Recognised or not, good food will always be good

There is no doubt that there are many people who are happy that hawker stalls were accepted into the Michelin Guide ("Hawkers join celebrity chefs on Michelin list"; July 22).

It shows that hawkers, who are a cornerstone of the food culture in Singapore, are being recognised on an international level.

Yet, many are unhappy that their favourite hawkers or restaurants did not make the list.

Some raise the question of whether foreigners know how to appreciate our local food, and whether it would be better if locals were asked to do the food tasting ("'You can disagree with us'"; July 23).

You don't have to be a food critic to identify what is good food. For example, if you serve a bowl of ramen to someone who is not Japanese, if it is good, they will agree that it is.

It says a lot about the food at a particular establishment if a foreigner, who has not been exposed to the Singapore food culture, decided to add it to the Michelin Guide.

Some other people may argue that the food inspectors could have tried harder and discovered establishments that are much better.

But the inspectors did conduct research by looking up guidebooks and asking hotel concierges and locals.

Different people have different preferences of what good food should be.

The Michelin Guide is just a guide; those who disagree need not follow it, and can always go back to their favourite establishment.

Sean Tan Hong Rui

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