Bon Appetit China!

Zagat Guide a Sign of Beijing's Gastronomic Rise
by Anthony Kuhn

Driving home from work this story really caught my attention. You can listen to it on NPR.org. It concerns the new Zagat guide to restaurants in Beijing. As a chef, I was fascinated to hear that Daniel Boulud ( Of Boulud and Cirque 20oo fame) was opening a restaurant in China. It made me consider what that would mean for chinese cuisine. The whole concept of fine dining is new to China, something they have not really experienced before. It is not a chinese concept and therefore with the entrance of chefs like Boulud I wonder what will happen to food that is essentially ethnically "pure". This is not a new conundrum, it is is one found in cultures throughout the world but it entrance into the chinese mix is fascinating. Yet another nugget of information to consider as I think about China's position in the world.

In the interview Zagat commented that they were working on publishing an entire series of books aimed at Chinese tourists as their sheer numbers can not be denied and they represent the future of the tourist industry. Fascinating.