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Samurai Gourmet - A Netflix Show Recommendation

I'm not gonna hide it.

I'm super addicted to this Netflix show called Samurai Gourmet.

It is gentle and funny and calming and beautiful.

It is partly food appreciation, with gorgeous cooking cinematography.

It is partly auditory pleasure, with a combination of perfect background musics and internal dialogue from the hero, whose deep Japanese patter paints gorgeous portraits even without the accompanying subtitles.

It is partly guilty pleasure, as the hero (a recently-retired Japanese businessman aided by a Samurai spirit guide) revels in the knowledge that he can have beer in the middle of the day, or agonizes over whether or not he looks silly in the sunglasses he bought.

Seriously. This guy worries about everything. I relate to him so much -- should I say something to the rude person, or keep quiet? What will people think if I eat spaghetti with the wrong utensils?

Watching him grow stronger as a person (to the point of actually standing up to someone by the end of the first season!) as he ... well, he just ENJOYS the heck out of the food he's eating.

I love this show.

It is the perfect calming evening-ender. I've fallen asleep to it almost every night since it's been shown and I've watched every episode multiple times.

I'm addicted and I don't even care.

Also, I want to go to Japan. I may not want to eat EVERYTHING he eats, but I want to at least TRY most of it.

If any of this sounds like something you'd enjoy, I strongly recommend checking it out.


  1. As far as travel goes, I have no desire to see things in other places or really experience what most people would call "culture". I just want to eat things. And I very much want to go to Japan to eat. China too, specifically Shanghai for xiao long bao -- even though I could make it or travel somewhere state-side to get it.

    But, I don't want to eat *everything* they eat. Scorpion on a stick or hundred-year-old eggs just doesn't seem appetizing.

    I'm totally going to check out that show. That said, have you seen "An Idiot Abroad" or "I'll Have What Phil's Having" (also on Netflix, last I saw)? Or, for that matter, have you seen David Change and Peter Meehan in Japan (examples? and

    1. I haven't seen either of those! Adding them to my watchlist asap. Thank you!

  2. Ok. One episode in and I'm dying. This is great.

    1. Eee, it is soooo fun, isn't it? And so weird! It's difficult to explain properly without making it sound awful, but it's amazing.


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