Analysis Of Niki Nakayam An Episode Of Chef's Table

Niki Nakayama is one of my all-time favorite episode of Chef’s Table, so when we were asked to watch it again for class, I was not expecting to encounter anything substantially new after watching it for the fourth time. It was during this time, however, that I was really able to appreciate the attention she pays to the concept of order in kaiseki. In particular, I gravitated to the notions of tradition around the dishes, and how Nakayama walks the line between maintaining traditional order in kaiseki, and when she chooses to break that order for something novel or adventurous. Through cooking, Nakayama discovers new ways in which to maintain cultural traditions alive, while also using them as a foundation for expressing her take on the culinary practices she is using. Nilsson harkens to a similar idea when he describes how culinary traditions can only be preserved when they are allowed to adapt. But, what happens when we try to innovate using culinary traditions? Massimo Bottura, for example, encountered resistance when he attempted to infuse traditional Italian dishes with modern techniques. It was not until years later that the people of Modena came to see him as part of the Italian culinary canon, despite his adaptation of tradition. …show more content…
What does it mean for us to consume this work in its “traditional” form? And what does it mean for this work to be “traditional” or “canonic”? While we discussed a lot about the nature of tradition and how Dido and Aeneas can or cannot be relevant to our present times, we spent little time discussing the ways in which we can adapt it. Perhaps that is because part of our goal in this class is to discover our own ways to modernize this text and/or make it