Wednesday Wisdom

WHO?

Michelin tires were founded by the Michelin brothers, André and Édouard. They were born in the 1850s in Paris, France and educated at the prestigious Lycée Louis-le-Grand, a secondary school started by the Jesuits in 1563. Notable alumni besides the Michelin brothers included writers Voltaire and Victor Hugo and philosopher Renee Descartes.

They started the company in 1889 in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Initially, the company focused on manufacturing rubber products like bicycle tires before expanding into the production of automobile tires. At that time there were fewer than 3,00 automobiles, however the brothers had the insight to realize the future of transportation lay with the automobile.

What they produced

The Michelin Guide was started by the Michelin tire company, and it was initiated by the brothers as a handy pamphlet with tire changing instructions, maps and lists of where to purchase petro (gas), where to find lodging and the lasting legacy of where to eat. Initially in 1900, it was a free promotional guide by the Michelin tire company to encourage more people to travel and consequently use more tires.

One day Andre showed up at the tire shop and saw his beloved little red guidebook used as way to prop up a work bench. Believing the principle that people will respect what they pay for, they added the restaurant ratings in 1926, including the iconic Michelin stars and charged seven francs. Originally introduced by the guide as a way to recognize and promote exceptional dining establishments a few years later the added their star rating system of 0 through 3 to distinguish between the restaurants.

Today some 100 years later, the Michelin star system is as important and has had a major influence over the aesthetics of the culinary arts. The ratings system takes into account five universal criteria: the quality of the ingredients, the harmony of flavors, the mastery of techniques, the personality of the chef as expressed through their cuisine and, just as importantly, consistency both across the entire menu and over time. The anonymous cadre of tasters not only reward stars, but they also continually monitor restaurants to ensure continuity of quality. In New York, legendary restaurants like Le Cirque, Le Perigord, La Cote Basque and Bouley all received multiple stars.

2023 why do we care?

The first culinary school, Le Cordon Bleu, was founded in Paris in 1895. This moved food from just sustenance to recognizing cooking as a specialized skill that could be taught and refined. Michelin most importantly brought attention to the chefs and restauranters that dedicated themselves to quality and set a baseline for aesthetic qualities of fine dining. Although often criticized for being Franco centric and giving more weight to French cooking techniques, Michelin has expanded to recognize and rate cuisine from all over the world.

The Michelin Star is considered the “Oscars” of the food world and can change the fortunes of a chef. More importantly, the Michelin ratings has not only influenced the culinary arts through competition, but it has also helped expand palates as people are exposed to different cultures and foods.

Being awarded one star is a sign that you’ve succeeded at the highest level as a chef. Two and your restaurant is excellent, and worth being visited often. Three Stars and the restaurant is worth getting in your car or plane (they have tires) and travelling for an ethereal meal.

So how far would you travel for a 3-star meal?

And now you know...

Philosophy is the art of thinking, the building block of progress that shapes critical thinking across economics, ethics, religion, and science. 

METAPHYSICS: Literally, the term metaphysics means ‘beyond the physical.’ Typically, this is the branch that most people think of when they picture philosophy. In metaphysics, the goal is to answer the what and how questions in life. Who are we, and what are time and space?

LOGIC: The study of reasoning. Much like metaphysics, understanding logic helps to understand and appreciate how we perceive the rest of our world. More than that, it provides a foundation for which to build and interpret arguments and analyses. 

ETHICS: The study of morality, right and wrong, good and evil. Ethics tackles difficult conversations by adding weight to actions and decisions. Politics takes ethics to a larger scale, applying it to a group (or groups) of people. Political philosophers study political governments, laws, justice, authority, rights, liberty, ethics, and much more.

AESTHETICS: What is beautiful? Philosophers try to understand, qualify, and quantify what makes art what it is. Aesthetics also takes a deeper look at the artwork itself, trying to understand the meaning behind it, both art as a whole and art on an individual level. A question an aesthetics philosopher would seek to address is whether or not beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

EPISTEMOLOGY: This is the study and understanding of knowledge. The main question is how do we know? We can question the limitations of logic, how comprehension works, and the ability (or perception) to be certain.