 Beijing's best eateries were noted and honored Tuesday, at "The Beijinger's 2010 Reader Restaurant Awards," an annual ceremony organized and executed by True Run Media, the publishing company behind The Beijinger, Beijing Kids and Agenda magazines.
The ceremony, in its seventh year, is seen by the organizers as a way to celebrate and promote Beijing's variety and quality of restaurants. In the past, the awards have received some criticism, with allegations of vote rigging and a bias in the selection of restaurants, claims which True Run Media have always strenuously denied. "You'd be surprised how many restaurants try to cheat, 'stuffing the ballot box', as it were," a source close to True Run Media told the Global Times. "But it's always so obvious, and they never get away with it. How many 60 year old Middle Eastern men, having lived in Beijing for 10 years, can there be?" When asked about the allegations of restaurants "buying awards," True Run Media General Manager, Michael Wester, told the Global Times that the opposite was in fact the truth, with business having been lost from advertisers who were unhappy at not have been included in the restaurant listings. "People always complain that we fake results, and only do this to promote our 'friends', but it's not like that at all," said Wester. "We don't make any money. It's just about recognizing the best in Beijing, based on what our readers say." But, according to at least one attendee, the current system employed to select the winning locations was flawed. "Beijing moves too fast. When I was voting, I didn't know many of the restaurants, so it was hard for me to vote for the right thing," the young woman told the Global Times. "And there were so many options, in so many categories, there was no way I could have chosen my preference in each one." In making their selections, voters are encouraged to only make choices in categories they feel strongly about. Many people, however, still vote in all categories, basing their choices on guesses or what they have heard from others. In response, organizers are considering changing next year's process, limiting voters' choices to ten categories. This year, Maison Boulud won the title of Beijing's Best Restaurant and Best Chinese Restaurant went to Da Dong Roast Duck Source: Global Times (March 17 2010) |
|
|
