Daily Dialogue — October 6, 2019

Student: [V.O.] One fine day… I went out with an old man. He’s studied noodles for 40 years. He was showing me the right way to eat them.

Student: Master… soup first or noodles first?
Ramen Master: First, observe the whole bowl.
Student: Yes, sir.
Ramen Master: Appreciate its gestalt. Savor the aromas. Jewels of fat glittering on the surface. Shinachiku roots shining. Seaweed slowly sinking. Spring onions floating. Concentrate on the three pork slices. They play the key role, but stay modestly hidden. First caress the surface with the chopstick tips.
Student: What for?
Ramen Master: To express affection.
Student: I see.
Ramen Master: Then poke the pork.
Student: Eat the pork first?
Ramen Master: No. Just touch it. Caress it with the chopstick tips. Gently pick it up and dip it into the soup on the right of the bowl. What’s important here is to apologize to the pork by saying “see you soon.” Finally, start eating-the noodles first. Oh, at this time, while slurping the noodles, look at the pork.
Student: Yes.
Ramen Master: Eye it affectionately.
Student: [V.O.] The old man bit some shinachiku root and chewed it awhile. Then he took some noodles. Still chewing noodles, he took some more shinachiku. Then he sipped some soup. Three times. He sat up, sighed, picked up one slice of pork-as if making a major decision in life-and lightly tapped it on the side of the bowl.
Student: What for?
Ramen Master: To drain it. That’s all.

— Tampopo (1985), written by Jûzô Itami

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Cooking.

Trivia: The omelet cook tramp sequence is a visual tribute to Charles Chaplin.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Such a great movie in which cooking plays a central part.