10/27 (Tue) Michelin Stars (Host: Julia Ho)

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JuliaHo
Member
文章: 37
註冊時間: 週三 10月 21, 2020 9:05 am

10/27 (Tue) Michelin Stars (Host: Julia Ho)

文章 JuliaHo »

The Michelin star, the Oscars of the restaurant industry, puts restaurants on a stage. Michelin’s mission is to point people in the direction of good places to eat. Let’s look at those glorious restaurants and the issues involved therein.

Article 1: https://taiwan-scene.com/michelin-stars ... le-palais/ Michelin Stars for 30 Taiwan Restaurants
Article 2: https://taiwan-scene.com/michelin-annou ... elections/ 2020 Bib Gourmand Selections

Video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIsbQTlYJVY What it takes to get a Michelin star | CNBC Reports, lasting 07:01 minutes
Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw0pTqSF9hk 2020 Michelin Guide names 30 restaurants in Taipei, Taichung, lasting 03:10 minutes
Video 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZVA73RFI8I 《初心》André & his olive tree, leading chef of RAW, lasting 02:25 minutes

Session 1:
1、 Have you ever tried Michelin star restaurants in Taiwan? If yes, how do you like it? is it worth trying? If not, are you interested in visiting one? Do you think that it’s a good idea to visit a Michelin star restaurant at some meaningful occasions? Do you think that people should experience 3-star Michelin restaurants at least once in a lifetime?

2、 In addition to high-class Michelin star restaurants, some street food stalls in Taipei were awarded the Bib Gourmand distinction, an honor that signifies“good quality, good value cooking” for eateries offering a three course meal not exceeding NT$1,000. Have you ever tried some of them? If yes, how do you like it? If not, are you interested in trying?

3、 From your point of view, what are some qualities or characteristics that make a good restaurant? Do you have any recommendation for must eat places in Taipei? What makes them special?

Session 2:
1. A French celebrity chef, Mr. Marc Veyrat, sued Michelin in 2019 aiming at forcing the guide's editors to hand over its judges' notes and the explicit reasons for the decision to strip his restaurant from third to two stars. Mr. Veyrat proposed that he had been plunged into months of depression due to the downgrade. Michelin argued that this case was about freedom of opinion and criticism. What do you think? Which party do you support?

2. The Michelin star alters the business in several manners. On average, with one star, the restaurants get about 20% more business. Two stars, the restaurants do about 40% more business, and with three stars, the restaurants would do about 100% more business. Moreover, restaurants with one Michelin star increase their price by 14.8%, 55.1% when having two stars and 80.2% when having three stars. The rating is apparently the drivers of the price. However, when a restaurant loses its Michelin star, profit declines 76%. What do you think about the phenomena? If you are the manager of a restaurant, will you increase the price after receiving a star? Will you decrease the price after losing a star? Or you have other strategies to encounter the glory and misery associated with Michelin?

3. For some, Michelin recognition is literally a matter of life and death. In 2003, the celebrated three-star French chef Bernard Loiseau shot himself when newspaper reports hinted that his restaurant might lose its 3-star status. Does external recognition matter for you? What are the most important external recognition in your life? What effort did you put to get the recognition? Do you get the acknowledgement you deserve?

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Agenda:
6:45 ~ 7:00pm Greetings & Free Talk / Ordering Beverage or Meal / Getting Newcomer’s Information
7:00 ~ 7:10pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
7:00 ~ 7:40pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
7:40 ~ 7:55pm Summarization (15 mins)
7:55 ~ 8:00pm Regrouping / Instruction Giving / Taking a 5 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
8:00 ~ 8:40pm Discussion Session (30 mins)
8:40 ~ 8:55pm Summarization and conclusion (15 mins)

*****************************************************************************************************
Meeting Date: As shown in the Subject Line
Meeting Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Meeting Venue: 丹堤咖啡 Dante Coffee (Minimum Order $80)
Address: 台北市濟南路三段25號-捷運忠孝新生站3號出口步行3分鐘
Important Notes:
1. Participants are recommended to print out the questions for the discussion. Also, the supporting articles, if preferred not to access them via their own mobile phone.
2. Please read the articles and discussion questions provided by the host and write down your thoughts in English in advance.

For Newcomers:
1. Please prepare a two-to-three minute introduction of yourself in English. You may also be asked to give brief feedback at the conclusion of the meeting.
2. The entire meeting is conducted in English. All participants should at least have moderate English conversation skills and be able to articulate your ideas for each discussion question.
3. Newcomers are welcome to attend the meeting and join the discussion up to three times. Formal membership with a lifetime membership fee NT$1000 is required afterward.
最後由 JuliaHo 於 週一 10月 26, 2020 11:04 pm 編輯,總共編輯了 1 次。
Janice Wang
YOYO member
文章: 79
註冊時間: 週六 3月 25, 2017 7:45 pm

Re: 10/27 (Tue) Michelin Stars (Julia Ho)

文章 Janice Wang »

Le Palais (頤宮) and Danny’s Steakhouse (教父牛排) are two of the Michelin starred restaurants that I have ever been so far. I enjoyed the entire experience of fine food and exceptional service. They are unimpeachable despite me not being a gourmet. I was a guest, not the one who shelled out heavy money for such lavish enjoyment. To splurge a week's worth of food expenses on a meal might be way too extravagant and wasteful for my more pedestrian tastes. One of my favorite restaurants on the Bib guide, DinTaiFung (鼎泰豊) can perfectly tickle my taste buds and do the same trick as the starred restaurants do.

To be Michelin starred, has become the ultimate honor in the culinary world and a hallmark of fine cuisine for foodie reference. Once there is a star in the house, things change. With stars come exposure, the non-stop reservations draw a large surging crowd and will almost guarantee to bring in some considerable revenue. Meanwhile, the starred restaurants get addictive to maintaining or increasing the star rating. In search of retaining and obtaining stars, the chefs bear the brunt of succumbing to depression and even suicide. Having Michelin attention is nice, but the price that comes after the recognition, fame, and fortune may be too high to pay for some.

The examples that the host brought up regarding the ways those two renown chefs fought for their names are obviously opposite. I am on the side with the chef, Mr. Marc Veyrat, to fight for the revelation of the downgrade. For the sake of his customers and further betterment, I think he is entitled to know the cause of the one missing star. We live in a society now that social recognition can be an extensive currency to reach a status one aspires to be in terms of work, relationship, and self-fulfillment. However, there is always going to be someone out there who doesn’t believe in us for all sorts of reasons. They are the people we need to ignore. There are also times we need to stay the course to keep doing what we love doing. As an ordinary person, I might set eyes more on things that come to fruition than external recognition from other people.
JuliaHo
Member
文章: 37
註冊時間: 週三 10月 21, 2020 9:05 am

Re: 10/27 (Tue) Michelin Stars (Host: Julia Ho)

文章 JuliaHo »

Dear Janice,

Thank you for sharing.

As an ordinary person, I feel hard to ignore the external recognition. Pressure and expectations come from different aspects, usually by people we are close with, such as parents, friends, teachers and superiors. However, the self-expectation probably burdens us the most. The pursuit of excellence is kind of human nature. We want a better version of ourselves, better English speaking ability, better temperament,etc. Most importantly, we need to take steps to relieve the pressure, If it is causing us to worry and affecting our lives.
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