Why did the Beijing Michelin arouse ridicule after publishing the ranking?

As expected, the release of the 2021 Michelin list in Beijing attracted not the gourmets who were moved by the news, but the cynicism of the melon-eating masses: the top spots were Taizhou chain restaurant Xinrongji and vegetarian restaurant Jingzhao Yin; followed closely by Shanghai Caiwu Lixiang and Xinrongji, who changed their vests, Jingji. The restaurants that follow are even more magical. In addition to chain restaurants such as Lei Garden, Xiangai, and Fuchunju that represent the tastes of other provinces and cities, there are also the long-established Lijia Cuisine and the local-flavor snacks that cost 68 yuan for a can of Coke. Kitchen, Shanhewanduo, whose form is greater than content, are all on the list. There are no core evaluation criteria, no clear regional labels, and no broad social reputation. In this Michelin list, the only threshold for inclusion seems to be "expensive".

No.1 One

A company that sells tires and makes restaurant recommendations may be the last modernist joke in the history of world cuisine. But the logic of this joke is self-consistent: in order to accelerate the tire wear rate of car users, and ultimately increase the company's sales. Therefore, fairness and justice and ensuring social reputation are the most important foundations for Michelin before entering mainland China. In order to be fair, Michelin hired outside reviewers who had never dared to test the waters in the catering industry before, an unexpected blind tasting experience, and the most detailed location comparison map. In the catering industry where entry barriers are low, competition is fierce, and sectarianism is serious, this system is muddying the waters in the industry. Because at that time, Michelin did not rely on restaurants to make a living. What the list makers wanted was the real experience of users. In the era before the Internet, word of mouth and publishing were used to form influence and ultimately achieve the commercial aspirations of Michelin.

Yes, in that era, a key link in the Michelin Guide’s logical self-consistency was that there was no commercial interest involved. At the same time, in order to maximize users' travel mileage and increase tire wear, the Michelin Guide will also pay special attention to the irreplaceability of the unique characteristics of each place. Enoteca Pinchiorri, a long-established Michelin three-star restaurant in Florence, has signature dishes such as amberjack from the Ligurian Sea, spaghetti dumplings from Tuscany, and tomahawk steak made with traditional Florentine techniques.

These foods are all ingredients and cooking techniques that are difficult to find in other areas after leaving this city. The theme printed on the homepage of the Enoteca Pinchiorri restaurant menu and used throughout all dishes and services comes from Oscar Wilde: "We can forgive a man for doing something useful even if he does not admire it; the only person who does something useless is The excuse is to admire it and love it. All art is completely useless. "This veritable three-star Michelin restaurant actually represents not the restaurant itself, but the geography, products, historical changes and cultural accumulation of the city of Florence. For diners who come to visit, what they come to eat at this restaurant is not just the taste, but to understand the city of Florence through eating. The Tire Factory's food map starts from travel and ends with taste, completing the "dimensionality reduction impact" on the catering industry and gaining a truly wide reputation. But after coming to China, everything changed.

No.22

In China in 2016, the manufacturing industry is already in full surplus; the number of cars per capita is by no means comparable to that of France in 1900. For Michelin, the competitiveness of tire products is not strong compared with local Chinese brands, and tire sales will not increase based on the reliability of the Gourmet Guide. The purpose behind the decision to launch the food guide in China is self-evident: to gain profits from the catering industry. Unreliable things are often similar, and may seem to have complicated causes, but the link that truly determines their inappropriateness has been formed as early as the very beginning. What's even more terrible is that in a country like China where Confucianism has been steeped for thousands of years, the social status of catering practitioners has always been low. In the past, cooks and restaurant owners regarded business as a means to support their families. The ultimate goal was to enable their next generation to study well, obtain fame, become officials, and become "superior people." ".

This is the fundamental reason why China lacks the spirit of craftsmanship. It is also the reason why practitioners in the catering industry in the past did not have high self-discipline and the competition among circles was more serious than that of their Western counterparts. In recent years, the emergence of food self-media and documentaries has brought unprecedented vitality to this circle, but at the same time, it has also allowed aging practitioners to see a faster and lower-cost way to enter the "people-superior" class. channel.

Michelin's timely appearance gave this circle what it wanted most: the right to speak in public opinion. Writing this way will definitely offend people, but the fact is that the mainland Michelin list is full of commercial favors, fame and fortune transactions and false reputation. If you follow the picture and search for reviews of Michelin-listed restaurants on X Group, Only by turning to the next page or just reading the negative reviews can you get some effective information.

No.33

Why is Beijing not suitable for the Michelin list? As a region with relatively underdeveloped food accumulation, the local specificity, difference and static nature of its food are very low. More good taste comes from "chain restaurants" that copy dishes from other places. However, as a rooted culture, food will be somewhat compromised in terms of taste and temperament if it leaves the local area.

With Beijing as a Michelin award-winning city, what matters is never the ultimate taste, but the capital of those restaurants and dishes that have the ability to replicate. Looking back at the original purpose of the Michelin list: to discover the native good taste of a certain city, and to encourage foreign tourists to have the motivation and purpose to go for food. It is not an exaggeration to say that Michelin Beijing "forgot its original intention". Peter Mayer once praised the accuracy of the 1939 Michelin map of France. He said that when the Allied forces liberated France in 1944, they relied on that map. And if today's diners follow the Beijing Michelin map and go to the capital in search of delicious food, they may just get lost in the concrete jungle.