Has anyone ever gone to the restaurant and doubted
the quality of the meal? Today the situation is that we enjoy going to the restaurant
and having fun but we wonder in which restaurant? In fact, when we are served
the “mysterious plate” we doubt the freshness and the origin of the products.
So do homemade foods still exist and where are they?
The new chef profile
Since the
early 20th the new appliances have changed the way we work even in
catering. So, nowadays what does a restaurateur look like? For sure to claim
being a restaurateur they all have an oven, a fridge, cutlery, pots and recipe
books. Actually, a restaurateur is not a chef and today too many people who
have not been trained as chefs open restaurants such as the managers of
Crep’eat who studied finance.
According
to the reports concerning the food industry, nowadays the majority of
restaurateurs are more entrepreneurs than chefs. Furthermore, to achieve their
financial objective they can count on recipe books, food manufacturers who
produce every “traditional” French meal and a magic appliance – the microwave.
Clients can be sure that restaurateurs use this kitchen tool for every service
and even more for each meal
Industrialised food
Like, loath
or deny it but industrialised meals are in our restaurants. Since the 1800s,
industrialisation has progressed, and gained admittance in our everyday
activities even in the kitchen. Has anyone ever bought a ready meal and heated
it in the microwave because of a lack of time?
At the beginning,
ready foods crept into our restaurants firstly through canned foods such as tins
of sliced peeled tomatoes, chilled vegetables and desserts. The idea was to
save time and serve the clients rapidly. The development of industrialised food
companies such as Lustucru allows restaurateurs to save much money because
selling chilled ready foods needs fewer employees.
Taking into
account the French economic climate i.e. the consequences of the 2008 crisis
and the increase in taxes it is difficult for a restaurateur to make profit by purchasing
fresh products. Actually, restaurateurs have to reduce their cost as much as they
can especially by reducing their staff and the quality of their meals. The most
affected by those changes are the customers.
The “homemade” bill
Given that
situation, Alain Ducasse and Joël Robuchon – French chefs – tried to question
the government secretaries about this subject. They wanted to make a
distinction between restaurateurs who use ready foods and those who create
their meals. The idea was to introduce the wording “homemade” in every
restaurant which does not use chilled ready food. The law was rejected by the
Senate because of the pressure of the lobbyists.
However we
can wonder about the application of this bill? For now, the government has
difficulty keeping a close eye on hygiene in restaurants because of a shortage of
agents, so how can we be sure that restaurateurs will use honestly the wording “homemade”.
To conclude, we can say that chilled ready meals have been
introduced in many restaurants but the fresh French gastronomy still exists we just
have to pay more for it. For the moment, while waiting for the law to pass
customers can ask restaurateurs if the meals are homemade.
Websites: LeMonde, BBC,
L’hôtellerie
Jennifer A.
very interesisting topic, i do agree that homemade meal is better and much more teasty yet is more expensive when we order it in a restaurant. In mine opinion many restaurants are using prepared meals or cooking in a big quantity and after warm it up if someone has order it. And normally we can teast the differences between a homemeal and prepared meal from a store.
ReplyDeleteIt is so that it has it advantages anddisadvatage like being prepared earlier and the disadvatage is that the quality is not the same and that means more time.
I prefer eating a homemeal even if i have to pay more for the meal that is also one of the reason going to a restaurant. Because if the restaurant sells chilled meal i can do it as well home.
I agree with you, I prefer paying more to be sure that it’s a homemade meal. But we have to noticed that normally, every restaurant should sell homemade meal and if not they should precise it. Furthermore, restaurateurs who haven’t been trained should take on reel chef to propose homemade meals.
DeleteJennifer A.
A few reports opened us eyes previously just like this article who summarize us clearly the situation between the business managers who smelt the bargain in restoration and those who choose the quality in front of the purse.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless good quality and home-made do not rhyme necessarily with bankruptcy according to me because a good restaurant owner/restorer who uses fresh products and who realizes his dishes from A to Z will develop loyalty of a clientele aware of a more and more rare know-how nowadays.
It is true that homemade meal does not systematically go with bankruptcy and restaurateurs have to understand that. In fact the biggest restaurants of French gastronomy have great success in the public opinion even if people have to pay much for it. We, the clients, are ready to pay for a certain quality and to waste good time to enjoy a delicious meal.
DeleteIf I find a restaurant where I can be sure that the products are fresh and the chef expresses his creativity I will go there almost twice a month just to enjoy a succulent meal.
Jennifer A.
I find your article very interesting. Introduce the designation “homemade” in every restaurant is a good idea! Like that we can be sure that products are fresh and quality assured. Gastronomy is a big part of French Culture and it is essential to protect it.
DeleteM. Ribella
Thanks, for your comment. I find the subject really interesting too because of the French Gastronomy importance in our culture and in the wording "Made in France". I hope that questioning restaurateurs about their meals, will make them pay more attention.
Delete