Original subtitles

Oh...

So you're at a movie too.

What are you eating?

You know the noises people make in cinemas...

eating potato chips, crumpling wrappers.

I really can't stand it--

Are they good?

Sure. Curry-flavored.

I'll kill you if you make that noise once the movie starts.

Understand?

And...

I also don't like watch alarms going off.

I don't want interruptions.

They say when you die you see something like a movie.

A life kaleidoscoped into a few seconds

I look forward to that movie.

A man's last movie. I definitely don't want it interrupted.

"Darling, don't die!" and tears...

I can do without that.

Hey, our movie's starting.

Tsutomu Yamazaki

Nobuko Miyamoto

Koji Yakusho

in Juzo Itami's

Tampopo (Dandelion)

One fine day...

I went out with an old man.

He's studied noodles for 40 years.

He was showing me the right way to eat them.

Master...

soup first or noodles first?

First, observe the whole bowl.

Yes, sir.

Appreciate its gestalt. Savor the aromas.

Jewels of fat glittering on the surface.

Shinachiku roots shining.

Seaweed slowly sinking.

Spring onions floating.

Concentrate on the three pork slices...

They play the key role, but stay modestly hidden.

First caress the surface...

with the chopstick tips.

What for?

To express affection.

I see.

Then poke the pork.

Eat the pork first?

No. Just touch it.

Caress it with the chopstick tips.

Gently pick it up...

and dip it into the soup on the right of the bowl.

What's important here is to...

apologize to the pork by saying...

"See you soon."

"See you soon"? What a fool.

What a book!

Makes me hungry for noodles.

Hang on. Only two more hours.

Let's finish and then eat.

Shall we?

Keep reading.

Finally start eating, the noodles first.

Oh, at this time...

while slurping the noodles, look at the pork.

Yes.

Eye it affectionately.

The old man bit some shinachiku root and chewed it awhile.

Then he took some noodles.

Still chewing noodles, he took some more shinachiku.

Then he sipped some soup.

Three times.

He sat up...

sighed, picked up...

one slice of pork as if making a major decision in life...

and lightly tapped it on the side of the bowl.

What for?

To drain it. That's all.

Let's stop.

Why?

Your foolish book is making me hungry.

"Lai Lai Noodle Restaurant"

Looks like a naruto and noritype.

Yeah, shoyu -flavored.

Kind of light.

Hey, what's this?

You okay?

Do you live here?

Cheer up.

Welcome.

Pork in mine.

Special for me.

That's a bad sign.

Huh?

It's not boiling.

Hey, kid, you'll catch cold.

Oh, you're home, Tabo.

What's wrong? Got beat up again?

Who was it this time, Ryuta?

You're soaked. Go dry and change.

I'll say it again. Leave this dump.

Move in with me. That kid won't be bullied any more.

Come with me to Paris.

I'll buy you furs, jewelry, anything.

You're so stubborn.

Pork for you.

Special for you.

Special - like hell.

Why use smelly naruto ?

You're out of date. That's why business is bad.

Why don't you quit?

I'll help you.

Shut up.

What I do is my business.

My shop has nothing to do with you.

I'm just trying to be helpful.

I'm offering to buy you out of this crummy shop.

Hey, you, be quiet. We're trying to eat.

Stay out of this.

Hey, Ken. I'm sorry.

Stop it, Pisken. Leave my customers alone.

Customer!

You don't need smelly truck drivers.

- Stop it! - Shut up!

Hey, man.

If you want to fight, try me.

Okay, I think I will.

Take the truck, Gun.

But...

I'm okay. Go ahead. They're waiting.

Okay. Good luck.

Let's go outside.

Good morning.

Morning.

Ouch.

- Are you okay? - I think so.

How did I end up here?

Don't you remember?

I tried to put you to bed.

But you wouldn't move.

You fight good.

No. I got beaten up.

That's okay.

There were five of them. That's not fair.

- Do you win? - No, not me.

Do you lose?

Always. There are three of them.

Ryuta, Yohei and Uchida.

Three? That's not fair.

But I don't run.

A man should never run, my dad used to say.

Your dad was tough.

Yes, and Mom is great too.

She's a good cook.

Yes. Haven't had such good pickles in years.

The best pickles in Japan.

Her noodles too.

Her noodles? Her noodles are, well...

I've got to go.

- Got your notebook? - Yes.

- Pen? - Yes.

Is the denominator top or bottom?

Top, of course. I know more math than you do.

Or is it?

No. It's the bottom one. Bye.

Leave his hat!

Were my noodles that bad?

No, I didn't mean that.

Please. Be honest.

Since my husband died, I've been trying so hard.

But I'm not confident. I'm never sure.

Please tell me the truth.

Oh, I haven't even told you my name.

I'm Tampopo.

- I'm Goro. - My name is Gun.

So, how are my noodles?

Well...

They've got sincerity, but they lack guts, they're--

Frankly, they're bad.

Uh, Miss Tampopo.

- No. Just Tampopo. - Okay, Tampopo.

Go make noodles.

- Gun, you're the customer. - Okay.

No. Come in the door.

Okay? We'll give it a try.

Ready? Go!

- Welcome! - Stop!

If you say "welcome," look at him.

- If not, just keep working. - Yes, sir.

Carry on.

Plain noodles.

Now, look at the customer while he's not looking.

Wait a minute.

What did you see?

- He's young and cute-- - No, no. That's not the point.

Is he in a hurry? Is he hungry?

Is he a new customer?

Is he drunk?

- Is he a customer you want? - I see.

Now fix the noodles.

Cutting the pork there is good.

That's how my husband did it.

- The slices are too thick. - But thicker is better.

No, not at all.

Three 3mm slices are best.

- No. That's too thin. - I see.

Now, quick, look at the customer!

Don't you want to see how he reacts?

Yes, sir. I'm sorry.

- What's he doing? - Sipping soup.

Isn't that strange?

- Well... - It's very strange.

How could he sip the soup? It's supposed to be boiling hot.

I see.

- A fatal flaw! - Yes, sir.

- The soup must be hot. - Yes, sir.

Wait. Wait, please...

Please...

Please be my teacher.

Teacher?

Please. I'll be a good student.

Meeting you makes me want to be a real noodle cook.

For my son too.

I'll do anything. So please, please teach me.

Teach you? But we're...

Only when you're free.

I'll keep pickles ready for you.

One, two! One, two!

"Closed Today"

Come on!

Don't be such a weakling.

One, two! One, two!

Okay, ladle the noodles out.

Into six bowls.

Get set. Go!

Faster.

What's that? Put it back.

- Keep going. - Yes, sir.

Get set! Go!

Get set! Go!

Almost there! 3 minutes 15 seconds.

- You have to beat 3 minutes. - Yes, sir.

Come on! It takes muscles!

Don't give up!

You must be better than a man.

Go! Go! Go!

Okay, now some stretching exercises.

Why am I doing this?

This place is famous for seafood.

Your order, sir?

What would you like, sir?

Just a moment.

And you, sir?

I'm not too hungry. Something light.

Let me see...

Sole meuniere, please.

Some soup or salad, sir?

Consomme. No salad.

- A drink, sir? - Beer.

- Heineken. - Yes, sir.

And you, sir?

I'll have sole too.

Soup or a salad, sir?

Consomme. No salad.

- Something to drink, sir? - Beer too.

And you, sir?

Well...

Maybe I'll try the sole, too.

- Soup or salad, sir? - Well...

Maybe consomme.

- A drink, sir? - Well...

Maybe a beer.

Same for me.

Me, too.

Sir?

- And you, sir? - One moment.

So you have quenelle.

Boudin style...

That's quenelle prepared in the shape of sausage?

Yes, sir.

I think Taille-Vent in France serves this.

You're well-informed.

Our chef trained at Taille-Vent.

Then it's served with caviar sauce?

That's correct, sir.

And the escargots wrapped in pastry.

In fond-de-veau?

Yes. Escargots and mushrooms simmered in Madeira.

And then stewed in fond-de-veau, sir.

Yes. I'll have that.

And apple-and-walnut salad.

A perfect match, sir.

A drink, sir?

Yes.

I think I feel like some Corton Charlemagne.

Do you have a 1981?

I'll call the sommelier.

Thank you.

You use grated cheese only on certain spaghetti dishes.

This is spaghetti alle vongole. So...?

That's right, no cheese.

Fork and spoon, everybody.

Spoon in your left hand.

Catch three or four strings of spaghetti with your fork...

and gently turn it around on your spoon.

You wind your spaghetti like this.

And eat it silently.

Never make any noise.

No noise, whatsoever.

Listen carefully to hear if you make any noise.

Sometimes people don't know they make noise.

Let's try it.

Listen carefully.

Even a very faint noise...

...like this is taboo abroad.

This shop is so near to yours...

but look at the queue.

If your noodles are good, you'll get all the customers you want.

That's right.

This place is not so great.

You've eaten here before?

No, I can just tell.

See? Too much wasted motion.

And they talk too much. Only their "welcome" has clout.

Who ordered pork and wonton dumplings?

See? They can't remember who ordered what.

You can beat them in a month.

Tampopo, look.

Watch closely.

See how he changes the water.

See how they switch positions?

No wasted motion.

And they're quiet too.

This is a good place.

Their customers feel good too.

See? They keep on drinking right down to the last drop.

Look, when they return their bowls.

Watch closely. The old man looks at every empty bowl...

to see if the soup is finished.

It's the soup that animates the noodles.

That's why he checks so carefully.

He remembers exactly who orders what and when.

Right?

That's part of being good.

Another train just arrived. Watch...

With pork.

Plain noodles. No bean sprouts.

With dumplings.

Extra noodles.

Shinachiku noodles, please.

Garlic noodles.

I want soft noodles.

How much?

480 yen.

Thanks.

Great, isn't he?

See? He knows exactly who ordered what.

I want fatty pork in mine.

Here's my money.

Plain, with firm noodles.

Plain but no shinachiku.

I can remember. That guy ordered the pork noodles.

And that guy gets straight noodles, without bean sprouts.

And he gets the large noodles, but...

- Uh... - What?

The dumplings guy gets served before Mr. Big Noodles.

- Is that right? - Yes.

With dumplings.

Large noodles.

Shinachiku noodles.

Garlic noodles.

Soft noodles. Fatty pork.

Firm noodles.

No shinachiku.

This is it. This is it !

Excuse me. Please!

Please tell me your soup recipe.

How to make my soup? Never!

You're a professional. I can tell by your eyes.

I don't tell competitors my secrets.

Please. I'll pay you for it.

How much?

Uh, 50,000 yen or so.

Never!

If you want to pay money, you loan me one million yen...

to be paid back in a year, no interest...

then I'll tell you the secret of my soup free.

One million yen...

Don't lend him anything.

He's crazy about the horses. You'll never get it back.

You give me 30,000 yen. I give you the secret of his soup.

My shop is next door.

Tonight come back with the money.

Hello.

Come this way.

- Where to? - This way. This way.

Where are we going?

There, there.

What's happening?

You can't learn soup-making here.

Look through here.

How much?

Hey, why didn't you finish it?

Sorry, but I'm full.

What? Why did you order it if you're not hungry, you jerks?

You're from Lai Lai, aren't you?

Why did you come here? To steal our secrets, you lousy bastards!

We've been in this business for 40 years.

We don't need comments from beginners.

Apologize right now.

Or finish every drop of our soup before you go.

Now we can't leave without a last word, can we?

I didn't finish the soup because I couldn't. It stinks!

How dare you!

The soup tastes like overcooked pork bones.

The vegetables you use to hide the pork stink are too sweet.

The kombu is too strong.

Yeah, and you use dried seguro sardines.

Those fish are not fit to eat. Their innards stink.

How dare you!

You stupid amateurs could never appreciate my noodles!

But people who eat noodles are all amateurs.

So why make noodles amateurs can't appreciate?

She's right. You let the dough sit too long. It smells like soda.

After it rains, go easy on the soda.

And your overcooked pork is like cardboard.

Your shinachiku aren't pickled. So they're soggy and bland.

You goddamn big mouths! You think you make better noodles!

We just make normal noodles in a normal way.

Okay. We'll come try your normal noodles.

We'll be there in the morning.

It'd better be good, or else.

The pork is okay. Is the water boiling?

Here.

How's the soup?

- Oh, God! - What's wrong?

I let the soup boil.

- It's not clear. - What can we do?

- They're coming. - Mom, they're here!

Okay, let's have some of your normal noodles.

- Wait a minute. - Wait?

It won't take long.

No, we want it now. A promise is a promise. Get moving.

What's that smell?

Let me see the soup.

Leave my mom alone!

Don't! Stop it!

Goro!

Help!

Goro, help!

Oh, damn it!

"Closed Today"

Closed again, eh?

It's not good for business.

So you still can't get the soup right.

We'll just have to ask the old master.

.

Goro, we're over here. Come join us.

There they are.

Come on.

Hello, hello.

Come on.

Hey!

Come here.

Come share our meal.

This is our master. He was a doctor.

While he was selling noodles for fun...

...his partner stole his wife and practice.

Now he's our resident gourmet.

Nice to meet you.

You came just in time.

We just got our hands on some of Carlton's boeuf bourgignon.

It's slightly burnt, so you can't call it perfect.

French cooking is a constant battle with burns.

Ummm. Good.

How's the sake? Pretty good, isn't it?

Yeah. But what is it? I can't tell the brand.

No, you can't. It's a blend.

The base is a semi-dry Nada.

But we blended it quite a bit.

He's been studying this for 15 years.

It's a pork cutlet from Kitaro. But I can't recommend it.

Their quality has gone down.

They used to use good pork from Kagoshima. But not now.

Now they even use machines to shred cabbage.

No more soul in their food.

It used to be good, though.

They tend to be fussy.

What's the story about this wine?

You mean this Medoc, a 1980 Chateau Pichon Lalande.

The weather was bad in 1980, and it was a bad year for Bordeaux.

The other day I was in the alley behind Chat Qui P�che...

and found some empty bottles...

including this particular Chateau Pichon Lalande.

There was still 5cm left.

So I brought it home and decanted it.

It's a real find.

Light but firm...

The tail that trailed down my throat was so long.

They live deeply, these vagabonds.

You're not eating much, sonny. Can I fix you something?

What do you want?

- A rice omelet. - Rice omelet. Hmm.

Okay, follow me.

We want to borrow your master for a while.

So long.

I'm so grateful, master.

Good luck.

Why don't we sing our master off.

How precious

Our teacher's teachings

Time flies swiftly

In this garden of learning

So swiftly

After all these years

We must part

Goodbye

What did you catch?

Oysters.

Let me see.

Sell me one.

Sure.

Shall I open it?

Ouch!

Here, let me help.

It tickles.

Anesthetic.

God, what a huge abscess.

What a stink. Didn't you smell it?

A little bit.

Whew! I thought I'd vomit.

You can eat anything now.

But start with something soft.

"I only eat natural food"

"Do not give me sweets or snacks"

"A message from my mother"

Do you want this?

It's good.

Here.

Listen carefully.

Noodles are synergetic things. Every step must be perfectly built.

Don't forget that.

Let's review the basic rules of soup.

Fowl spoils quickly. So use only the freshest chicken.

Both chicken and pork have strong smells. So parboil them first.

Then rinse them well in cold water.

Don't cut the vegetables.

The main point is heat.

Heat releases the soul of the ingredients.

But never allow it to come to a full boil like that.

If you boil it, the soup will never clear.

And keep skimming the scum off.

Today I have a most interesting addition.

Isn't he beautiful?

This is...

Sorry. It's just the way it looked at me.

Here's your 14 servings of mori noodles.

Welcome!

How nice to see you, sir.

Please, come this way.

No shiroko , darling.

Or kamonamban or tempura soba either.

They almost got you last time.

I'm just going to the bank now.

Come, Shohei.

One kamonamban here.

One tempura soba here.

And one shiruko. All for you.