I watched Jiro Dreams of Sushi once again over the past 2 weekends. I think I should make it a point to watch this great movie every couple of months as it brings forth a new insight every time. What stood out to me was the nature of Jiro’s suppliers.
Jiro’s tuna supplier was anti-establishment in that he only bought the best tuna of the lot that came in the morning. No more, no less. It might only mean one fish a day (or sometimes none) but he wouldn’t buy any more and compromise his quality. His eel supplier comes from a family where his grandfather was called “the good of the eel.” His shrimp supplier also bought very few shrimps a day and as he sorted them out in the morning, he made it a point to pick out the ones that were “worthy of Jiro.”
His rice supplier was at a whole new level – he refused to sell his rice to the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo because he believed they wouldn’t know how to cook it. Only Jiro did it well and he might consent to selling to the big hotel chain if Jiro asked him to.
All of them undoubtedly contribute to Jiro’s greatness. It is thus unsurprising that the common theme among all of them is excellence.
We are who we surround ourselves with.
A Learning a Day 