Working in a professional Japanese kitchen is a lot like the martial arts training montages in old kung fu and samurai movies. You have the head chef, the “master,” a few cook disciples, and some others who manage the details of the institution. The head chef has a massive battery of cooking techniques and recipes that he keeps tightly locked in his head. In coolers and on shelves sit numerous unlabeled bottles containing dressings, sauces, and various other concoctions he’s created in the secret hours before the restaurant opens.
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