Distinctly Okinawan, Masashi Miyagi is one of those striking characters you have to take a step back from to fully assess.
First there is the long, ashen hair, tied in a ponytail, with a wispy beard to complete the image of a forest recluse or Confucian elder. Then there is his attire: He never wears any form of top, except in the kitchen, where he dons a simple, utilitarian apron to protect himself from flames and spattering oil.
During his shoestring travels as a young man, Miyagi explains, he taught himself to cook by watching locals working in the open street kitchens of Southeast Asia and extensive sampling. Now a superb, improvisational cook himself, he confesses to a dislike for hierarchical systems and prescribed techniques. Accordingly, his dinner menus are decided on a whim and by the seasonal availability of ingredients.