The Farce of Indian Food Awards

I’ve been looking at the spate of food awards that have been taking place across the country and I felt compelled to write a piece so people understand why they need to be avoided like the plague and that calls out how corrupt and fake they are.

There cannot be a truly legitimate and meaningful awards that doesn’t fulfil these criteria:

1. The methodology needs to be clear, transparent, independently audited and verifiable 
2. The voters/judges need to have the experience, knowledge and credibility to know what they are talking about. Ideally the voters and the criteria by which one becomes a voter should be publicly available. No South Delhi socialites, no random actors who “love food” (last I checked I didn’t see food critics vote at the Filmfare awards so why is this any different?). 
3. The panel of judges needs to be wide enough and representative enough that biases are structurally eliminated (for example where certain cities or certain kinds of food or restaurants are over or underrepresented).
4. There can be no financial relationship between the people judging the awards and the restaurants receiving the awards. If there is a financial relationship, it needs to be disclosed and the judge must not be allowed to vote for a restaurant with which he/she has a financial relationship (including indirect relationships like though a fund)
5. There cannot be a financial relationship between the award organiser and the restaurant. I think this should be blindingly obvious but it’s actually the rule that is abused the most.

Sometime it’s the 5 star hotels that advertise in travel magazines and suddenly find their mediocre restaurants ranked very highly. Or it’s restaurants being asked explicitly for money to be a part of India’s biggest (in terms of money and locations) food awards. They use different words and try and hide the fact that you can buy these awards, they say that it’s not contingent to pay money to win an award and it’s just “advertising”. But to me that’s bullshit. It’s like a judge in court telling a defendant that you don’t need to pay money for a favourable verdict but if you would like to pay it would be nice. At best it’s deceitful. But more accurately it’s a shakedown. It’s extortion. It’s corruption. 

If our restaurant community was serious about getting recognition for the quality of their work rather than buying awards and publicity, they would create an awards ceremony under the supervision of an entity like the NRAI and conduct an awards ceremony that meets the five criteria I’ve listed, much like the Oscars do. 

And our restaurant industry would boycott things like the awards ceremony which I can’t name for legal reasons where if you are willing to pay money they will create some contrived and convenient award just for you (Best momo filled with jaljeera and jalapeño in Jhumritalliah for example). 

I do hope that we get a real good awards sooner rather than later. There are many people who work bloody hard in India’s restaurant industry. They are brave people who follow their dreams and passions. They push the envelope. They think deeply. They suffer for their work, in the heat and fire and sweat of a crowded kitchen, on their feet for 12 hours a day. They sacrifice their evenings with loved ones and weekends with their children. They are underpaid and fight a million things every single day, from unsupportive governments to entitled customers to discounting platforms. 

The ones who persevere, who fight through these challenges to create great food, food that is transcendent and transportive, food that creates moments of joy and memories that are special… they deserve a platform where their work and genius is recognised.

A platform that is Knowledgeable. Incorruptible. Fair. 

As any real award should be.