Los Angeles Times

Disjointed paen to Japanese food

- — Sheri Linden

If a single theme comes through in the documentar­y “Wa-shoku: Beyond Sushi,” it’s the importance of presentati­on in Japanese cuisine.

Director Junichi Suzuki might have taken a tip or two from the chefs and experts he interviewe­d. Jumping among topics, locations and talking heads, his film begins to resemble an overstuffe­d platter from an all-you-caneat buffet rather than one of the elegant morsels he showcases in mouth-watering close-up.

Japan’s traditiona­l dietary culture, or wa-shoku ,is about much more than chow; UNESCO has placed this expression of aesthetics and the seasons on its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguardi­ng. As disorganiz­ed as Suzuki’s treatment of the subject is, he gets across the idea of centuries-old traditions and the passions they inspire. Beyond sushi, sidebars cover tofu and sake, visits to Tokyo’s fish market and brief discussion­s on the animism of Shinto and the flavor profile of umami.

In many ways, this is an L.A. story — a story of the city’s ongoing cultural fusion. Suzuki (“Toyo’s Camera”) anchors it with profiles of figures who have played key roles in the stateside populariza­tion of Japanese cuisine: chefs Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa and Katsuya Uechi and nonagenari­an food importer Noritoshi Kanai, who is often credited for introducin­g sushi to the West in the 1960s. The disjointed story of Kanai’s partnershi­p with Harry Wolff and their Little Tokyo restaurant, Kawafuku, typifies Suzuki’s approach.

But despite its clumsiness, the film conveys the melding of modern and ancient, sensuous and sacred: On the one hand, the foodiefave Ramen Burger, on the other, a chef’s paean to the “rhythm” of a bowl of ramen. “Wa-shoku: Beyond Sushi.” No MPAA rating. In Japanese and English with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour, 47 minutes. Playing: Laemmle’s Playhouse 7, Pasadena.

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That Feeds” follows efforts by employees trying to protest working conditions at New York deli.
Thehandtha­tfeedsfilm.com “THE HAND That Feeds” follows efforts by employees trying to protest working conditions at New York deli.

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