Recently, I played the role of a hypocrite exceedingly well, if I may modestly admit so myself! Given just how I loathe awards, especially the food kind, I agreed to become a jury for one of them. I knew I wouldn’t entirely enjoy the experience, but I went along with it, the good sport that I am, and performed my assignment to the best of my commitments, even though I may still somewhere feel that the very notion of awards is, at best, farcical. At worst, it’s a travesty of an exercise that celebrates mediocrity and encourages idiocy.
Now, before I say any more, allow me to insert the big bold print: Am not intending to diss any other award show, or why I feel their selection process might be highly compromised, if not outright suspiciously rigged in favour of the sponsors and advertisers. But when a restaurant (or restauranteur) gets lauded multiple times on a stage, while I fail to recall even one good meal I may have partaken of at any of their outlets in the history of their existence, it allows resounding doubt to creep in.
Well, the awards I was a part of tried to (pun unintended) keep things kosher. They were instated to award eateries in the fine dining so we didn’t have too many to deliberate over. I do believe there is work to be done in defining the categories, but for now that’s all filed under constructive inputs for their next edition. This was the first time food media giant, Living Foods, was constituting an award gala so learnings will fly in thick and quick. Thankfully, we didn’t have those niche categories where the outlet getting the award is so peculiarly unique that it ends up being number one in a field of one. We visited the places as paying guests and tried out the menu.
The downside of such an exercise can be that the chef can sometimes have an off day. Or we could be. Either way, the food experience could suffer. Luckily, it didn’t happen with me and I feel I was rather objective in my marking. If there were marks to be deducted for sexist service (presenting the bar menu and the bill to the guy at the table while, in my case, it was always a lovely lady who was playing host and cashier), then most places in India wouldn’t make the cut. But again, those are the failings of upbringing in our society, primary education which I shall choose not to get into here.
Finally, all the judges met, discussed the awards and it went rather smoothly. For most parts, we seemed to agree. When we didn’t, we put it to vote. It was all rather democratic and participative—ideas which only work when people of a matched intellect are brought together to function as a team. This is sadly not the case with the reviews one reads on the plethora of online sites where the consumers get to ‘share and rate their experiences’, that’s the stuff which has derided the word ‘foodie’ to an outright insult.
This year, when Living Foods organises the award ceremony and felicitates the handful of places from Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore, I, sadly, will be away travelling. But even from far, I know I will feel the warm glow of the places who won. If you happen to be one of them, or know them, be assured that this was an exercise executed in fairness and with utmost sincerity. Do not compare awards but know that should you choose to follow the recommendations that turn up here, you shall not be disappointed. Also, now that you know that I was a judge this year, you may thank me with copious amounts of food and drink.
The writer is a sommelier.
mail@magandeepsingh.com