How 'authentic' is your favourite restaurant?
One would think that the Japanese government had quite enough on its plate, what with the 'People's Republic' of China rising to the West and the deranged Kim Jong Il to the northwest, but apparently not: "Officials in Tokyo, concerned that diners around the globe are getting a less-than-genuine taste of their nation's cuisine, are devising a sort of bureaucratic Zagat guide that will confer a stamp of authenticity on restaurants that meet the government's standards". (Source)
At the moment this is a prospective initiative in California and the wider Estados, the LA Times noting that only 10% of Japanese restaurants in California are owned by Japanese people. Apparently the certification programme is already operational in France, Italy and Thailand, if not - as far as I know - in these parts.
The whole thing strikes me as utterly silly, and rather like trying to hold back the Pacific with a mop, quite apart from it downgrading fusion food for being 'inauthentic' and placing a premium on ownership and tradition over how good the actual food is.
Still, if the Japanese make a success, however measured, of this, I can foresee this being an idea that other governments will take up with great enthusiasm. Given that upwards of 90% of all 'Indian' restaurants in the UK are owned by Bangladeshis, New Delhi could certainly make hay, and maybe chicken tikka masalla will vanish from menus everywhere. Similarly, pizzas will lose some of their more abhorrent ingredients, and who knows what will become of the various KFC knock offs so common in London - Tennessee Fried Chicken, Kansas Fried Chicken etc etc. However, the one that has the greatest scope for amusement would be certification of Irish pubs - I have been led to believe that unlike British mock mick pubs, hostelries on the other side of the Irish Sea are not decorated with old road signs, shop facia boards and the like.
At the moment this is a prospective initiative in California and the wider Estados, the LA Times noting that only 10% of Japanese restaurants in California are owned by Japanese people. Apparently the certification programme is already operational in France, Italy and Thailand, if not - as far as I know - in these parts.
The whole thing strikes me as utterly silly, and rather like trying to hold back the Pacific with a mop, quite apart from it downgrading fusion food for being 'inauthentic' and placing a premium on ownership and tradition over how good the actual food is.
Still, if the Japanese make a success, however measured, of this, I can foresee this being an idea that other governments will take up with great enthusiasm. Given that upwards of 90% of all 'Indian' restaurants in the UK are owned by Bangladeshis, New Delhi could certainly make hay, and maybe chicken tikka masalla will vanish from menus everywhere. Similarly, pizzas will lose some of their more abhorrent ingredients, and who knows what will become of the various KFC knock offs so common in London - Tennessee Fried Chicken, Kansas Fried Chicken etc etc. However, the one that has the greatest scope for amusement would be certification of Irish pubs - I have been led to believe that unlike British mock mick pubs, hostelries on the other side of the Irish Sea are not decorated with old road signs, shop facia boards and the like.
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on Saturday, December 02, 2006 at 10:59 am.
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lol.. brilliant.. the Govts will make a massive profit if restraunts have to pay for this certification process... and they really should get rid of chicken tikka masala.. it is a most undelightful dish.. and does not exist in India as your article implies.. but again.. dont governments worlwide have better things to do like tackling poverty, crime, diesease.. but judging by the current economic state of Japan who is to blame them if they are trying to reduce their budget deficit a little..
Avoid sushi bars - esp if called Itsu. (It's u?)
Blimey, best be avoiding Sutton. Do you glow in the dark like a Ready-Brek kid?
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