It's a simple concept: one can have it and one can experience it. Tampopo explores the gap between the two. The head cook insults
Goro and Tampopo as amateur noodlers, but Tampopo points out all people who eat noodles
are amateurs (i.e., it requires no specialized knowledge to know what you
prefer for your bowl of noodles or how to eat it, despite the manual at the
beginning). The scene with the hobos
makes a similar point: anybody can have taste.
The hobos devote their days to the castoff food from high-end
restaurants, relishing the dregs of Chateau Pichon Lalande, a French bourdeaux (shades
of Sideways since bourdeaux is made from pinot noir). Notably, during this discussion of refined
French food, Tampopo’s son requests a rice omelet, another staple of Japanese
households to use leftover rice. Notice
a significant ingredient is ketchup, a very non-Japanese ingredient. Again, a simple dish that requires no
specialized training to enjoy.
Clearly, Itami
feels something has gone wrong in Japanese society, that it has become
unnatural somehow, or forgotten how to enjoy simple things without elaborate rules
and social tests. Food becomes a way of
accessing the society at a basic level. The yakuza and his girlfriend represent
this pointless refinement of taste, which is more about social status and playing
with food then actually enjoying it. The
long last shot of a mother breastfeeding her baby illustrates the simplicity of
the process--both provider and consumer clearly understand and enjoy the
exchange. No elaborate procedures
required. The child requires no training.
As the mechanized, industrial landscape the characters travel through
and exist in show, some essential connection with the basic processes of life
has been lost. However, it can be
recovered, as Tampopo’s discovery through the renovation of her ramen
preparation and the shop (not to mention her self) show.
I have a question to yours, was the master that Goro to Tampopo to meet the master for the hobos also? And if he was did he also impart his knowledge onto the hobos? In this way he elevated their tastebuds and their palate's.
ReplyDeleteNot only does food become a way of accessing society at a basic level, it also provides a livelihood for so many. Taste, atmosphere, and service become very important to Tampopo’s success of her shop. Through teachings from many experts she learns how to improve the taste of her noodles, she learns the importance of acknowledging each customer, and in the end improves the atmosphere of her shop.
ReplyDeleteI was reading Timothy Iles' "Tampopo: Food and the Postmodern in the Work of Itami Juzo" and he talks about diversity in Japan and individualism as seen through food. I think he has a good point about the individuality. The ending is interesting in the sense that the baby needs no training in his consumption, yet the taste that s/he will develop could take her/him in many directions. In essence, the beginning of the whole story--or every story.
ReplyDeleteYes, and as Prof Kaufmann stated in class: it is the most basic.
DeleteIt's an interesting statement to make about Japanese society losing it's taste and enjoyment for food. I wonder if you could say this about most cultures. Maybe with Americans it's more about how much you eat. The amount of "Chinese" buffets in town is ridiculous. No focus on the food itself, but more on how much you can eat for your money.
I definitely agree with the how much you can eat analogy, not just for chinese buffet, but nearly everywhere you go in Fort Wayne, and in most of America in general.
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