How Do Publishers Judge Good Taste When Acquiring Manuscripts?

The protagonist in 'Good Taste' is Julian, a once-renowned chef whose arrogance became his downfall. Julian’s culinary genius is undeniable—his dishes are art, his palate unmatched. But his ego blinds him. He dismisses collaborators as inferior, scoffs at tradition, and treats customers as mere spectators to his brilliance. His flaw isn’t just pride; it’s a refusal to adapt. When food trends shift toward sustainability and humility, he clings to old-school extravagance, losing his Michelin stars and respect. His redemption arc begins when he’s forced to mentor a young, socially conscious chef who challenges his worldview. Julian’s journey exposes a deeper flaw: fear of irrelevance. His tantrums mask insecurity, and only when he embraces vulnerability does his cooking regain soul. The novel cleverly parallels his rigid techniques with his rigid mindset, making his eventual growth as satisfying as a perfectly plated dessert.

In 'Good Taste', the love triangle is a central tension that drives the narrative. It involves the protagonist, a talented but indecisive chef, torn between two compelling love interests. The first is a fiery food critic who challenges their creativity with sharp wit and unpredictable moods. The second is a gentle farmer who supplies organic ingredients, embodying stability and quiet passion. Their dynamic isn’t just romantic—it reflects the protagonist’s struggle between ambition and contentment. The critic pushes them to innovate, while the farmer grounds them in authenticity. The triangle deepens as the chef’s culinary choices mirror their emotional conflicts, making every dish a metaphor for their heart. The relationships are layered with professional stakes. The critic’s reviews could make or break the chef’s career, adding pressure to their attraction. Meanwhile, the farmer’s disdain for pretentious cuisine clashes with the chef’s gourmet ambitions. It’s a deliciously messy clash of egos, values, and desires, where love and career are inextricably linked. The triangle resolves not with a neat choice, but with the chef learning to balance both influences in their life and art.

In 'Good Taste', the main conflict revolves around the protagonist, a chef torn between preserving her family's traditional recipes and embracing modern culinary trends to save their failing restaurant. Her father refuses to adapt, clinging to heritage, while critics and customers demand innovation. The tension peaks when she secretly enters a high-stakes cooking competition using fusion dishes, risking disownment. The resolution is bittersweet. Her bold flavors win the competition, drawing crowds to the restaurant, but her father initially disowns her. Through a heartfelt letter and a final meal—a reinvented version of his signature dish—she bridges the gap. He relents, recognizing that tradition can evolve without losing its soul. The story ends with their menu blending old and new, symbolizing reconciliation and growth.

When a soundtrack clicks for me, it's like catching a director's handwriting across the whole film — you start to see how they think about emotion, memory, and atmosphere. I love it when a director uses music not as wallpaper but as a character: a recurring motif that shifts meaning depending on context, or an unexpected needle-drop that reorients a scene. For instance, hearing a melancholic piano line return in a different key later can tell you the director is paying attention to narrative echo and tonal architecture. On the practical side, good taste shows up in choices that balance reference and originality. Choosing a composer who complements the film's visual language, leaning into silence when music would oversell a moment, or opting for a single instrument to carry a whole sequence — those decisions reveal a director who understands restraint and specificity. I remember catching a bus and replaying a scene in my head because the director had layered a barely audible motif under dialogue; that kind of confidence feels like trust in the audience and in the score. When I walk out of a theatre humming something that wasn't even meant to be catchy, I know the director made the soundscape work on purpose.

Honestly, fashion in anime is a whole mood and I get giddy talking about it. Spike Spiegel from 'Cowboy Bebop' is my go-to example of effortless cool—his slouchy suit, loose tie, and that perpetual half-asleep posture make him look like he rolled out of a vintage menswear magazine. I find that kind of relaxed tailoring is incredibly wearable in real life; I’ve thrifted oversized blazers and mimicked that undone look more than once. On the flip side, I love characters who treat clothing like armor. Misato from 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' mixes military pieces with soft, everyday items in a way that reads confident and lived-in. Then there’s Jotaro Kujo from 'JoJo\'s Bizarre Adventure'—his silhouette is bold, heavy on structure and visual motifs, which shows how costume can amplify personality. I also adore Viktor Nikiforov from 'Yuri!!! on Ice' because his off-rink looks are exquisitely curated: soft textures, neat layers, and a monochrome palette that makes him instantly iconic. Combining these influences, I end up with a wardrobe that’s part cinematic, part cozy, and always a little dramatic.

The novel 'Good Taste' dives deep into personal growth by framing it as a messy, nonlinear journey rather than a tidy arc. The protagonist starts off as someone who thinks refinement is about mastering external rules—knowing which wine pairs with which dish, how to dress for every occasion, the right phrases to sound cultured. But the story brilliantly unravels this illusion. Their turning point comes when a failed dinner party exposes how empty those performative layers are. What follows isn’t a montage of self-improvement; it’s a series of uncomfortable realizations. They begin to see how their obsession with 'taste' was really about masking insecurities, a way to control how others perceive them. The raw moments hit hardest: crying over burnt caramel because it symbolizes their fear of imperfection, or snapping at a friend who points out their pretentiousness. The beauty of the narrative lies in its small, tactile details. The protagonist learns to appreciate the uneven edges of handmade pottery, the way sourdough bread demands patience rather than precision. These metaphors for growth feel earned, not preachy. Supporting characters play crucial roles—not as mentors, but as mirrors. One subplot involves a retired chef who cooks simple meals with mismatched plates, challenging the protagonist’s belief that beauty requires polish. Another thread explores their strained relationship with a sibling who’s content with a 'mediocre' life, forcing them to confront why they equate ambition with worth. By the end, the protagonist doesn’t magically transform into a paragon of wisdom. They just learn to sit with discomfort, to find joy in the uncurated parts of life. The last scene, where they host another dinner party but this time laugh off spilled wine, encapsulates growth as acceptance, not achievement.

When I look for good taste in a novel's setting, the first thing that catches my eye is restraint. A skilled writer doesn't try to show every single detail of their world; they pick a handful of sensory anchors and let those do the heavy lifting. I love when a place smells specific—like wet stone after rain, frying garlic at dawn, or the metallic bite of a spaceship's engine room—and the author returns to those anchors at the right moments. Another sign is internal logic. Even if the world has magic or alien tech, the rules feel consistent. That consistency lets characters make believable choices and makes consequences hit harder. I think of 'Dune' for its ecology shaping politics, or how 'The Name of the Wind' uses the university's rules to ground its wonder. Finally, tasteful settings serve theme and character. The best settings aren't just pretty backdrops; they teach you about the people who live there. A cramped coastal town can reveal stubbornness and warmth; a spotless corporate city can reveal loneliness underneath. When those layers align, I feel like I'm walking through a place that was lived-in before I arrived, and that always thrills me.

There are movies that feel like someone lovingly constructed a whole world by hand, and 'Blade Runner' is probably the first I blurt out when this topic comes up. The rain-slick neon of Ridley Scott's city, the cluttered future tech mixed with decayed Art Deco, and those tiny practical props make every frame feel lived-in — I can almost smell the street food and oil. Production design here isn't just pretty; it tells class, culture, and history without a single line of dialogue. On a completely different palette, 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' is a masterclass in deliberate whimsy. Every pastel room, every minutely detailed prop, and the way symmetrical sets interact with costume creates a fairytale logic that still feels grounded. When I watch these films, I sketch little thumbnail designs in the margins of whatever I'm reading or jot notes in my phone about color contrasts and how props place characters in society. Both films, though wildly different, show that taste in production design is about restraint, coherence, and an obsessive love for small, truthful details.