called fukinoto. Under the ground, covered with snow, cold. Then, little by little bit, It opens up like that. This is the first sign of the spring. We appreciate that . . . This gets so happy, the phases, so happy. They want to be cooked this way . . . Their blood is bitterness. Very bitter. Need bitterness to grow.
— Masa Takayama
Y’all. COME. ON. WHAT IS THIS POETRY? You know how the tongue has different taste receptors that are location specific? I think the heart is also this way. Something about these images of strange vegetables responding their environment and descriptions of unique flavors touches me in places that trigger obscure and nourishing emotions. Basically, Masa’s words stimulate the umami center of my heart. Ooo, mommy.
#smalltownmagic
We also watched a gorgeous 22-minute documentary called Obusebito about the smallest town in Nagano, Japan. The amount of creative output in this little community reminds me of the magic of Athens, GA or Marfa, TX but with snowboarding. Small populations of progressive folks seem to have a great capacity for collaboration and incubation.
If you feel like being simultaneously bored and bewildered…
Check out Japan Style Originator, an extremely low-stakes game show that makes some sense, but not a lot of it. It’s worth at least 15 minutes of your time for novelty alone.
Originally published at rebeccainjapan.home.blog on February 4, 2019.
