World's Top 50 Restaurants

Another day, another high (or low) for gastronomic masturbation, Gentle Reader. http://www.theworlds50best.com/list/1-50-winners

Why so few Japanese restaurants, you ask, if Tokyo is the food capital of the world? The first step towards comprehension, Grasshopper, is to understand the rules the august judging committee(s) set for themselves, viz. http://www.theworlds50best.com/asia/en/our-manifesto.html. Apart from some fairly obvious things - must have eaten there, must not be an owner - there would appear to be little in the way of rules or standards except whimsy. Hats off to the marketing genius who came up with this little number!

With YHC's body mass, venturing out on to a limb usually results in a victory for gravity. But in the spirit of Baconian hypotheses, may one humbly suggest that two things remain:

- one gets the impression that the successful restaurants in this "ranking" actually go out of their way to stand out from the competition. Much in the same way that a nail sticks out of a floorboard. Which in Japan would be nailed down. Japanese temple de cuisine do everything they can to be low-profile.

- would it be a little presumptive to say that in Japan, technique is more highly valued than creativity? WB50 seems to celebrate said creativity and out-of-the-closet de-construction. Japan, especially Japanese cuisine, celebrates the 10,000 hours of experience needed for perfection. Which, as YHC recently said on LinkedIn, is why Jiro dreams of sushi...

All of that said, Your Humble Correspondent longs for that sweet happenstance where (1) he might be asked to participate; (2) he might be pecunious enough to eat in at least three famous overseas restaurants, let alone seven; and (3) he could spend long enough in Singapore to visit with Tetsuya at Waku Chin!

And yes, one has darkened the doors at Ryugin and Narisawa ...

Pip! Pip!