We've recently become obsessed with Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook Plenty after trying his Cauliflower, Grape and Cheddar Salad, published in the weekend Guardian a few weeks ago.
Everything we've made from his book so far has been delicious so we've been trying out his recipes on our friends this weekend - on Friday, I made the Mushroom and Herb Polenta and, on Saturday, Mark made the Roasted Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes with Caper Vinaigrette. Both were a big success.
To top off our foodie weekend we went to see Jiro Dreams of Sushi - you can see the trailer here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UELAu70qXlI - which is a documentary about the best sushi-maker in Japan. It's a really inspiring film - not because the sushi is meant to be the most delicious or because the restaurant has been awarded three Michelin stars - but because Jiro has such inexhaustible commitment to his work.
Jiro says he feels 'victorious' when he makes good sushi and that he has never hated his job. He has been making sushi since the age of ten, having been abandoned by his parents, and is now 85. For 75 years he has made sushi every day and he never tires of it. Every time he makes sushi he says he gets better at it but he believes he can still improve. By repeating the same steps over and over again, he believes he can refine it a little bit more every time.
I came away from the film feeling really inspired to keep striving for improvement in my own work. Marking batch after batch of student assignments has often felt like a chore but, after watching this film, I can now see that I've been getting better at it all the time. And with each new assignment I could refine it a little bit more.
I've just got to try to remember that when the next lot comes in!
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