Get Jiro!

It’s no surprise that celebrity chef and world traveler Anthony Bourdain wrote his first graphic novel about the food obsession that pervades the national conscious.
It is surprising that he does it well.
Co-authored by Joel Rose and illustrated by Langdon Foss, “Get Jiro!” cooks up a dystopian future in which restaurant life dominates Los Angeles pop culture. Other cultural standards have been cut away, victims of the prowess of food and those who cook it.
“Get Jiro!” outlines two routes restaurants can take. The first reflects a global awareness, with out-of-season, inorganic imports flooding high-end, money-making chains.
The second focuses on the local, organic food movement advocated by chefs like Alice Waters.
Both camps are fighting to recruit the acclaimed sushi chef, Jiro, who doesn’t care about these definitions. Instead, he focuses on serving quality sushi and decapitating those who desecrate it.
Watch out — putting wasabi in your soy sauce will get your head lobbed off.  
The commentary on the direction of our culture and its food fascination, largely Bourdain’s influence, makes for an insightful satire and a fulfilling read.

By Bridget Ameche