History Behind the Michelin Guide (Unit28)

Recognized as the ultimate dining guide there's no denying Michelin's rich history which dates back to 1900 when two Frenchmen by the names of Andre and Edouard Michelin first published a guidebook to be offered free of charge to motorists traveling around France.
It's a beautiful story.
I mean, it's called the Michelin Guide for one specific reason, because it belonged to this tire company.
And Andre and Edouard Michelin in the 1900 decided to create a little book in France in order to help the motorists travel around.

I mean, we talk of a time that you were not born, I was not born.
But there was like 3,500 cars in France.
They decided to say, "We will produce a little red guide which is called the Michelin Guide, and we're gonna give that for free to all the people who travel, to all the motorists."
And they decided with this little guide to give information about how to inflate your tires,where to find gasoline, because we're talking about a time where there was no petrol station anywhere, and where to stop in a little village, and at the same time where to eat and where to sleep.
And that's really the beginning of the Michelin Guide in 1900 in France.
Now, 110 years later, we obviously continue to do what we've been doing for 110 years and we're covering not only France, but we're covering now, 23 countries.

 

We're talking about a sale of 1.2 million books each year.
And today, with 100 inspectors travelling the globe, the Michelin Guide has selected 15,000 establishments on three continents.
The restaurants range from virtual palaces to simple shops.
For those in the food industry, it's generally regarded as the highest accolade one can receive.

 

Vocabulary

• 1

  petrol

  Petrol is a liquid which is used as a fuel for motor vehicles.

• 2

  inspector

  An inspector is a person, usually employed by a government agency, whose job is to find out whether people are obeying official regulations.

• 3

  accolade

  If someone is given an accolade, something is done or said about them which shows how much people admire them.

• Example

  Petrol is no longer a cheap fuel.

  석유는 더 이상 싼 연료가 아니다.

• Example

  The inspectors are listing their purchases.

  검열관들이 그들의 구매품 리스트를 작성하고 있다.

• Example

  In Hollywood, an "Oscar" is the highest accolade.

  헐리우드에서는 "오스카 상"이 가장 영예스러운 상이다.

Questions

• 1

  Why did the two Frenchmen create the Michelin guide?

• 2

  How has the Michelin book changed over the past 100 years?

• 3

  If you could start a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?