AmCham 
Publications Topics Archive Topics Archive 2007 Vol.37- No.1 Commentary: What's Good for the Palate is Good for the Economy
Publications Topics Archive Topics Archive 2007 Vol.37- No.1 Commentary: What's Good for the Palate is Good for the Economy | Commentary: What's Good for the Palate is Good for the Economy |
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What's Good for the Palate is Good for the Economy By the mid 1990s, traditional regional cooking was being recast by innovative chefs who experimented with fusion food and otherwise created exciting new directions in Chinese cuisine. Aiding this development was the government's decision to open long-closed doors on certain food imports, making ingredients from the Chinese mainland legally available for the first time (including various types of mushrooms, rice wine vinegars, garlic, peppers, and other spices). Western restaurants benefited as well, as they had been severely limited by import restrictions on items such as seafood, meats, cheeses, wine, and spices. The Taiwan government's policy of "internationalization" turned out to be a boon for local gourmets. Visitors from Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo invariably remarked on Taipei's excellent quality and variety of cuisine. But how does the dining scene stack up now? Read through the pages of this year's Wine & Dine, and it's clear that plenty is available to please anyone's taste buds. But is Taiwan still as competitive as before? How well do Taipei restaurants compare with those in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, and Tokyo? "Taipei is now behind what's available in Hong Kong and Singapore," says one five-star hotel manager in Taipei. Why? "Consumer confidence is down because the non high-tech sector of the economy is stagnant, which means less dining out, and the credit card debt problem hasn't helped either. But there's more to it. Good chefs seek competition - it keeps them sharp and creative, yet we still face import restrictions that limit our menus. We still have difficulty getting some foodstuffs from China and the United States. This has an impact on what we can offer our customers. Chefs in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and other key cities in the region don't face these problems." Other hotel and restaurant managers complain about problems getting work permits for chefs, especially those from South and Southeast Asia. "Invariably our applications for work permits take a long time to complete, with added requirements just when we think we've finished all the paperwork," says another hotel executive. "Even when we've found people with the qualifications we need, the work permit applications may get rejected - or the number of permits granted is fewer than we requested," says a restaurant chain manager. "As a result, we're putting our expansion plans on hold." In response to such concerns, AmCham has been working closely with the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) on work-permit protocols and with the Ministry of Economic Affairs on import issues. Besides continued work on beef imports from the United States (T-bone and beef-rib lovers, don't give up!), the Chamber has intensified its advocacy on reducing the negative import list from China, which includes many food products. In recent months, CLA officials have met frequently with AmCham on work-permit issues. Considerable progress has been made toward jettisoning the old regulatory mindset of "one foreigner in means one local job lost" - which may be true for construction and factory workers, but not for service industries where the entry of foreigners invariably helps to create local jobs. That is clearly true for foreign chefs. A restaurant can't succeed without high-quality cooking. In the case of Southeast Asian cuisine, for instance, qualified talent cannot be found locally. And for menus to be authentic, bringing in an executive chef is often insufficient. Whether sous chefs, dessert chefs, and others are also needed is a decision that should be made by the people paying the salaries (and taxes), not by government bureaucrats. True, that may mean the hiring of fewer Taiwanese chefs, at least initially. But restaurants also need managers, waiters, busboys, cleaners, kitchen help, wine stewards, advertising and marketing assistance, food and delivery services, interior decorators, and so on - and all these needs are drivers of employment. Restrict the work permits for foreign chefs and the opportunity for these local jobs is lost. The CLA leadership seems to have come to realize this, and the Council is now looking for ways to streamline work permit applications. Interestingly enough, Chinese cuisine is poised for another renaissance. Many of the old regional restaurants have closed or declined in authenticity. But when experienced chefs can be hired from various regions of China, expect a resurgence of popularity for these styles of cooking. As AmCham trumpets the joys of dining in Taiwan, it will also continue urging the government to open Taiwan's doors to overseas talent and imported foodstuffs. Competition among international chefs is good for the economy, for service industry development, for job creation, and - best of all - for the palate. |
