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Many heavy hitters (and not so heavy) have weighed in on the arrival of The Michelin Guide in Gotham City. Much fuss has been made about the fact that it a “French” product, and how the French are oh so lofty and snobbish about food and service. Oh, boo hoo hoo. So what? (Personally, I think many Parisians would love to see something like Zagat sticking out of handbags and rucksacks all over Paris.((NOTE: See commentaries below on how I am wrong here))) But let’s get down to the real issues at hand.
First, what is the purpose of the Michelin Guide? It exists solely to point out to those who can afford it the absolute best food available in a particular place. (And most of those who can afford to test the veracity of Michelin are just simply passing through.((NOTE: See comments below on how this NYC Guide is aimed at a different audience))) The guide sets standards and bases ratings on those standards. It’s like the SAT’s, the LSAT or the GRE’s. It weeds out. It sets the bar high. It knows its audience, or it should. ((NOTE: Like the American SAT's, the bar is lowered in order to make it all more democratic))
Next, let’s talk about context. The French, whether we over here like it or not, have the upper hand when it comes to culinary reputation. So what? The basic standard of acceptable in Paris is different than it is here; the expectations are different. In France, people in the countryside have wine cellars that shock and awe – and it’s not an anomaly. It’s just a different place with culinary traditions that reach back a thousand years. The French household has a very different relationship with its food than the American household, although in both places things are changing.
A big But: It would be like shooting oneself in the foot for the Guide Michelin to apply standards for traditional French cuisine and service to the eclectic and international fare that makes New York food life what it is. We need to be proud of that fact, not worried that we just can’t get the best foie gras here.
Service: The American style of service is like much else here – casual. The server approaches the table as if you were his/her friend. “Hello, my name is Babette. I’ll be your server tonight.” You are a first name basis with a person who – just for the night – will serve you. It is a tacit way of making everyone equal. It is an exchange of goods & services for money with the understanding that we are all equals. We tip based on how happy we are with the service. Elsewhere in the world, with very few exceptions, names are not exchanged. It is a different relationship. But Americans seems to like to know names, and to say, “Thanks, Babette,” at the end of the meal. It’s just who we are.
Stereotypes: In order for anyone to get anything out of the current back-and-forth and ink spillage, all stereotypes must be cast aside. Not all Frenchmen wear berets, smoke cigarettes and have enormous noses. Not all Americans are obese, right-wing fast food eaters. And yet we stick to stereotypes because it is easy. For years and years the French looked down their noses at American cookery. In turn, we looked down our noses at English cookery. We’ve all heard the jokes about the English and their mushy peas. But guess what? London is now a culinary hot spot, and so is Dublin. Affluent urban life generates haute cuisine that fits the city at hand, and now, with so many television shows and websites and magazines talking about food, and with the ease of importing and distributing food, there are many more possibilities than there were a generation ago, or even a decade ago.
Ado about nothing: The Michelin Guide will fill exactly the gap that it needs to fill: wealthy tourist, celebrities who don’t need to be on ET every night, political powerhouses, gourmands from around the world, and industry folks checking out the competition {{NOTE: I stick to my guns on this one, see below, even though the editors are hoping for a wider appeal}}. Guides like Zagat will continue to meet the needs of New Yorkers because ultimately it is our product and represents what we want, or think we want. Some call it democratic, but that is not the right word. It’s a Popular Guide, a liber vulgaris, a Who’s Who. It fits the us who we think we are, or at least what our shrinks think we should think we are.
Challenge: I challenge Zagat to a Paris version {{NOTE: See commentary below - there is a Zagat, but it bombed out}}. We look down our noses at the French as being cuckolds of Michelin. But has anyone attempted to Zagat them and set them free?
Let’s just all get in the train and shut. We’re gonna have a good time, goddammit!
Tags:
babette, basic standards, boo hoo, french, michelin, michelin guide new york, snobbish, zagat
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Posted on 10/26/2005
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