anthony: you were not a lazy kid. you had dreams, and you wanted to do masa: that s right. i can t sit long. i gotta do something. ishi: [ speaking japanese ] catherine: she s saying he probably works more here, than at the restaurant. [ laughter ] anthony: oh man, nice wasabi. masa: this is great flavor, so you have to scrape first. have to scrape, then go this way. ooh! anthony: yeah, nice. wow, look at that. comfort food is one thing, and damn, it s wonderful, but masa being masa, you ll notice there s a mountain of decidedly luxurious sashimi brought up from tsukiji market in tokyo this morning. masa: this we do all the time, you know. pretty simple. easy. anthony: oh yeah. that s just a nice, big pile of incredible beautiful uni like that. i do that all the time.
masa: sushi is the best meal. we can enjoy every single small piece, different fish. we can see the chef, right there, he s slicing, wasabi, make it, put it right here, eat. anthony: right. sugyiyama: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: japanese tiger prawn, octopus, and fluke sashimi. masa: japanese cooking, we care very much about the ki, which is fighting spirits. like this, right? anthony: mm-hmm. striped jack brushed with soy and sake. sugyiyama: [ speaking japanese ] masa: this moment, do not miss this. then, grab it, right? you eat. see? anthony: mm. masa: that s why you gotta eat quickly. if 30 second, one minute anthony: it s dying. masa: ki is leaving somewhere. masa: also, the fish, sushis
snow, the rocks in the road. masa: yeah, right? anthony: man, it s masa: yeah. anthony: ooh, pretty. not only does the irori heat the entire house, it becomes the gathering place on nights like these. masa: arigato, cheers. anthony: konbai. they get together cook, eat, drink large quantities of unfiltered, slightly chunky sake, and enjoy the country life. lookin good. the boys have laid out the makings of a pretty amazing feast iwana, or char, were caught today in a nearby mountain stream. enormous hokkaido scallops, pulled this morning from the sea of japan, sizzle and pucker in their shells over the fire in butter and lime juice and a touch of home-brewed soy sauce. wild japanese boar hangs above the coals, radiating its sweet aroma as it cooks. look at that. masa: yeah. anthony: so how long have you all known each other? how many years? masa: 30 years. right? we know each other. i love this kind of cooking, you know? it s the way i like. anthony: wow. ma
masa: this has lots of shrimp eggs, those eggs, and the fish paste is in. anthony: really. masa: very special stuff. anthony: did he ever think back then that you would be a success in america? or did he think bad move? sugyiyama: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: ambitious. masa: exactly, ambitious. sugyiyama: [ speaking japanese ] masa: [ speaking japanese ] sugyiyama: [ speaking japanese ] masa: [ speaking japanese ]
masa: [ speaking japanese ] ishi: yeah. catherine: nice to meet you! ishi: [ speaking japanese ] masa: thank you! tony, tony. anthony: pleased to meet you. catherine is masa s daughter. california raised, but a frequent visitor to the family home. she and her grandmother are preparing some familiar comfort foods to celebrate masa s homecoming. masa: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: motsuni is a slow simmered stew of pork tripe, konnyaku, daikon, green onions, and miso. catherine: [ speaking japanese ] masa: very different food, right? this is the country food. [ laughter ] kanpai. welcome home! ishi: [ speaking japanese ] anthony: you don t get this in new york. masa: no. mm.