For some, being included on a prestigious list spurs further greatness; for others the weight of expectation is stifling. World's 50 Tastehunter Cheryl Tiu on the impact of our culture of competition
We love lists. You aren’t a human, restaurant, hotel or start-up worth anyone’s time unless you’ve showed up on some sort of ranking. Since their inception, Asia Tatler’s Society Lists have been a topic of great discussion—there are those who spend a lifetime trying to make the cut, some who pretend they're disinterested in such accolades, and others still who try their best to fly under the radar.
Similarly, Generation T's annual list of young leaders across Asia is a topic of fierce debate. How do they pick the people? Why isn’t so-and-so on it? How do I get on it?
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants is another hotly debated list. What started as an interesting magazine feature exploded when Ferran Adrià showed up for the inaugural ceremony, and the rest, as they say, is history. The list now comprises standalone awards for newcomers and female chefs, special Latin American and Asian editions and its own social-media committee, the World’s 50 Best Tastehunters.