Noma is a company located in Copenhagen, DenmarkMichelin-starred restaurant.But it's not just as simple as 🌟restaurants.Noma isThe birthplace of New Nordic cuisineone.

Nordic New Style Cuisine is the most famous movement in the food culture circle.Movement since 2004 by caterersClaus Meyer和Rene Redzepiinitiated, the latter beingChef at Noma.They celebrate local, natural and seasonal ingredients.this movement can sayShake the catering power system with French cuisine as the "boss".

Above:Rene Redzepi

Noma is good at usingCreative and Sophisticated Technology, showing the uniqueness of the dishesSeasonal ingredients, and ingredientsoriginal flavor.As a symbol restaurant of Nordic New Style Cuisine, Noma's influence on the catering culture circle may go beyond the food itself.

The list known as the gourmet Oscars"World's 50 Best Restaurants”, from 2010 to 2012,Topped the list for 3 consecutive yearsThe position was awarded to Noma. (Noma won the first place in the world again after reopening in 2014. In 2019, Noma won the second place)

Above: Noma's dishes

Noma sometimes opens pop-up restaurants around the world. In May 2022, a five-day pop-up restaurant was opened in Brooklyn, New York.700 knives per person and minimum order of 2 persons, only accepting 50 guests with special credit cards per night.

Noma willClose restaurant services in 2024, transformed intofood laboratoryand develop forE-commercenew dishes.Chef René Redzepi said in an interview with The New York Times:

The fine dining model is unsustainable, both economically and emotionally, and practitioners must rethink the entire industry.

Image credit: Alfredo Caliz/Panos Pictures/Redux

A meal costs more than $500, but the restaurant is still "unsustainable"?Behind this luxurious curtain, ismarket changes,Invisible labor and exploitation,as well ashighly centralized power system.

According to a report by the gourmet magazine "bonappetit", Noma realized during the epidemic that the traditional restaurant business model was vulnerable, so she began to redesign the menu and even tried some takeaways.Resuming business in the post-epidemic era is still facingRaw material prices rise,Changes in eating habits of diners and increased labor costsThe challenge brought.

Above: Dishes at Noma - Jose Moran Moya/Flickr

At the same time, since Noma announced in 2021 that it would pay interns, the restaurant's profitability has struggled.

Prior to this, Noma interns not onlyno salary, but also the expensive transportation and accommodation in Copenhagen at their own expense.But because of Noma's reputation, there is still an endless stream of applicants.After announcing the closure of the store, Noma said that according to the current market salary, the restaurant cannot afford the labor expenses of 100 people.

Credit: Laerke Posselt—The New York Times

"Financial Times" and other media have exposed the existence of NomaWorkplace Bullying, Sexual Harassment, DiscriminationAnd so on.Over the past 10 years, chef René Redzepi has also triedchange and correct the problem.He openly stated that he wants to change his mind through psychological counseling, meditation, etc.Irritability, erratic, compulsive and frenzied workworkplace style.

On the other hand, some new-generation interns also said that it is difficult to adapt to this workplace environment.they want to engage inHighly repetitive and complex labor.Intern Hegde told the New York Times that sheSpent three months just learning how to piece together a beetle from the peel.

A dish at Noma, the lifelike peel beetle

Image Source:Ditte Isager

In Noma, it is difficult for interns to have the opportunity to really practice cooking skills (such as improving knife skills and tasting dishes) and learn useful knowledge. More people just getA shiny badge on your resume— Worked at Noma.

Above: Noma's dishes

Lisa Lind Dunbar, a veteran in the industry, also said that the chefs of many other high-end restaurants in Copenhagen are from the Noma system, and they have "old alumni and old friends".code of loyalty", so if employees want to work in a restaurant in Copenhagen, it is difficult to openly talk about workplace issues such as salary and harassment within the system.

After the news spread, many netizens couldn't help complaining in the comment area and social media.

A blogger sent out the Noma dishes she had eaten, which seemed to beDark cuisineNot too much. (Bold friends suggest searching for "Duck head", this dish may make some friends uncomfortable, so the captain will not release it here)

Screenshot source:mrsmedeiros

Noma dishes: on the left is chocolate chicken feet; on the right is ant sorbet

Some people think that high-end cuisine isOne is willing to fight and the other is willing to endure, is a service exclusive to a few wealthy classes.And interns don't get paid, that's what they do voluntarily, after all, this experience can give them more opportunities.

Others think the news is simplyWhy not eat minced meat?, so many people around the world can't afford to eat, and the high-end restaurants loved by the rich are closed, which is not a problem.

Some people also think that if the restaurant can’t continue because there are no free interns, then the restaurant’sThe business model is problematicYes, it is not a pity that such a restaurant closes down.

Of course there are peopleQuestioning the whole concept of "haute cuisine", Remove a few heavy food processing labor steps, will the taste of the dishes change dramatically?How many people can really appreciate the difference between craftsmanship and raw materials?Haute cuisine is a kind of pretentiousness and self-satisfaction for the chef.

Above:René Redzepi and his team

Image Source:Ty Stange/The Observer