- How much do you want to know, according to a solo chef in Tachikawa?
Do you know the sound that a deer makes when it's shot?
After a dry, explosive sound, a short silence falls over the mountain.
Then, a few seconds later, the heavy sound of steps on fallen leaves is heard.
Many people don't know that sound.
It's not a problem if you don't know.
On the plate is a beautifully prepared piece of loin meat.
As a restaurant that serves game meat, I always think about this.
How much do customers need to know?
1. The kindness of ending with "delicious"
I often get this comment when I serve game meat in my restaurant.
"It doesn't smell at all."
"It's easier to eat than I thought it would be."
"I'd like to eat this again."
That's the best thing a chef can say.
But at the same time, a slight sense of discomfort remains deep in my chest.
This meat was shot.
Carrying a bleeding, heavy body up the mountain slope,
The animals are disassembled, cooled, and prepared at the processing plant.
I finally made it here.
I know the process.
But the person in front of me doesn't know.
And maybe that would be happier.
Ending it with "delicious" is
It's a kind of kindness.
But is that really okay?
2. Talking too much can take away from the food.
I once said this during a course.
"This deer was shot five days ago in the morning.
It was gutted within two hours."
Then, for a moment, the atmosphere at the table went silent.
The fork is slightly delayed.
The hand holding the wine stops for a moment.
I was just stating the facts.
However, the distance between us both in cooking suddenly narrowed.
This is the moment when “meat” becomes “individual.”
At that moment I thought.
Talking isn't always a positive thing.
To know is to
Sometimes it takes away your appetite.
3. Still, I don't want to hide it.
But on the other hand,
I don't want to hide everything.
Game meat is not produced in a factory.
It existed as a living thing in nature.
There's someone to shoot.
There is someone to carry it.
There are people who dismantle it.
I am at the end of that baton.
If you don't explain the background at all,
If you just want to serve it as a stylish dish,
That feels a bit like a lie.
So I'm not all,
Talk “just a little.”
Talk about mountains.
Talk about the treatment plant.
Let's talk about the difference in fat.
He doesn't mention the amount of blood or the sound he made when he collapsed.
But I will never forget that it was life.
4. The weighty words: "The consumer is responsible"
It's often said.
"It means taking a life."
But those words carry a lot of weight.
Asking the eater to take responsibility is
I think it's a little different.
Few people eat with a sense of responsibility.
You don't have to feel it.
But I don't want you to be indifferent.
"How did we get here?"
Just have that question in mind for a moment.
It is not an obligation to know.
But if you have the opportunity to know
I don't want to close it down.
5. Why talk about wine?
So I'm going to talk about wine.
Why New World?
Why this acid in this deer?
Why does boar have this fruity flavor?
Wine becomes a bridge.
The weight of life,
It translates into a story about taste.
It's not about blood,
Let's talk about wine.
It's not about shooting,
Let's change the topic to fire-lighting.
It's not an escape.
It's a choice of how to communicate .
6. How much do you want to know?
Some people want to know everything.
Some people just want to enjoy it without knowing anything.
Both are correct.
I stand in between.
Between the knife and the gun.
If you talk too much, they will distance themselves.
If you don't talk about it, it fades away.
I search for that line every night.
7. What Remains in the End
After finishing the food,
The wine is empty,
They say it was delicious.
Behind those words,
Just a little bit,
It's enough if you still have that "sense of familiarity."
The mountain where the deer were running,
Just like you imagine for a moment.
That's enough.
Conclusion
Game meat is not a special dish.
However, it is a dish with a background.
How much do you want to know?
You don't need to tell everything.
However, it ends without knowing anything,
It's a bit of a waste.
Today, too,
While measuring the distance, bring out the plate.