a michelin star

Although I am not a foodie, I really enjoy watching MasterChef. TV1 are screening the UK series at the moment, but I confess [very quietly] to liking the australian series better.  They are down to the final three contestants and last night they got to cook for Alain Ducasse and five of his proteges.

He is one of the best apparently and last year, for the third time was awarded three Michelin Stars for his restaurants in Paris, Monaco and London. So what’s a Michelin star? In plain non-technical terms, it is a system that rates the quality of a restaurant’s food. So based on my reading: 1 star would be “definitely worth putting this expensive meal on the credit card”, 2-star would be “brilliant, take out a personal loan to cover the meal”, and 3-star would be “once in a life time opportunity, do whatever is necessary to eat here”.

But joking aside, the Michelin Star rating system has been in full use since the early 1930s. It is said it’s the most recognised rating system in the culinary world. One star is awarded to restaurants with “very good cuisine in its category”, 2-star is described as “excellent cuisine, worth a detour”, and 3-star is “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”.

By special journey I think they mean ‘take your plane out of the private hanger and take a quick trip to [insert country] for dinner’.

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