Monthly Memo From Doi's Culinary Philosophy
Original text by Doi Yoshiharu
Translated by Yoshiko Fukuda
November- Shimotsuki
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●Mr. Kazumitsu Tanaka
The Japanese character (櫟), which is used as a logo for the restaurant Ajiichii, is written by Mr. Kazumitsu Tanaka. His other works can be seen in the hallway, left of the entrance of the restaurant, and in different individual rooms. He is a designer who loves the aesthetic beauty of Japanese culture and loves to eat, a fact even others will recognize as one of his distinct attributes. Many a time, his own articles had included stories about food. It is not unusual for him to relate designing to cooking in his explanations. He employs such expressions such as "like stock that is obtained gradually without excessive simmering as if the savor simply percolated", which is something good enough to convince a professional chef that the person who said the phrase knows well the different nuances in cooking.
Sashimi presented on a miniature boat comes nothing close to a planned out design since it is only a decoration that relies solely on the freshness of the fish. This comment by Mr. Tanaka is something I completely agree with. He not only creates art works but delicious meals when he cooks with whatever ingredients are in the refrigerator. The day I was talking to him, he told me that he had made curry with dried shrimps from the Inland Sea. Curry with dried shrimps, is not technically impossible and the unique idea. I thought it was just fantastic. With no doubt, he probably made an extremely appetizing dish. I wonder what people would think of an "Ajiichii curry". It sure does sound tasty.
I have dined with Mr. Tanaka a couple of times and found out that he is a person who can always find a positive side to any new style of cooking. A while ago, when Pacific Rim cuisine gained considerable popularity, we ate at a restaurant that mixed American, Asian and Hawaiian food. I was stunned when I saw sauteed chicken placed on top of Japanese buckwheat noodle. However, Mr. Tanaka was actually enjoying this sort of a new approach. A mediocre person like me would only notice the negative side yet he can could always find some positive aspect in modernistic dishes and truly enjoy them.●The Importance of Material in Japanese Culture
The other day, I read Mr. Tanaka's article in an anniversary issue of "Katei-Gahou" magazine. Upon evaluating Tadao Andou's architecture, he focused on Andou's use of his materials' texture.One of the distinct characteristic of his buildings is the bare concrete walls. But what is emphasized by that appearance is the overwhelming texture of the material. Because the design is constructed to draw out the texture of the material, it leaves a strong impression. From food to textile, the importance of texture lies in the basis of Japanese aesthetics. Since we have arrived to the end of this century we notice a great difference between Japan at the beginning and the end of the 20th century. The big transition was our clothing, which shifted from kimono to western garments. And there existed a period where a mix of Japanese and Western culture was highly valued. And finally now, when we look at Andou's architecture, there is a realization that finally a time has come where a global acceptance is given to works that have Japanese aesthetic beauty at their foundation.
Delicious ingredients should be presented exactly the way they are, splendid colors never tainted with, and savoring tastes never spoiled. What is best is to serve without adding anything to the ingredients at all. The thing that is left for us to do is to cut the food into appropriate sizes and then find a dish to present the food.
This is at the heart of Japanese cuisine. Japanese cuisine employs abundant ingredients from nature and that is why we must make the most use out of them. Mr. Tanaka's words, "the importance of texture lies in the basis of Japanese aesthetics" is something I can strongly relate to even as a chef.
But does that mean that even in the world of cooking, a time where Japanese aesthetics are put as the foundation, has come? Or are people still worshipping the heterogeneous mix of western and Japanese elements? Or are people, after luxuriating themselves in the abundance of food finally realized the essentiality of health, and now pay attention to not solely on the taste but the beauty of cooking?
People are paradoxical, selfish and very inconstant when it comes to food. Therefore, cooking is quite contrary when it is compared with architecture and clothing.
Mr. Tanaka's three rules in designing an art work is, to create it with the author's individuality, the client's demands, and lastly with the eyes of society. If one of the three is missing then the design is imperfect. This also can be applied to "a restaurant" and "a meal" instead of an art work. For both, the restaurant's singularity, the customers' needs, common sense in food and the social values should be reflected.◎Japanese tray/ Ajiichii tray
At Ootemachi, during lunch time the customers will flood into the restaurant for about an hour yet at night the restaurant sustains a rather peaceful and quiet atmosphere where customers can enjoy a relaxed meal time. That was the kind of quality given to Ajiichii. Ajiichii has two sides to its features, divided among lunch and dinner time. In cases like this, at Japanese cuisine restaurants, they serve menus centering on bento-style(lunch box style) or donburi-style(rice bowl style) during lunch. Whereas during the evening, they serve individuals foods separately and place them on the trays, prepared at tables. But at Ajiichii we went against the traditional idea and thought it best if customers enjoyed a medium course meal where they would eat different kinds of food. That is the reason why we employ trays at Ajiichii, since trays can carry numerous meals that are already assorted and garnished. For a long time trays have been a crucial element to many Japanese restaurants, for its usefulness in serving customers efficiently. But at Ajiichii that tray was going to be used at individual tables by the ones who eat and not by waiters to bring out the food. Therefore, the trays had to be thin and small in order for it to fit on the table and still maintain their usefulness. Also if possible the tray's bottom board should be alterable so that from lunch time to dinner time the atmosphere would be variant. Like this many ideas were thought over, they were talked over with a Yamanaka lacquerer , and after a series of trial products the tray currently used at Ajiichii was completed. The tray originally is used by placing it directly on the floor or tatami, but at Ajiichii it is placed on the table. It is astonishing to find meals appearing even more delicious when they are placed on the tray. When a full course if neatly arranged on the tray, it creates an individual space separated from the others. The tray's charm is that it provides a person with their own world. The tray is actually patented as "Ajiichii tray". When I showed some of the trays during their trial stages, Mr. Tanaka suggested that they would be better if the trays could be stacked up. That comment was a great surprise since that was one of my next ideas for the tray.
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