Being born in Hong Kong and as a son of a restaurateur, I can affirm that food is more than just something to devour. For most people in this small island, food is a fascination. Food brings people together since most dishes are eaten in a communal way.

So when the Michelin Guide arrived in Hong Kong this week, there were plenty of skeptics especially when only a small amount of reviewers are Asian. Let’s take an example. A new England clam bake includes fresh steamed lobsters. While the sea-sweet lobsters are dunked into clarified butter, very few Asian master chefs would call this culinary art.

Lobster prepared in Hong Kong includes a full experience. Dining at any well establishing seafood restaurant, a lobster is taken out of the fresh fish tank. Next, the lobster (while swimming in its net) is shown to the diner. A quick nod signals approval from the host. The patrons then select how the lobster should be cooked. Steamed with garlic or wok fried with scallions are very popular. The culinary art is balancing the lobster with only ingredients such as ginger and garlic that enhance the succulent but never masking it. Thus, dunking lobster meat appears to just mask the meat.

Additionally, Chinese culinary art believes that food has medicinal purposes. A great house soup rejuvenates the body while detoxing it.

My point is that Michelin taste reviewers must also be trained to adapt to what is “delicious” to Hong Kong taste. In general, Hong Kong people do not like a dish that is considered “heavy” and smothered with cheese just like mac’ n cheese. For desserts, a cheesecake can be considered great served with fresh strawberries but over sweetened flavors that ruin the taste.

Overall, the Michelin Guide arriving to Hong Kong is a great thing since it is a motivator for restaurant operators to keep food consistent as well as keep the restaurants clean.

For a complete list of the restaurants that received Michelin stars, read the Bloomberg article.