(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-03-27 07:23

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.

Soliveres said he was to cook a risotto with Brittany lobster and a Roquefort ice cream for dessert. Lorain was set to prepare his signature dish "black truffle and cabbage. Each of the Michelin-star chefs was to receive $8,000 for the evening's work.

The three chefs decided to bow out because they had good taste. Lorain called the event "unhealthy and morally unjustifiable" in an e-mail to Lebua executives.

Headlines in media slammed the event as a $300,000 poverty tour for the rich. "You cannot see people living in misery and then go back to Bangkok to eat foie gras and truffles," Soliveres was quoted as saying.

Executives at Lebua have apologized for any misunderstanding over the event but insist the $300,000 dinner will go ahead.

To give readers a little perspective, an average plate at Thailand's canteen costs about Bt20 ($0.64) for one scoop of white rice and two side items. The problem with Lebua's event has nothing to do with its price tag. The problem has to do with taste, or, more precisely, the bad taste shown by the event's organizers.

The planned event placed a disturbing spotlight on the disparity between the rich and the poor. It overlooked important virtues that have historically been associated with the concept of social class including modesty, humility and the simple notion of human dignity. But that was when class was something that came with one's birth, not something that could be achieved through accumulating wealth.

Unfortunately, most Thai people were disturbingly quiet about the feast. This is partly because too many people in Thai society worship the rich.

In the eyes of many Thais, the issue of human dignity does not rank that high. For many of us, it is always a good thing when the rich give to the poor.

Sadly, many of the wealthy in Thai society actually believe that they are destined to lead the poor - and to make a few bucks along the way even if it means contradicting their stated principles.

This does not mean that rich people should not run for public office or help out their fellow human beings; Warren Buffett and Bill Gates have shown how the latter can be done most effectively.

Unlike the way in which the Thai rich approach charity, these men are not out to enrich themselves through charitable acts. They are doing the right thing for the right reasons, not the right thing for the wrong reasons.

Most of us can see through the rich and powerful in Thai society, but when we begin to take their leftovers and ask for seconds, we justify their actions and their bad taste.

There is an old saying in Thailand: "If you're rich, you are incapable of doing anything disgusting." It is good to know that these three French chefs have proven that old adage wrong.

The Nation/Asia News Network

(China Daily 03/27/2008 page9)