Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. deserve
    • ex. You’ve been working so hard this year. You deserve a long vacation!
  2. a food stall
    • ex. When I went to Taiwan, I ate at a lot of food stalls.
  3. criteria
    • ex. My teacher scores our projects based on 5 criteria.
  4. harmony
    • ex. The harmony of colors in this painting is really beautiful.
  5. consistency
    • ex. Greg needs to improve his consistency. Sometimes his work is good, and sometimes it’s bad.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Burger King says that its new burger deserves a Michelin [MISH-uh-lin] star. In an online marketing campaign, the fast-food chain invited Michelin reviewers to try its new Master Angus burger, which is sold only at its Belgium and Luxembourg [LUHK-suhm-burg] locations. Michelin responded by sending two anonymous reviewers to the fast-food chain in October.

Burger King acknowledged that Michelin stars and fast-food burgers don’t really seem to match, but Michelin said that its stars are not only for fancy restaurants. In 2017, a food stall in Singapore was awarded one Michelin star for its chicken rice dish, which sells for only S$2 (about ¥155). Created by a Malaysian-born chef, the chicken rice dish is known as the cheapest Michelin-starred dish in the world.

The Michelin Guide was first published in France in 1900. Michelin reviewers judge dishes based on five criteria: quality, cooking skill, harmony of flavors, consistency, and how the dish shows the chef’s personality. Worldwide, more than 15,000 restaurants have at least one Michelin star, and 105 restaurants have the highest score of three Michelin stars.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Reviews

  • Is it good that Michelin does anonymous reviews, or should they announce to restaurants when they're coming? Why? Discuss.
  • Do you think reviews help customers choose good products/services? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What should businesses do when they receive a bad review (ex. apologize, offer discounts)? Why? Discuss.

Michelin Stars

  • Do you think burgers or other types of fast food deserve Michelin stars? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think that Michelin Stars are a good guide to find the best food and restaurants? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Currently, there are 5 criteria for a Michelin star: quality, cooking skill, harmony of flavors, consistency, and how the dish shows the chef’s personality. Should more criteria be added to the list (ex. uniqueness, price)? Why or why not? Discuss.