稍早我在opinionated about dining看到这篇由Alan Gardner所发表的文章，内容对于六月一号才公布的全球前50最佳餐厅名单发表他的看法。
是的，排名以及奖项可以鼓励人们上馆子消费，这份名单也改变了许多餐厅的命运。Gardner本身也吃遍了全球前一百家中的59家，而我自己个人大约是20几家。他同时也举出这份名单的七个主要的问题：
- 这份排名来自全球972名评审，每个人仅有七张票。每位评审的票数不足，无法实际反应排名。
- 选择偏见：每一个区域的35名投票者這中的34名投票者由区域的主席选择，这并非一个透明的流程，主席可能选择与自己看法类似的投票者。
- 世界各地的用餐体验原本就不同。
- 错误的假设，必须是居住该地的人才了解该区域餐厅。
- 由于依照区域来投票本地（区域）的投票者比需投本地（区域）餐厅，即便他认为其他区域的餐厅更好。
- 前几名不断的重复，我们可以合理的假设并不是投票者都去过前三名，但是大多数人有机会便会倾向去尝试前三名的餐厅。一年内有机会拜访完前五十吗?这的确是个问题。
- 缺乏统一的判断标准 – 在世界不同地区的美食记者对用餐体验有不同的标准。
“他们要求以自己的区域内表决的方式似乎有些奇怪。他们的研究方法使“跨越”区域的比较非常困难，但排名的前提却是世界性的。纽约食客如何认为在日本用餐的状况，反之亦然“。
~ World’s greatest statistical expert, Nate Silver of 538.com
长期以来我使用Best50来宣传我的餐饮活动或是美食之旅，无论是对于宣传及销售的确有画龙点睛的效果。而名次可以改变一家餐厅以及厨师的命运，如何能够完善投票系统是Best50目前遇到最大的挑战。最后以有阿根廷厨神之称的Francis Mallmann 2013请辞Best50评审的一封信的内容作为总结。
希望在这排名的影响力日益壮大的状况下，改善投票机制的运作，就像是电影蜘蛛侠里所说的：能力越大，责任就越大。最初设计排名的团队可能没有想过影响力会如此大的一天。
Buenos Aires august 29 2013
To:San Pellegrino Awards/Restaurant magazine, London
From:Francis Mallmann
Thanks so much for choosing me as one of your voting members but
I have decided not to vote any more in your awards. I have been feeling this way the last two years, and now I can’t do it anymore.
You, see I have been cooking now for 40years. As you know, cooking is a romance with produce, space, service, timing and silence. cooking is a romance with produce, space, service, timing and silenceThis runs counter to the sentiments I observe in so many of my colleagues who are so concerned with the awards that they spend the year lobbying the electorate, jetting to conferences, and, in my view, wasting precious time, and walking away from the true values of what restaurants are.
Awards created a ficticious, hyper competitive ambiance for our cooking culture.Innovation seems to be the prime value.
Although there is nothing inherently wrong with that, it has moved us away from valuing craft in pursuit or so-called art. Young chefs attempt to cross bridges, long before they should just for the sake of being, new, different and famous.
Artisan intellectual thought, and eating good food & wine has more to do with the senses and with sharing. Wine & food makes us more acute, witty,trenchant. Only then can it stimulate our thoughts and improves our communion with our peers, friends, lovers. Certainly food can be intelectual, but in amore silent, dare I say humble, way.
To be sure, I have been greatly honoured tobe number 7 on your list the first year.
It’s just that my cooking life has no links with these awards any more.
So I wish you all best and thanks again for allowing me to serve these past years in your board.
Let us break bread together,
Francis Mallmann.
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