THE only problem with the Beck's Taste of Temple Bar Awards is that there can't be 50 judges prowling the restaurants of the rive gauche, giving their all and their wherewithal to T. Bar food.
Just imagine what fun it would be, for example, to introduce Cait Byrne of Lurgan to some of the great tastes of Temple Bar.
Why fun? Well, Ms Byrne confesses that "when confronted with something which really tickles my taste buds. I have been known to emit low moaning noises. This causes neighbouring diners to either check underneath the tablecloth or order whatever I'm having."
I'll have what she's having, thanks very much.
Ms Byrne's passion for good food was echoed by every letter received from readers who wanted to be part of the judging panel, alongside Bill Hughes, Ann Marie Hourihane, Petra Carter and Minno Ralman.
Jo Meade of Rathgar got straight to the point in her letter: "I love cooking. I love eating out. I love entertaining summer visitors to our city," a triple wham my which makes her request hard to turn down. Mrs Meade also shows her mettle in terms of critical judgment: "Too often menus don't play to our culinary strengths enough. I feel strongly that more could be made of Irish ingredients."
So what kind of profile emerged from the reader's letters? Well - prepare yourselves for this, folks - a pretty flattering one, actually especially among female readers. Loraine Hayes of Christ Church not only wrote a witty and engaging poem on a witty and engaging card, but also characterised the typical entry: "I do not have any formal training in the food industry but am an avid cook . . . I am a regular restaurant goer I have also travelled very widely in Africa, China, India, America and Europe and delight in the experience of varied cuisine."
This passionate dedication to good food and its multifarious magnificence is almost daunting to consider. Long gone are the days when Irish eaters were stereotyped as unimaginative, conservative and uncomplaining. Heather Sweetnam of Cork captures the picture perfectly: "As a cook I think I have the confidence to experiment with new ingredients without being a slave to fashion or a food snob," and her choice of favourite restaurants is a thrill of selectivity: favourite posh ones are Ivory Tower, Cork; Longueville House, Mallow; Vintage, Kinsale; and The Oystercatcher, near Kinsale, whilst the casual ones are Cafe Paradiso, Cork; Farm Gate, Midleton and Cork; and Sean na mBads, Carrigaline.
Why is this such a good choice? Because these are places which are remarkably diverse in style, yet all are special because of their dedicated, exciting cooking. Irish Times readers hold no torch for encrusted reputations, and they know who the hot shots are.
"I know my lemongrass from my lemongrass oil (thanks to Kevin Thornton)," writes Gina Boles of Dartry, who also admits that "I'm not such a food snob that I can't levitate at the thought of macaroni cheese with a good dollop of Colman's garlic mustard", an addiction she denies is a fad due to being pregnant.
The wit of the letters made them a joy to read, and created even greater agony at choosing just four judges. "Myself and my husband, although amateurs and with no connection in the food business, are real hedonists, loving nothing more than to spend hours over a nice meal and a bottle of wine," writes Beatrice Ardal O'Hanlon of Greystones, which makes her sound like the dinner companion from heaven, though Moninne Agnew's terse missive was hard to top: "Serious foodie, 35, enjoys dancing on restaurant tables and can handle silver service."
What was also especially gratifying was the fact that the letters poured in from all over the country, and from men and women of all ages. Simply reading the letters gives one great optimism for the future of Irish cooking, because there is nothing a good restaurateur respects more than a good eater.
Chets love someone who appreciates critically, like Miriam D'Arcy of Capdoo, in Co Clare who comes from a family of food lovers and is "aware of the achievement of the chef who creates a beautiful symphony of food", or Julie Richardson of Tramore, in Co Waterford who writes that "The more I know about food the more I need to know about it."
With critics like this at work, restaurateurs should be very trepidatious, but also very encouraged.
But, let's bite the bullet and get to the hard bit. Who are the chosen quartet, and why?
First off is Helen McKenna of Booterstown, who writes that she is "no relation, unfortunately, or I could pick his brains" and whose letter was an impressive demonstration of restaurant criticism, expressed in the most uncliched way. "All holidays, weekends away are ultimately determined, by how the food and its surroundings were," she writes.
John Harpur, of Dunsany, Co Meath, is an organic farmer raising pig, beef and cereals, who has lived in Italy and has a stint in the groves of academe behind him, just the right sort of mixture of the practical and the theoretical to tackle the mean streets of Temple Bar.
Sheila Maloney gains entry by virtue not only of brevity and wit - "I am 57 years old and obsessed with food (a nice way of saying pure greedy). I have four girls from 29 to 14 years and an assertive dog" - but also because she teaches Sunshine Cookery in Cabinteely Community School Adult Education Department, and has published a book on this interesting brand of vegetarian cookery.
Finally, Carolyn Compelli of Stoneybatter wrote a hoot of a letter, which not only described herself as having the perfect weight for the job - "thin enough to look choosy about what I eat, but not so thin as to look as if I exist on caviar and Jacob's Cream Crackers - but which acted as a summation of so many other letters from readers who share a witty "passion for good food and wine".
They will now go to work, on their bellies, and results of the judges' deliberations will arrive at the end of October.
Many thanks to all who replied.
I found it utterly agonising when it came to choosing just four judges, but overall the letters were not only terrifically impressive, but quite inspiring.