I generally agree, and would like to add that a good amount of dough certainly leverages courage and imagination. That's why rich parents send their children to good school.
If you live in a country that values cost performance, you're very lucky, too.
In that sense, I feel absolutely privileged living in Japan regarding food. I guess that is because people have infinite energy to pursue tasty food; somewhat similar to English people's passion for their "castle", i.e., home.
When I lived in London, I noticed many TV programs on properties. In Japan, we have many TV programs on good restaurants of reasonable prices.
I love what we call B-class gourmet diners which offer affordable but tasty casual food. These kinds of chains provide super A-class taste in a systematic manner. One example is Takoyaki, fried octopus dough ball in the same size as a golf ball.
Of all the Takoyaki shops that I know, Gindaco, a relatively new chain established in Eastern Japan in 1997, is the best. For the excellent cost performance, they have prevailed in Asia and beyond. I have not observed comparable foreign food chains that succeed in Japan.
As such, Japanese B-class gourmet diners are the trend setter that captures the heart of the growing middle class in Asia, particularly China; Hong Kong; and Thailand.
