WEBVTT - Are Restaurants' Michelin Stars Related to Michelin Tires?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Bogebam here. Fourteen restaurants in Washington, d C. Got

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<v Speaker 1>coveted Michelin Stars in September of this year, including the

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<v Speaker 1>city's first three starred restaurant, The Inn at Little Washington.

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<v Speaker 1>This was part of Michelin's nineteen rollout of U S cities.

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<v Speaker 1>But the Michelin Guide didn't start out as the iconic

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<v Speaker 1>fine dining guide we know of today. In fact, it

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<v Speaker 1>was originally just a promotion for a tire company. Let's

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<v Speaker 1>back up for a bit of history. In eighteen eighty nine,

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<v Speaker 1>Edward and Andre Michelin founded their eponymous tire company in

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<v Speaker 1>Claremont Ferrand, France. Ten years later, they introduced the famous

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<v Speaker 1>Michelin Man mascot, whose official name is Monsieur bi Bendam.

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<v Speaker 1>In Michelin's early advertisements, Monsieur b Bendam was pictured with

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<v Speaker 1>a glass in hand and the caption nunc esque bendam,

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<v Speaker 1>which is Latin for now is the time to drink.

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<v Speaker 1>Around nineteen hundred, Michelin started creating and giving out free

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<v Speaker 1>guides filled with useful road in from nation locations of hotels,

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<v Speaker 1>gas stations and restaurants around France. They're hoping to increase

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<v Speaker 1>their tire sales by encouraging more driving, But as the

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<v Speaker 1>entire company became more successful, so did the guides. Eventually,

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<v Speaker 1>Michelin expanded the coverage across Europe and even began charging

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<v Speaker 1>for the guides in nineteen twenty. As the Michelin Guide

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<v Speaker 1>gained respect in the industry, the company introduced its first

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<v Speaker 1>Fine Dining guide in nine six, and later it's three

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<v Speaker 1>star rating system in ninety one. Now, the Michelin Star

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<v Speaker 1>is one of the most coveted honors a restaurant can earn.

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<v Speaker 1>In fact, restaurants and only four US cities Chicago, New York,

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<v Speaker 1>San Francisco and Washington, d C Are even rated. The

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<v Speaker 1>bulk restaurants are located in Europe and Asia. What does

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<v Speaker 1>the Michelin Star mean? One star indicates high quality cooking

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<v Speaker 1>or the stop, two stars excellent cooking or the detour,

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<v Speaker 1>and three stars exceptional cuisine worth a special journey. Today inspectors,

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<v Speaker 1>as Michelin calls them, are anonymous and pay for their

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<v Speaker 1>meals to maintain credibility. They judge their experience based on

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<v Speaker 1>the equality of the products mastery of flavoring, cooking techniques,

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<v Speaker 1>the personality of the chef in their cuisine, the value

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<v Speaker 1>for the money, and the consistency between visits. Michelin acknowledges

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<v Speaker 1>that the inspector job isn't quite as glamorous as it sounds,

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<v Speaker 1>and that the Michelin Guide isn't considered a source of

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<v Speaker 1>profit for the company, but it is nevertheless an important

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<v Speaker 1>part of the Michelin brand. And so what does it

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<v Speaker 1>take for a restaurant and chef to earn a prestigious

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<v Speaker 1>Michelin Star or three lamb ming Kin chef owner of

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<v Speaker 1>one Michelin starred long Tail in tai Pei, Taiwan, had

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<v Speaker 1>this advice for a panel at the Michelin Guide Singapore

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<v Speaker 1>Trade Seminar. They said, cooking involves craftsmanship and a human touch.

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<v Speaker 1>There's no fast solution. You need to spend time with

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<v Speaker 1>your cooks and train them step by step. It sounds

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<v Speaker 1>like the answer to earning Michelin stars is the same

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<v Speaker 1>thing that made Michelin Stars so comfortable to begin with,

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<v Speaker 1>slow and steady wins the race. Today's episode was written

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<v Speaker 1>by Series three Wit and produced by Tyler Clang. For

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<v Speaker 1>more on this and lots of other prestigious topics. Visit

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<v Speaker 1>our home planet, how stuff Works dot com, m