Gross dinner event reflects Thai rich-poor gap

Hats off to a trio of France's top chefs: Alain Soliveres whose famed Taillevent restaurant in Paris has two Michelin stars, Jean-Michel Lorain of the three-star La Cate Saint Jacques in Burgundy and Michel Trama from the three-star Les Loges de L'Aubergade in southwest France.

These three refused to take part in a publicity stunt for a handful of a wealthy people on a quirky quest that was supposed to help bring attention to Thailand's poor.

The chefs had originally agreed to prepare a lavish feast for well-heeled diners at the luxury hotel Lebua at State Tower, which was to be preceded by a half-day tour of a destitute village in Thailand's north.