Tokyo Foodies to Michelin: ‘You Still do Not Know us or Our Cuisine’

Travel Blog  •  Michael Yessis  •  02.25.08 | 11:47 AM ET

imageAll those stars Michelin awarded Tokyo restaurants are impressing many, but not a core group of prominent Tokyo chefs and critics. “Japanese food was created here, and only Japanese know it,” chef Toshiya Kadowaki told the New York Times. “How can a bunch of foreigners show up and tell us what is good or bad?”

The story has more dismissive quotes. Here’s another:

“Anybody who knows restaurants in Tokyo knows that these stars are ridiculous,” said Toru Kenjo, president of Gentosha publishing house, whose men’s fashion magazine, Goethe, published a lengthy critique of the Tokyo guide last month. “Michelin has debased its brand. It won’t sell as well here in the future.”

And another, about an “overly large slice of eel sushi” at the three-star restaurant, Kanda: “You needed a knife and fork to eat that,” 30-something banker Yukihiro Nagatomi said. “I can see why it would appeal to Frenchmen who don’t use chopsticks.”

Related on World Hum:
* Tokyo: ‘The Premier City in the World for Food’
* From New York City to Los Angeles, Michelin Aims to Crack Zagat’s Hold on U.S. Restaurant Guides

Photo by avixyz via Flickr, (Creative Commons).



1 Comment for Tokyo Foodies to Michelin: ‘You Still do Not Know us or Our Cuisine’

poetryman69 02.25.08 | 10:22 PM ET

“Triggering the Grand Irrationality?”


Cowering in an obscure corner of the food pyramid

somewhere between the tofu and the unflavored yogurt

contemplating the juxtaposition of intangibles for all you are worth…..

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