he s my maestro. teacher, so. tony, try this. strong, very, right? anthony: but you re right, umami. it s deep. masa: this is umami. anthony: among izukura-san s many skills, apparently, is a shocking proficiency at making soba noodles. tonight, the soba is paired up with slices of tender duck and green onion grilled over the irori. masa: nice, al dente. anthony: mhm. masa: this soba s the best soba. anthony: perfect. then topped by a warm dashi sauce made of soy, mirin, and a touch of sugar. masa: i m so glad we can share with this moment with my old friend, you know? anthony: mm. masa: [ speaking japanese ] you know what that word is? anthony: no tell me. masa: once in life, this
some sea urchin roe, or uni, and some high test otoro tuna that any new york sushi enthusiast would cheerfully cut their best friends throat for. masa: good, huh? anthony: fantastic. ishi: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: bold words. masa: maybe better. anthony: typical japanese meal. champagne, sancerre. masa: that s what we do. anthony: country cooking at its best, right? [ laughter ]
tradition. sugyiyama: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: some things should stay the same. masa: exactly, yes. sugyiyama: [ speaking japanese ] masa: aji. sugyiyama: [ speaking japanese ] masa: mix. anthony: seared horse mackerel over green onion and ginger drizzled with house-made soy. masa: yeah, i love this kind of stuff. very simple, right? anthony: oh, that s fantastic. masa: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: love it. masa: [ speaking japanese ] see here s one that marinated in soy sauce. very old style. anthony: man, that looks good. masa: yeah. anthony: maguro, bluefin tuna prepared in classic zuke style. that s so beautiful. masa: yeah. anthony: what happened if you did a bad job? masa: he didn t slap, but you
the family business every day after school and on weekends. masa: nine, ten years old, we carried the sashimi dish and the special kind of container. and go to all the neighbors. anthony: yeah? masa: to deliver. anthony: you learned how to clean fish very early. how to cut it. masa: 10, 11, 12, that time already, i started to grill the fish. ishi: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: her opinion, were you a good student? [ laughter ] masa: i was, right? anthony: a good one? [ laughter ] masa: [ speaking japanese ] ishi: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: so, were you surprised that he became a big success in america? ishi: [ speaking japanese ]
but school in japan is different. they didn t give up on physical education, as we seem to have. the 1,000-year-old martial art of kendo, or the way of the sword, is still widely taught. boys and girls alike compete with bamboo swords sensible stand-ins for actual samurai swords but the same thing, man. kendo is scored by strikes against the wrist, head, torso, or throat. each representing a blow that would be bad news if handling an actual blade. masa: ha ha. [ applause ] they re fast, huh? anthony: the concept of kaizen improvement, central to the study of any martial art, it could be said, also applies to cooking at a high level.