WE ARE NOT FRENCH

I know this may come as a complete shock to some of you, but it is true. We are not French. Nor do most of us want to be. We are Californians and more specifically we live in the Bay Area. We are different. We think differently, we eat differently. Our fellow Californians who live just 30 miles north, south and east of us don’t get us. The President of our country never dares to visit. So how can we expect the French to get us? And why, may we ask, do we need them to? Well, we don’t. I understand that a high rating in the Michelin Guide has meant the difference between success and failure for a restaurant. But I am having a hard time believing that it will make much difference to the restaurants we, the people, support night after night after night. My friends that go to Gary Danko’s and La Folie on a regular basis are not going to stop going. A few egos will be bruised for a while. And then one day the chefs will wake up and understand that they are in business because we love them. I am pleased that the Michelin Guide doesn’t quite know what to make of us and the restaurants we love.

Comments

[Pam]

Well said, Muse! Besides, according to the Chronicle, their assessment of the "current" Bay Area scene is totally suspect. If you're looking for a true (and truly up-to-date) guide, I say go for the Slow Food San Francisco Guide, and/or Patricia Unterman.