Why is the education of a sushi chef so insanely long?
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Re: Why is the education of a sushi chef so insanely long?
#2Kaz Matsune's insights on the training of suchi chefs are very insightful: http://www.quora.com/What-is-it-like-to-train-to-be-a-master...
I was also surprised to find out how difficult it was to make good sashimi: Does a sashimi chef really need that much skill? http://www.quora.com/Sushi/Does-a-sashimi-chef-really-need-t...
Re: Why is the education of a sushi chef so insanely long?
#3This site wants me to sign in with a social media account just to read the content.
Re: Why is the education of a sushi chef so insanely long?
#4Well, you could accept at face-value the self-congratulating laudatory first answer... or you could look at how apprenticeships traditionally work, the low wages, concepts like hidden equity, and the sale of restaurants to successors.
Re: Why is the education of a sushi chef so insanely long?
#5To be able to eat Fugu and still live to tell about it?
Re: Why is the education of a sushi chef so insanely long?
#6Part of the Japanese culture is the achievement of perfection. One will never achieve perfection in art, such as making sushi, hence the paradox.
Re: Why is the education of a sushi chef so insanely long?
#7I'll stop short of a comparison between sushi mastery and programming but I recognise the feeling when the more advanced your skills, the further you recognise you are from (unattainable) perfection.
Re: Why is the education of a sushi chef so insanely long?
#8Semi-related: "Jiro Dreams of Sushi", a excelent 90minute documentary movie about "Jiro", an 85-year-old sushi master is available on YouTube w/ english subs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYN7p8dvr64
Great watch, even if you never had sushi or don't like sushi. The extreme drive for perfection is admirable.
Re: Why is the education of a sushi chef so insanely long?
#9Maybe I'm mistaken, but when I read stories of succesfull startups (aside from the usual startup porn), I keep hearing stories of people who didn't know. Sure, they had ideas, intuition, a deep intuition about where the market was -- but they didn't really know.
So they tried experiments and learned. Then they did that some more. The constant refrain is intellectual humility and seeking to understand the people they are trying to help at a deep subconscious level.
Contrast this to the way I and many others think about various skills. We take a few classes, we play around and are able to achieve some simple level of competence. Somebody then gives us a certificate or other form of public "gold star". Then we feel like we know something.
Socrates was right: true wisdom comes from understanding how little you know and using all of your energy instead to concentrate on asking better questions.
Re: Why is the education of a sushi chef so insanely long?
#10Languages all seem to lack the right word for it. "Mastery", "wisdom" etc. all don't seem to quite capture the essence of it.
I'm frequently glad for Heinlein's invention of the word "grok" to finally give a name to it. I just wish it was a prettier word.