Mouthing Off

Why sustainable dining is elitist: Michelin Green Stars given only to high-end restaurants ring hollow when cheaper joints can actually be less wasteful

Chefs at upscale restaurants gush about their eco-friendly practices, but washing cutlery for multiple courses and pruning meat leads to plenty of waste

Chefs also talk a good game about nose-to-tail dining, but I never saw any noses or tails served except in Hong Kong noodle joints

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Recipients of Green Stars at the 2023 Michelin Hong Kong and Macau ceremony 2023, held at Macau’s Grand Lisboa Hotel. Photo: Michelin Guide

Andrew Sun has dabbled in many shades of the media spectrum for 25 years, from college radio, TV, print and online columnist to starting film festivals, managing music labels and authoring food books.

Published: 12:15pm, 25 May 2023

Reducing environmental impact is a big issue in many industries, and rightly so. But lately, when restaurant owners and chefs gush about their eco-credibility and sustainable mandates, my Spidey-senses go on full alert for BS.

It’s not like I don’t believe they have good intentions or want to do their best to cut carbon emissions, but when it becomes a central component of their promotion and marketing, then that’s just self-aggrandisement.

In the latest Hong Kong Michelin guide, “Green Stars” were instituted for venues “at the forefront of the industry when it comes to their sustainable practices”.

The mantra talks about restaurants holding themselves accountable, avoiding and reducing waste, and foregoing plastic and non-recyclable materials.

Upscale restaurants often wax lyrical about organic vegetables, but sustainability is the purview of the advantaged, Andrew Sun says. Photo: Shutterstock

These are very noble endeavours for a tire-company tome created to encourage the driving of gas-guzzling vehicles all around Europe just to eat.