Haute Cuisine's Makeover(2)
Mr. Hedberg, who is also the publisher of the "White Guide," Sweden's leading restaurant guide, admitted that one shortcoming of this survey, which took place in the spring, was the failure to consider the impact of social networks such as Facebook or Twitter, something that will be rectified next time around.
In my experience, the fact that a leading restaurant in Helsinki has similar characteristics to one in Munich or Melbourne, stems from the similarity of the audience base, plus the mobility of both diners and recipes brought on by globalization. If you think about it, foodies from South Africa, Germany, Scandinavia, Australasia and the U.S. would have no difficulty relating to each other over a wide spectrum of issues, not just food. It stands to reason then, that amongst the most-traveled sectors of those societies, they would have no difficulty whatsoever in appreciating each other's haute cuisine and being inspired by it.
Other food writers, such as Hannes Konzett, a leading food writer in Austria, agree with the thrust of the survey but think there are other factors to consider, too. "It is very trendy at the moment to talk about Nordic and regional cuisine but for me the most important thing is authentic cuisine. Of course it is important where produce comes from, but it is more important how it expresses the local tastes and traditions, which is not necessarily affected by the origins of the produce. I think there are definitely interesting things happening with Alpine Cuisine in Europe, thanks to traditional recipes being done in modern ways."
But what do the new generation of chefs think about the changes in the food world? Stevie Parle, who has won several awards for Dock Kitchen in West London since it opened in 2009, fits effortlessly into the category of "fun dining" and focus on local cuisine. "People no longer enjoy themselves very much in posh restaurants, where it feels like you are eating with your grandfather," the 25-year-old chef says. "One good trend is that people no longer associate an expensive meal with a posh one. People can come to my restaurant and spend £80 a head on good wine and the like but they don't expect it to look super fancy or all the dishes being miniature and perfectly laid out on the plate."
