Chapter 1107: Chapter 316: The World’s Most Famous Restaurant
This way, if you keep insisting, it might affect your relationships with colleagues, it might affect your future, and at the very least, people will feel it’s futile to argue, a waste of effort, so everyone tends to avoid facing your strong words. The result is that it won’t lead you to self-reflect, but instead you’ll think you’ve persuaded everyone, that you are right; this will lead you to participate in more similar suggestions in future cases with the same attitude, creating a vicious cycle!" Li Yan pointed at the chair, signaling her to sit down.
Jiang Xueyin sat down, looking at him in surprise, "Don’t exaggerate! I’m just expressing my own opinion, what does it have to do with my cousin? I’ve never intended to use her identity to pressure others!"
"This is the reality. I know that what you’re saying is your personal opinion, but your identity will make people think more. From another perspective, if my identity were revealed, people’s attitudes towards me would also change. What I say would no longer represent just me, people would speculate whether it’s Zhang Yurong’s opinion, adding her influence. Furthermore, it’s not just internals, but would also involve other departments at headquarters.
For example, right now I’m reporting to request more investment from the group company, financially, they will definitely strictly calculate our performance, return rate, future plans, etc. The final approved funds might even get discounted; but if my relationship with Yurong became public, or semi-public, then the financial department at headquarters, upon receiving the report, would take Yurong’s relationship into account. They might feel that not approving would be disrespecting the president; they might wonder if the president had approved it; if rejected, would I whisper in her ear to give them a hard time... In the end, the review would become routine, definitely getting approved. If encountered by someone specialized, it might even provide more convenience in terms of amount, time, etc."
Hearing Li Yan using himself as an example, Jiang Xueyin couldn’t help furrowing her brows, muttering in complaint, "How could it be like this? Could it be that you’re overthinking?"
For those with connections, there are two unavoidable states, like Li Yan previously in the business department, having no capabilities, showing off connections in a department with real power, inevitably they would be looked down upon in private; whereas someone like Jiang Xueyin, with strong backing, yet in a not-so-powerful department, others would speculate and be more scrupulous.
If it’s a public figure, details get magnified, seen by more people. For instance, Huayi executive Li Xue, once on some occasion, her evaluations and attitudes towards Fan Bingbing, Zhou Xun, even though with no ulterior motives, due to her being Li Bingbing’s sister (some say she hides her age, actually a younger sister), this relationship leads people to interpret it as her trying to secure Li Bingbing’s queen status by excluding them. Li Gang, in a posture of grievance and helplessness, exposed Wang Feng taking back the copyright of "In the Spring", banning Xu Ri Yang Gang from continuing cover. Even if it was his personal behavior, as an agent, he also represented Xu Ri Yang Gang, seen as Xu Ri Yang Gang’s complaint. So people around public figures need to be more cautious and discreet.
Seeing her confused look, Li Yan smiled and said, "Let it go, you are young after all, with little social experience, you’ll understand in the future. This time in the bet, you performed well, you won. Do you want me to treat you to a meal? I said, even if you want to go to the most famous restaurant in the world, I’ll agree!"
Jiang Xueyin felt it was a normal thing, yet he pointed out some issues, making her realize how complicated workplace relationships were, not knowing how to interact with everyone in the future, and unsure how much of others’ enthusiasm towards her was genuine, and how much was the result of her connections.
This made her a bit discouraged, and upon hearing Li Yan’s words, she immediately put aside those thoughts, thinking about claiming her reward first.
"Want it! Why not? It wouldn’t make you poor, I want to go to the most famous restaurant in the world!"
Li Yan raised his eyebrows, "Are you sure you want to eat at the most famous restaurant in the world? No regrets?"
Jiang Xueyin was just saying it casually, not having such high demands. To her, the most famous restaurant in the world would surely not be in S City. For instance, the very famous and authoritative "Michelin Guide" with over a hundred years of history, where reducing a restaurant’s rating from three stars to two stars once drove a chef to commit suicide, originated from Lan Country, and later expanded to Celestial Continent and Si Country, while it wasn’t until 2007 that East Continent started its selection from D City. To say the world’s most famous, S City restaurants surely don’t count.
But Li Yan’s attitude made her blurt out, "Hmph! I think you’re the one regretting, right? No backing out! At least a Michelin three-star restaurant! However, we could invite my cousin along."
Dietary guide bible, the "Michelin Guide", was originally introduced by the Michelin tire company during the 1900 World Expo as a free travel guide for drivers. By 1920, the Michelin brothers occasionally discovered their carefully made guides being used by maintenance shop employees to prop up table legs, and realized that free books could be seen as worthless, so they stopped giving them away for free and started selling them exclusively. The famous dining star system wasn’t created until 1930.
The "Michelin Guide’s" authority comes from promoting a strict anonymous system. Unlike some celebrity food critics in newspapers or on TV, even if they don’t accept money, their fame means the restaurant owner will recognize them as soon as they walk in, naturally giving their best service. The experience written by such famous food critics might be far different from what ordinary people get when they visit. The Michelin Guide employs professionally trained, food connoisseur-level anonymous inspectors, who visit different restaurants like ordinary guests, often more than once. Besides an independent anonymous inspection system, they also do not accept advertisements or sponsorships, maintaining fairness.
The "Michelin Guide" recommends restaurants in similar culinary styles, granting one star for being "worthy" to visit; awarding two stars for those exceptionally better than one star, "worth a detour" to visit; and the highest, three-star restaurants, are so excellent that "a special trip is worthwhile," even taking a flight to dine.
It’s very difficult to earn a Michelin star, extremely tough to get the highest three stars; maintaining three stars annually is something that not just any owner or chef can accomplish. The "Michelin Guide" releases annually; if a restaurant is awarded three stars this year but deemed lacking next year, it may lose a star or be stripped of all and be delisted entirely. Once, a very famous chef couldn’t accept the failure of being demoted from three stars to two—to him, a personal failure—even though two stars are already very impressive, he committed suicide. The influence of the guide is evident!
Of course, taste is subjective, and even professional food connoisseur inspectors can have taste differences due to cultural differences. In 2007, the "Michelin Guide" introduced the "D City Edition" and in 2008, the "Cloud Island Yao City Edition", beginning its expansion into the East Continent. However, a three-star restaurant selected in D City was commonly agreed among the locals of Beihai Country not to be as good as another old establishment.
Nonetheless, regardless if the reviews in the East Continent are the "best", those reaching three-star status surely excel. Jiang Xueyin thought her request wasn’t excessive, expecting not to be taken to a Celestial Continent three-star Michelin but at least to Cloud Island.
Just when Jiang Xueyin thought her terms were quite reasonable, Li Yan said something that left her utterly speechless:
"Wrong! Totally wrong! While a Michelin three-star restaurant is authoritative, it’s only well-known among those who have the financial means of a food professional. To the average person, they might have never heard of it. Pay attention you agreed with me on the world’s ’most famous’ restaurant, which doesn’t mean ’best’ or ’most expensive’. In terms of popularity, of course, it’s chains like McDonald’s and KFC with tens of thousands of stores globally!"
"Mc—Do—nald’s? KFC?" Jiang Xueyin jumped up, if it weren’t for the desk separating them, even though he was her brother-in-law, she’d have kicked him twice. This is just fooling her, isn’t it?
"How about it? Globally, apparently, there are more McDonald’s restaurants, but in Yun Country, KFC seems to be several times more than McDonald’s. Pick one, eat as much as you like, don’t be shy with me!" Li Yan said with a ’generous’ laugh.
Seeing his scheming look, Jiang Xueyin gritted her teeth in anger, with a bang, slammed both hands heavily on Li Yan’s desk, then leaned over staring down at him, saying with annoyance, "I’m going to eat you!"
(One more Chapter before midnight) (To be continued, to know what happens next, please login www.qidian.com, more Chapters, support the author, support legitimate reading!)
