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@TastingHistory Hello Max, I have a few questions for ya: 1) Are you planning to do an episode on the history of Coq Au Vin and 2) Eggs Benedict as well?
I love the visual of American soldiers in Paris hunkered down in a building, one guy flipping through a book of maps and saying “apparently this place had really good chicken. I hope they’ll reopen after this is over”
I think I've seen a single-panel comic from WWII that showed soldiers checking a guidebook and talking about touristy stuff. Doonesbury did a riff on it (not Michelin, but a guidebook) in the 70s, with a Vietnamese soldier traveling to Laos (IIRC). He got a bombed out innkeeper to feed him based on the description from the guide.
I don't even think of Michelin as a French company, even though the name makes it obvious when you think about it. A tire company I had no idea was actually Japanese, until I went to Japan and a lot of older people would tell me about it? Bridgestone. The company founder's name is Ishibashi (stone bridge) and he decided to translate his name into English for his company name.
I spent 44 years working for Michelin. When the Michelin brothers started making tires, they were bicycle tires. Bicycle tires of the time took about 24 hours to repair. The Michelin tire could be repaired in 4 hours. Bicycle racing was big at that time and after the Michelin tire came out, if a racer wanted to win, he used Michelin tires.
@@___Bebo___ Nah man, fastest man who cheated just enough to still be able to join the official races. There are true drug and steroid-fueled monsters out there but they keep them out of the spotlight.
And the saddest part is that it would be VERY unlikely for a chef like Brasier to get a Michelin Star today. Precisely because she cooks good food for the eating, not just for the presentation.
@@Nelsonwmj Yeah, I think about the Miami stars they've done and it's depressing. Like the best food is a sandwich off the side of a coin laundry or a fritanga made by lil ol' abuelitas. No fuss, just an 8.99$ styrofoam plate of meat, beans and rice that leaves you in tears of joy
@@Nelsonwmj I kind of disagree. I think recently, even Michelin Guide reviewers are starting to rebel against "nice looking food" in favor of _great_ tasting food again.
@@Sacto1654 I'd much rather have good homecooked meals that just taste amazing be the basis for Michelin stars than whatever fancy schmancy pseudo scientist chef can concoct for $3000 per meal. There's a place for both in the world and I think the Michelin star criteria can reflect both equally
Once, my husband and I were talking about a restaurant and he said it was a three star place. I confused Michelin stars with google review stars so I replied ‘they only have three stars?!’. We still laugh about the restaurant that only has three Michelin stars to this day 😂 Another amazing episode - I learned so much!
Lady.. Google reviews have only been around, like max 10yrs... You're clearly 60+.. Means you were like Mid-50's and STILL didn't know simple knowledge?
That's a funny anecdote! And honestly I don't think it will do any harm for some 3 Michelin Star restaurants and their chefs to actually hear this story in person like in a passing conversation between some people around them. Good to keep them grounded and realise that there are still people out there who want to eat good food but don't know nor care for what the Michelin Stars are.
I'm French and I remember before GPS and stuff I used to be the "map holder" in the car with my father when we were coursing through the territory. It was a Michelin map and it was very well made, precise and convenient and all. Really brings up cool memories!
My mother used to keep an increasingly degrading plastic bag full of road maps that became more tattered with use over time. One year, my siblings and I all pitched in to give her a lovely wooden chest of drawers that went with their living room furniture to keep all the maps in. It was the first really nice thing that her children bought her with our young adult earning power. When I moved into a rental condo in a newish development, my parents got lost and were three hours late to my housewarming party because my neighborhood wasn't in my mother's last edition of the road map. That year, we all pitched in to get her a set of updated Rand McNally road maps.
It's hard to describe to younger people today how important a good map really was back in the day. And not just accurate, but easy to read. I miss those days!
@@emmettfitz-hume9408I have run into times when the cell phone signal isn't there, or Google is just wrong. And that is when my kids get it, and I am not just an old fossil. They know how to still read maps.
fun fact: as part of their marketing strategy to help people drive, they also funded thousands of road signs, with a distinctive concrete and ceramics look, that are so durable many still exist, and they're still seen as an important part of the rural france heritage and car culture
People with very ordinary income making a trip to a really good restaurant and spend hundreds of euros once or twice a year is also still not uncommon in French rural culture I understoond. With worth a trip or worth a detour, Michelin wasn't being metaphorical.
I can kinda understand the plot of "The Menu": being forced to cook up and decorate some pretentious bs just for a star and losing sight of the imporatant thing of cooking: the love, you pour into it
@@Sniperbear13 No, if a meal were just for your stomach, no one would have a problem eating boiled potatoes until they die. Even by the most basic standards a meal involves 3 senses (smell, taste, touch i.e. the texture of the food) and for some people, 4 (sight). Many won't eat something that doesn't look good and that gets even worse when you put photos of the food in the menu because they don't get a chance to smell it.
That chicken dish really is the epitome of "The simple thing, done well" which is the true essence of gourmet food. Thank you for unearthing this recipe, I have seen Poulet de Bresse for sale near me in the UK, so I may give this a go
My partner once worked for Michelin and while I’d heard many stories through those years, nothing prepared me for him to cheerfully call out the Michelin Man’s name before Max could say it. It’s like I don’t even know you anymore 😂😂😂. I also got additional fun facts and memories of the home office in Greenville, SC. Good times!
I love that you mentioned how part of what made this dish so delicious was her use of a special breed of chicken, the Bresse. In fact there are small farms in the US that raise this very special and very tasty chicken such as my own. This breed is growing in popularity as the chicken you buy in grocery stores is so bland and tasteless. The bresse is the only breed of chicken that actually has marbling in the meat and is finished in a very specific protocol to really accent its exceptional flavors.
I have been in Burgundy for 12 years and you can find Bresse chicken quite easily around here. It is an amazingly tasty experience for sure, very far from the image of the tasteless chicken (not very true around here, even for mid-range "label rouge" chicken), though it tends to be for (semi-)festive occasions given the price.
My husband and I ate at La Mère Brazier maybe 12 years ago. My favourite thing about it was that there was a table of four friends - all about 80 years old, who came out to have the Poulet de Bresse dinner, which was, at the time, the most economical thing on the menu. You would have a roast chicken and all the trimmings which would be carved tableside. We watched it from a distance and were determined to get back there with two friends to experience it the way those folks were, which is to say, with ecstatic fervour. Oh yeah, my ris de veau was pretty damn good as well.
I, like Eugene Brazier, learned to cook by just cooking. Some of my early attempts were terrible, but I got better with time and practice, and I'm now a decent cook. Though I have no Michelin stars or even a restaurant. I just enjoy cooking for my family.
Thats with all professions, be it cooking or, for example, programming. For the later, let that compiler burn, produce crappy code and learn from it, you only get better the more projects you do.
I learned to cook after marrying.. I'd always done some, as soon as my mother allowed me near a stove, but wanting to be a good wife and please my sweetie was a great incentive. I have a funny story about "Blue food" (it was originally a George Carlin joke and I actually tried my making my first cake "blue food" ) my husband joked about it for years.
I agree. Food is meant to be enjoyed and savored. Never to be treated like a show pony. My maternal grandfather used to say when he was alive: "When you eat, you are like the emperor. Nobody gets to bother you.". He was a man who loves good food. To him, good food doesn't need to be super fancy.
I usually make same ol same ol, but sometimes after couple of learning juices (usually rum), i get itch to go crazy. I want to make something weird. Sometimes it works and sometimes doesn't. But got couple of my favorite foods made while drunk. Never knew that when you poach chicken wings and legs in coconut milk, curry, paprika and chili would make my favorite food ever. And they say drinking is bad.
I worked for a 3 star restaurant for several years and it was SOOO important to us. It took our legendary Chef 30 years to get his restaurant to 3 stars despite being already honored by a presidential medal for his contribution to culinary excellence for our country. A documentary on PBS. The 3 stars was way more important to him. Since then the restaurant has kept it for 6 years now I believe. I will say I understand the difference now between a no star, a 1 star and a 3 star. You will not find a better dining experience.
Man these guys were marketing aces. They gave you a destination to go to, a map to get there, and also funded installations of public roadsigns with a distinct, uniform look and font. In other words, they essentially created a whole "driving experience," creating the feeling of anticipation for that nice restaurant, the ritual of pulling out the 'ole trusty handbook map, and the ambience of being on the road with the slick new street signs. I'm surprised a Michelin car radio line wasn't also created, as listening to the radio while on the road would've been yet another key selling point with incentivizing people to drive more. Or maybe Michelin "car flasks" as an early predecessor to Thermoses or Yetis, sold as a portable bottle that would keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold so you could enjoy a beverage while driving that wouldn't slosh out in a bumpy ride or break if it fell, and taking that idea further, partnering with car manufacturers to install "car flask holders" that perfectly fit a Michelin bottle on the dashboards of cars. Can you imagine Michelin being the number one name in the game of modern car stereo speakers or automobile AC units? Anything to make driving more appealing and get people on the road more! What about after-market seat heaters too? Crazy potential.
Well then they would be getting into the hellscape that is Radio Broadcasting, especially during the Golden Age of Radio. Especially since Radios were still big and produced overwhelmingly for stationary use.
seriously, this show is better than Netflix. I put this on in the background but then ended up glued to the screen shaking my head in surprise at all the cool things I learned. And all while watching essentially a cooking show to relax. I LOVE THIS and will share this episode with my whole family!
There's nothing in the world like a woman who can bench press you while loudly insulting your appearance, character, and family lineage at the same time.
For any Latin students tuning in: 'Nunc est bibendum' is a classic example of the passive periphrastic, a saucy little thing Latin can do with a future passive participle and the verb 'to be.' It conveys a sense of necessity or obligation. "Now, you've gotta drink!" is an acceptable translation, even though there is no overtly expressed agent. In passive constructions, Latin may exclude the agent if it's understood from context. If you're going for an idiomatic translation, which you probably should, it's widely agreed that one of the best available is "Shots! Shots! Shots!"
Oh man, I'll never forget this lesson, cause my name is perfect for teaching it. The teacher writing out "amandus", saying, "And so the feminine form would be..." and staring me down so my classmate would get the hint
"Now is the time to drink" is how I'd translate it. If you want to be literal and expand on it for an exam you'd probably write "Now it is appropriate to drink".
Right the “magic” is certainly a fading memory. I have a good story…. Years ago I was visiting Disneyland when I got my monthly visitor unexpectedly. I was in quite a bit of pain and I had a hard time finding the medication/ needs in the park. I went into the Grand Californian and visited the sundry shop. I could not find what I needed but a helpful staff member saw my distress, discreetly asked what I needed and gave me a bag containing midol, pads , M&Ms and a ticket for a free drink at the bar. I went to pay and he winked and said it was “on Mickey”. Love it
8:15 Originally a driving license was just a document that attested that you were a good driver. Here in Sweden they didn't become mandatory until 1924, for instance. So it was actually a good idea that they told people how to drive.
Well it wasn´t really needed, right. The first cars, apart from being luxury products wich only few people had access to (and that could only drive around very restricted areas due to roads, maintenance and fuel availability), where also quite slow. No need to prove you are capable of handling something even a child could outrun. Also, and that´s the most important part I guess: Thy didn´t give a quack back then about a lot of things. Why care if someone drives a combustion engine into a crowd when they put uranium into their toothpaste and children into factories.
@@feed8647 Yes, I'm no friend of freedom infringing laws and regulations, I only mentioned it. When the first cars were made there were also literally no gun control in many countries and you could buy all the drugs and chemicals you wanted just like any other item at the pharmacy.
@@feed8647 The first automobile accident fatality was 42-year-old Mary Ward, a celebrated microscopist, artist, astronomer and naturalist, who fell from a steam carriage and died after crush injuries from its heavy iron wheels on August 31, 1869 in the Irish midlands in County Offaly west of Dublin. Needing a vacation, Mary Ward and her husband Henry went to visit her cousin, William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, who had a castle in the Irish midlands west of Dublin. When someone at her cousin's castle, suggested taking her cousin’s homemade automobile out for a spin, she and her husband went along as passengers. When turning a sharp corner leading to Cumberland Street near Parsonstown, Mary Ward fell forward to the ground and the vehicle drove over her. Medical aid was useless as Mrs Ward was killed instantly. An inquest was held on 1 September at Birr Castle. After hearing the results of Dr. Woods and other witnesses, the jury returned a verdict of an accidental death and no individual was to blame for Mary Ward’s death. BTW, the radioactive toothpaste Doramad made by the German company Auergesellschaft contained thorium, not uranium. Various cosmetics, creams, lotions and ingestibles contained thorium or radium in the early 20th century. Note that radium is produced by the radioactive decay of uranium. There were some devices/structures, but not cosmetics or toothpastes, which contained uranium and claimed health benefits such as the following: - Uranium sand houses, where patients would sit on benches in a round room that had a floor composed of mildly radioactive sand (usually beach sand with crushed minerals like carnotite). These were popular in Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado during the 1950s. - Lying in a narrow box with sands that reputedly contained uranium ore was promoted as a treatment for arthritis, bursitis, and rheumatism as late as 1956. - The NICO Clean Tobacco Card was a device exported from Japan to the United States in the 1960s, consisting of a small card with low-grade uranium ore on one side. The card was to be placed inside a pack of cigarettes, and the producers claimed that the radiation emitted by the card would reduce tar and nicotine. A similar product called the Nicotine Alkaloid Control Plate is reported to have contained monazite sand (with thorium). - Various consumer products such as jewelry, pendants, wristbands and athletic tape are touted as incorporating "negative ion technology"-also advertised under other names such as "quantum scalar energy", "volcanic lava energy", and "quantum science". These products are purportedly infused with minerals that generate negative ions and are marketed as having health benefits or as a means of improving emotional well-being. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and various state agencies have cautioned that such products may contain radioactive material such as uranium and thorium to produce negative ions. Radioactivity levels of these products vary, with some products found to contain levels of radiation high enough to warrant increased regulatory control, such as requiring a radioactive materials license. According to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, "at the beginning of the 20th century, radium was a popular additive in consumer products such as toothpaste, hair creams, and even food items because of its supposed beneficial health properties. When they were found to have adverse health effects, such products soon became unpopular, and authorities in many countries prohibited them. Manufacturers used radium until the early 1970s in self-luminous paints for watches, aircraft switches, clocks, and instrument dials." The general public had no idea that these radioactive substances were so dangerous, but the scientists and corporate executives most certainly did! And yet, they sat back and watched as everyone around them was poisoning themselves. The suits and scientists behind the U.S. Radium Corporation were probably the worst. Knowing very well that their key ingredient radium was approximately one million times more active than uranium, they were careful to avoid any exposure to it themselves. While their young female factory workers fresh out of high school were literally encouraged to swallow radium on a daily basis, the owners and chemists were using lead screens, masks and tongs to handle the radium.
@@feed8647 The cars were very hard to drive, though. Not as early as some of these, but go look up how to drive a Ford Model T. The only thing a driver from today would get right is the steering wheel.
Some Michelin starred restaurants in Europe still serve relatively traditional fare. Like, The Ritz in Paris servers very traditional French food, it's just plated exquisitely. Not all Michelin starred restaurants serve truffle air reduction foam.
@@StanHowse Erm, The Ritz is absolutely fine dining. Honestly, for most people it is the literal embodiment of fine dining. OP was trying to get across that even in the fine dining category, there are restaurants that serve recognizable dishes with familiar ingredients and comforting flavors, they're not all inscrutable science experiments. In fact, even today there still aren't that many restaurants that feature molecular gastronomy gimmicks as a centerpiece. It mildly annoys me that a lot of people (not necessarily you) assume that since they saw Wiley Dufresne or Heston Blumenthal on PBS one time, all starred restaurants must be nerdy elitist monasteries serving food that looks like Duplo blocks under domes of flavored smoke. That's not reality.
@@its_clean The snob factor is such a big one. But I really like how Max noted how good food needn't necessarily be complicated and showy. So many things in society that we praise as "good" are just the result of people trying to virtue-signal their supposed superior taste (for food, or politics, or whatever) by aligning themselves with whatever showy fad is going on.
Growing up in early 2000s, my parents treated the AAA (American Automobile Association) restaurant recommendations just like the original Michelin guide- on road trips I don't remember going anywhere that didn't have a AAA certification! They also kept every single AAA roadmap which was a total throwback to go through when my parents downsized a couple years ago
French here and honestly, if you ever go to France, skip Paris and go to Lyon directly. This is where the heart of French cuisine is, where you'll find a ton of interesting places to try. Also Lyon is a beautiful city with a pleasant atmosphere!
It does look like a flower. It also, however, looks like an asterisk which we use to " star " or make note of an item when typing. It's used on one page documents to call attention to footnotes. Each subsequent item on the page being noted receiving an additional star or asterix
Dude, yes! I'm always pumped to see it, the same way I pay intense attention to the name of the shop next door in the Bob's Burgers intro. It's such a fun little easter egg, and I love how he themes the Pokemon with the video (By the way Max, Chef Pikachu is an immaculate choice for this one. 5 stars)
Okay, now that I've seen the history behind it and it weirdly made sense... Could you do an episode about Guiness in your drinking history show (pretty please)? I'm very curious to know what the story behind that is.
@@owenbloomfield1177 Oh the kind of trivia game we can play while drinking? Cool! (disclamer: poster's opinion only. Drinking is not actually cool, don't do it kids)
What's really interesting about the post-war Michelin guides is that for several years they showed specific bunkers, command posts, etc. that were destroyed in the war but that took years to clean up, thus sometimes "decorating" and sometimes interfering with local roads. (If that sounds a bit crazy, during a family trip in 1982 we passed through the obvious remains of German U-boat pens on the French coast -- cleaning up that many tons of reinforced concrete takes a *long* time.)
I truly do think the deepest basis of human cultures, tied to countries or not, is rooted in their food. The legacies of earnest farmers, experimental chefs, and hardworking cooks have been the backing of everything else humanity has ever built, and each distinct culture is a layered framework of all their endeavors. French cuisine isn't the culinary end-all-be-all, but a lot of the passion and drive for excellence of those famous and even not so famous French chefs has carried on a LOT more into the modern day than people would expect. The fact you find so many decades, and even century old recipes still enduring in one form or another is proof of that.
The history of Michelin reminds me a lot of the path AAA has taken, growing from a driver's and road lobby to providing maps and travel assistance, to providing insurance and discounts.
Okay sir now that will be $195! Would you like to tip??? Bro I just paid over $100 for like 4 mouthfuls of food that didn't even taste that great and you want me to tip?
@@tyronebiggums5547 At least the Meres d'Lyon knew how to make a tasty, stick-to-your-ribs meal. "Cuisine de bonfemme." A meal to do a king OR a hard-working peasant proud.
I have to say, while most michelin star restaurants I have eaten have the whole show thing and the courses with 7 to 15 dishes, the first one I ate at (around 12 years ago) had just gotten the star at the time and had nothing like that. They specialized in mushroom dishes and while the combination of flavours was very original, and the quality of the product was amazing, it was not showy at all (the restaurant was a clasic asador in a village in the middle of nowhere). Now they started the whole minimalist, tons of dishes thing not long after that, but the fact that they got the star before it made it clear that the showyness is no requirement to get the stars, even today.
I think it’s interesting that most people these days are more interested in the over the top presentation and showmanship of fine dining rather than just being interested in having a delicious meal. I am not interested in any of that nonsense, I just like good food, tastes even better when it’s being served for a fair price.
@@caimansaurus5564 yes, the food was actually better with the showy menu since they trimmed their menu and took out a few dishes that weren't really at the same level (mostly their fish dishes) If they had just trimmed those dishes without the showy thing (and specially without the significant price increase) it would have been even better, but that's how the business works
When I was a kid, twice a year every year my family would drive from our home in the South of England down through France to stay with relatives on the South coast of France. On the way we would use the guide to pick restraunts and hotels as it would take a few days. Back then there were so many small places serving up this kind of food, Francew truly becama a magical place for me. I feel so lucky to have seen and experienced that.
Max! I have had the worst and most horrible day! Coming on here and seeing a video from you is such a relief! Watching your content always brightens my mood and helps me to feel ok. Thanks so much for everything you do! 🤗
I am from Europe, and when I was a Child, the Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters always was the Michelin Man for me lol. I didn't know Marshmallows, but that tire guy was something I was familiar with lol.
That's really cute ! it's fun because in France he's literally called Bibendum Chamallow lol it's so ingrained in us that anything that looks like it is a bibendum now
Today's Michelin starred restaurants are often disparaged as "Tellerdesigner" (Platedesigner) here in my area of germany. You know because of the "fireworks" and the small portions and the plates look more like art than something you should/can eat. And because they are really expensive especially for the small portions (even if a meal has many courses). So seeing what has gotten three stars around the time the guide started makes me curious where or when that changed.
I think it just became a game of trying to one-up everyone else competing for a star, by being "the most fancy" versus just "having good food". Make a dish that looks and tastes good with the idea of it being fancy and gourmet and 'for the rich' people will go nuts.
My father was a tyre salesman and fitter ,and memories of childhood in London area, like going to his shop and climbing in the towers of tyres,getting dirty the smell is very evocative to this day. Also we knew him as Mr Bibendum ,my dad was a smoker and our home was full of tyre ashtrays ,it was a miniature tyre with a glass interior.
My Uncle Ron had one of those ashtrays, and when he passed away my Aunt Joan who wasn't a smoker gave it to my Mother. I don't have a clue whatever became of it.
@@brentbeacham9691 Thank you ,thinking about it does bring back nice memories of my dad ,as he passed away in 1974 when I was quite young and each memory is precious. 🥰
In the UK we had the Bradshaw's Railway Guides, which actually started in the early 1800's and continued to be published year on year until at least the 1940's and later editions covered most of Europe. They even got mentions in the Sherlock Holmes novels, being regarded as absolutely indispensable for anyone wanting to travel across the UK and Europe during late 1800's and early 1900's
I’ve watched a lot of UA-cam over the past ~15 years, but every time I watch any of your videos I always come to the same conclusion that this is my favorite channel of all time. I’m not a chef by any means but I think cooking is fun. The recipes you talk about are always a blast to make and knowing the history and stories behind them makes them 100x cooler.
Poulet à la crème(chicken in a cream sauce ) is still served in Vonnas in the George Blanc restaurant (the grandson of la mère Blanc). And they still have 3 stars in the Michelin guide.
That smile and look you have right after your first taste of something that you really enjoy - that smile and look on your face could sell any food of any type anywhere.
One part of this recipe brought back memories of my high school cafeteria in the 1960s. The cook was a former US Army cook and his food was fantastic. One of my favorites was chicken fried in (Government surplus) butter.
All you have to do is cook the sauce with some Gelatin to make a Jelly puck sized disk at the center of the plate, strip the meat off the bone and pile it into a ring mold on top of the sauce disk, add a few "micro greens" and a couple of swooshes of some pureed or foamed Asparagus for example and you there you go.
Whole lot of people that have never been to a single 3 Michelin Star restaurant have this ridiculous idea. Go to 20+ and get back to me. Some of the best food you will ever taste, if you ever have a chance.
There's a scene at the beginning of "Kelly's Heroes" where the platoon of men are looking at a michelin guide trying to find the best hotel in the town of Nancy (they were going to be attacking) to see which hotels were still standing and of good quality.
Thank you, Max! As an Historian I love your information and emotional connection (not to mention passion) for your subjects. This edition was great, informed me and made me laugh! I do love simple, honest food with big flavours such as the one you offered today. So much modern food is too unapproachable.
1) THANK YOU!! Everytime I hear it I've wondered about the connection, and assumed I must be mishearing it. So thank you for fully explaining the connection. 2) my favorite time of year is early spring because everything is still brown (except for the evergreens, benefits of living in Seattle) but several trees have flowers even before they get full leaves. I just LOVE the juxtaposition of it! So I absolutely loved the juxtaposition of the Pyrex measuring cup thing and the super fancy plate and flatware with the fancy table cloth!
I've had the good fortune of eating at Rick Bayless's 3 star restaurant in Chicago. A mutual friend of my best friend worked at a 2 star restaurant in California and was being promoted to head chef. So he visited every major food city for inspiration and when he came to Chicago, needed a tour guide so I took him around to some of the best places. I would never have been able to afford going to such a luxurious place, but he insisted on paying after showing him sights and places for 4 days. I ordered what I would consider as the cheapest main course on the menu, duck tacos. It was the best succulent duck I've had since, and the freshest, spiciest salsa Verde I ever had, and I'm first generation American on my father's side, we're Hispanic/Mexican. I have only gone to a one star restaurant since, and I can safely say both of those places are THE best dining experiences I've had in my life.
Thanks a lot for the mention about the "mères de Lyon", it's a beautiful part of the city culinary history. Unfortunately, it is not as well known as before. If you can try some traditional cooking, like the one served in the "bouchons lyonnais". Old style and protected restaurants 😋
One of my dreams is to travel across Italy and France, tasting local cuisine and wines, and Lyon is in my itinerary (if I ever manage to make that trip).
For a french book about restaurants and a french recipe for chicken I would advise to view the film "L'aile ou la cuisse " - "The Wing or the Thigh" a french comedy with the famous Louis de Funès, as the publisher of a gourmet guide, which makes fun about Haute Cuisine and fast food.
the "Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle" at 14:10 he said isnt named that. The restaurant is called Hawker Chan and it has branches across multiple southeast asian countries, including mine. It's well known at least in my country particularly because it has a michelin star, even tho michelin hasnt expanded to my country yet.
I can understand why Max would expect restaurants that have earned a star to have very sophisticated and complex offerings, but in actuality the simple dishes prepared _flawlessly_ are what would more often than not get you that star(s) in the guide
That quote, "Man only truly respects what he pays for" is so true. Working in theatre, you put on a free show and people assume it must be bad because it is free. Doesn't matter how good the show is, people won't turn up. But start charging money and people wull turn up. We did a series of childrens shows during school holidays and charged a small amount for tickets. Audience sizes were ok, but not great. We increased the price and the size of the audiences grew. People assign worth to cost, even when not warranted by quality. If it costs a bunch of money it must be good.
Heinlein pointed this out in several characters in his novels but the common phrase was "that which is given has no value". He had a point when you look at how people actually conduct themselves.
I used to sell handmade soap at farmer's markets and craft fairs, and my baby soaps were my worst selling product until I *increased* the price on them. They were made from the same high-quality ingredients as everything else I made but cost less to produce because they had no fragrance and the bars were smaller, so I priced them accordingly - about half the cost of my full-sized and scented bars. I hardly sold any and was considering removing them from the product line altogether. Then, to simplify record keeping and streamline sales, I started charging the same price for all soaps regardless of size, additives, fragrance, etc. Lo and behold, people started buying enough of the previously rejected baby soap to make it worth producing again. Turns out that no one wants to buy something for their baby that they perceive as "cheap," and most people find it easier to pay attention to a price tag that to an in-depth description of all the ingredients in a product.
@@secretbaguette you confuse cause and effect The way it is *supposed* to work: high demand -> high price the problem we were talking about: high prices -> higher demand we weren't lamenting about the basic concept of prices rising when something is in higher demand we were lamenting about stupid people thinking "more expensive = better product" without reflecting if that is true you know, people asking for artificially inflated prices because they don't bother to check the quality of the product
What an absolutely lovely dish, simple IS better sometimes!! And I think that's one of the things I like about "old" French cooking - or maybe I mean provincial French? Anyway, point is, the flavors are always simple but the ingredients are always AS fresh and high quality as possible which just makes such a huge difference. You wouldn't think green beans can be all that 'special,' but the hands-down most delicious green beans I ever had were picked thirty minutes before they hit the hot water. I still recall those fondly and it's been twenty years.
Freshness and quality makes a huge difference! I hate green beans, but the only time I ever ate them and didn't hate them was eating home grown green beans at my friends house as a child. I've never had any since that were not intolerable.
great and informative video as always! however a minor correction is necessary: a gourmand is a glutton, someone who eats a lot, while a gourmet is a connaisseur, someone who is very knowledgable about food and it's making and has "good" taste. unfortunately, the two are usually used interchangeably in other languages.
Oh if you go to Lyon you must go to Halles Paul Bocuse, too. It's an indoor market. Packed full with Bresse chickens (Bresse is next door!) wonderful cheeses, charcuterie and every kind of goodies. And the Mère Brazier restaurant still makes some of the most famous recipes exactly the same, and the decor hasn't changed since the 1930s.
And don"'t forget the saucissons de Lyon at the Bocuse market. Definitely 'worth a detour' as they say. BTW some of the stalls set up tables and chairs and exist as small bistros. But Max don't just make a detour to Lyon. Go spend a week . The city is beautiful and the food... Extraordinary restaurants in every price range.
Sadly the Halles Bocuse have become extremely expansive since COVID. I used to go there everytime I wanted to cook something nice. I would often buy quenelles or a saucisson brioché or even armenian specialties at Baladourian, but since 2020 it's just for rich people. The quality also took a hit, now there's a lot of fancy original things and you can't even find the old saucisson anymore, the brioche isn't the same.
Agree but for a rich tourist like Max it's a curiosity to visit once in your life. The poulets de Bresse are unique quality and you can sample lots of things, have some oysters or whatever... Prince Charles seemed to love it when he visited a few years ago, he was mesmerised by the rows of saucissons 😁
As someone who used to cook for a Michelin star restaurant in college, i never understood why/how they had that award, so this was super helpful and entertaining to watch, thank you.
18:24 Even in France, Lyon is known for being the city of exceptionally good hearty food. So for a foodie like you, when you'll come to France, you certainly should not skip a visit to Lyon.
I first learned about Madam Brazier from Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown. He went to Lyon to have a meal and talk to Monsieur Bocuse. Anyone interested should definitely check that episode out, it's fantastic.
I have Paul Bocause basic cookery book, blue in its own sleeve. Fab, photos and each step is explained. Never made scrambled eggs with butter and cream before this book!
Thanks a lot for talking about the history of gastronomy in Lyon, I'm from there and we are very proud of our culture and history. Please if you ever come in France take a few days to explore Lyon, you won't regret it.
Over the course of my life, I've occasionally been to some highly-rated, very expensive restaurants. While the food and service was good, you often felt like you were paying more for "the show" than the actual meal. I actually prefer to find place that while they may not look like it, have incredible food at a reasonable price.
I'm so excited you included Bibendum! I learned about him several years back when I was preparing a grad school seminar about copyright law. (Michelin vs. Canadian Auto Workers) Isn't he fascinating? :)
I love that you covered the Bib Gourmand list too. I have several around me and one became my favorite more “upscale” Mexican restaurant which I only found out was on the guide after the fact. There are many that are decently priced and absolutely more delicious than all the tiny tasting menu style dishes at restaurants who have full stars. More people should check out what Bib Gourmand restaurants are around them.
@@shabadouswag7399 In my region is more often "à la vôtre" or "à la tienne", "to yours", with "health" being implied. Maybe it's a north vs south thing.
I'd love an episode about a food misconception. Like how you covered people thinking tomatoes were toxic, what odd things did we used to eat because we thought a,b,c? Wonderful episode as always 😊
Krazy Kats, one the places (they have since lost their rating, sadly) did not pull out *any* stops. Quiet, quirky, and out of the way, they were purely advertised by word of mouth - and were very busy for it. Understated, they were just simply excellent.
„A formidable woman with a voice like a foghorn, rough language, and strong forearms.“ I'm not gonna lie, that sounds like a description of my own mom.
Excellent episode today Max, really informative and insightful, the quality of your storytelling has improved in leaps and bounds between this time last year and now its incredible. Keep up the great work :)
Oh my goodness! I LITERALLY just found this out a few weeks ago & posted a Short about it yesterday! Safe to say, many of us didn’t know about this! It really was such a great marketing ploy! Amazing how it caught on! 🤣 cool to learn even more about it!
Hmmm, not quite. These "mothers" had learned their trade as private cooks to the upper-classes and when the latter became impoverished they had to open their restaurants. Also la mère Dupont is (still) the working-class way of saying Mrs Dupont, nothing really motherly attached to it.
Great video, it is incredible how randomly this all happened! About Michelin stars no longer being given to normal food: I actually have a milkbar (the type of place to eat in Poland serving really simple dinners like meat and potatoes, pierogi, pancakes or soup) next to my home that apparently has a Michelin star, or had it till not long ago. We've bought a meal for homeless man there and wondered why it was so expensive. Now we know. So sometimes the simplest meals still get Michelin star.
I love that the ingredients for this, even if they're high-quality, are still so simple! It's so much easier in prospects to find the right ingredients for this than a modern Michelin recipe, and the equipment, too, is much more accessible.
Back in 2009 I spent about 6 weeks in Clermont-Ferrand, France! They have a massive museum there that details the history of the company; totally worth a visit if you're staying in the Central Massif for any amount of time. It's a beautiful, albeit underrated, part of the country.
It's not underrated as much as empty. It's great to see volcanoes or for biking but it's in the middle of nowhere and the climate is relatively cold. 6 weeks in Clermont Ferrand seems like a lot, I guess you're a nature enjoyer?
@Ezullof It‘s not too far from Paris tho. for a day trip.. I remember the family of my French book lol. First year of French, the family moved into the new immeuble in Paris, meeting families and shop owners and a parrot at their neighbor‘s apartment that annoys him with AU SEcOURS all the time (and joking on neighbours with it), and someone breaking his leg and being hospitalized. The relatives of the family who moved in, lived in Clermont-Ferrand. (Their teenage daughter always got upset when they were set to go bc she wanted more time with her petit ami lol. always arguing abt how long she can stay out) All I learned in 7th grade in Germany (in a nutshell)
And quite a stand out style it is. Most of the current Netherlands was once under Duke of Burgundy rule, those were not just in general good times in which society and economy thrived, the Burgudian rulers were also known for their lavish parties with plenty of great food and win thrown for also the ordinary people. In Dutch 'Bourgondiër' is still synomynous with someone who eats and drinks very well and enjoys life. I worked for a short while in Dijon, Burgundy and have to admit, also without the dukes they still maintain a high standard everywhere. Not just the fancy restaurants, there is a high baseline everywhere.
Fun fact, Bresse chickens are hard to find in America, but you can find them at Ozark Valley Bresse in Arkansas where we exclusively breed this incredible breed! Check out the world's best tasting chicken.
Actually the way inspectors rate now is very different, i remember marco saying regarding the comparisons between books by older inspectors and newer ones
As seen in Kelly's Heroes. A regiment was literally going through Northern France using Michelin guide to advance. (Also to find the best billet location for the troops).
I've eaten at Gordon's Kitchen in Vegas. My husband and I shared the tomahawk steak platter. A giant and super amazing meal and I'll never forget our waiter Joe...he only told us his name 50 times.
Another great video! I knew about Michelin restaurant ratings but never associated it with the tire company! Michelin is a French name so it didnt surprise me to hear it in assotiation with food. As usual, your historical info is fascinating and I always learn new things from you.
Simplicity should never be underestimated. It’s the act of omitting everything else that could have been added. It’s easy to think creativity is about adding a bit of this and that, but actually, it’s the opposite.
Have you ever thought of looking at the Cubano sandwich, its roots in Tampa, and its supposed connection to the American cigar industry? Recently came across that story and found it fascinating. Anyway, I absolutely love the show, and never miss an episode. Keep it up!
One of my favorite things to do when planning road trips is picking restaurants to visit. I haven't visited any Michelin starred restaurants yet, but eventually I'll get to some
The Bress is getting more common in home flocks, they're called American Bress. My daughter is raising them. What historically made them special was not only the breed but the way they were fed. They were fed milk and whey to finish them. Meaty and super tender.
Poulet de Bresse refers to two distinct things: the race, which is also called "bresse-gauloise" (with four variants, including the famous black with blue legs), and the breeding/feeding method (which is still common in Bresse Bourguignone).
@@catherinesanchez1185 In that specific case, there's no risk of that. Over 1 million of Bresse chickens a year are raised in the Bresse region they come from, and they sell well at a good price, as both the name, the way they're raised and where, are protected by a label "appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC)".
@@Ezullof Thanks for the details. I just know the ones here in the US had to change the name adding "American" because the original breed is also defined by a geographic location.
It's often most difficult to prepare a simple dish because it really accentuates the ingredients that you choose to put in it. I remember watching a cooking competition show and the challenge on an episode was to cook well-known chef's last meal wishes. It was an odd concept, but I remember one chef said that, for his last meal, he wanted a roasted chicken. It forced the chefs to focus on the quality and preparation. Modern chefs can be ingenious and the things they create are spectacular, but I think nothing beats a simple dish of a high-quality ingredients done right.
The best french restaurants, auberges and places to find good food and meals aren't in big cities, but in small villages across French regions. The first gastronomic guide in France was the "Almanac des Gourmands" of 1803. The Michelin Gastronomic Guide was created in 1900 to encourage circulation with cars and bicycle and encourage gourmets to travel for the pleasure of eating well. This will cause tire wear (and thus promote tire trading). The guide was filled with advertisements for hotels and gas stations.
Thank you to Made In Cookware for sponsoring today's video. Get a 10% off discount off first orders over $100 using my link madein.cc/0224-tastinghistory
Love your content 😊😊😊❤❤❤
I love the title of the video. stay safe and awesome everyone.
@TastingHistory Hello Max, I have a few questions for ya: 1) Are you planning to do an episode on the history of Coq Au Vin and 2) Eggs Benedict as well?
I would love to try this cookware, but it’s still to pricey for my budget. That’s unfortunate.
I never thought for a moment that the Michelin Star had anything to do with the tire company. Wow. What a wonderful story of marketing creativity.
I love the visual of American soldiers in Paris hunkered down in a building, one guy flipping through a book of maps and saying “apparently this place had really good chicken. I hope they’ll reopen after this is over”
Apparently it was a thing according to my great grandpa
@@dr.jackbright963 if he told it about happening in paris your grandpa most likely lied to you.
@@AlexHalt100 probably just france in general.
Looks absolutely delicious! I’d rather have that chicken over some “Star” restaurants!
I think I've seen a single-panel comic from WWII that showed soldiers checking a guidebook and talking about touristy stuff.
Doonesbury did a riff on it (not Michelin, but a guidebook) in the 70s, with a Vietnamese soldier traveling to Laos (IIRC). He got a bombed out innkeeper to feed him based on the description from the guide.
I don't even think of Michelin as a French company, even though the name makes it obvious when you think about it. A tire company I had no idea was actually Japanese, until I went to Japan and a lot of older people would tell me about it? Bridgestone. The company founder's name is Ishibashi (stone bridge) and he decided to translate his name into English for his company name.
I learned something new today, thanks 🎉
"Bridgestone" sounds like a suitably dull English name, so that's quite interesting!
Bridgestone is the owner of the US tiremaker Firestone, although the similarities in the names are purely coincidental.
@@RIlianPI’m learning a lot about tyre companies today 😁.
That is fascinating! I would never have guessed they were Japanese.
I spent 44 years working for Michelin. When the Michelin brothers started making tires, they were bicycle tires. Bicycle tires of the time took about 24 hours to repair. The Michelin tire could be repaired in 4 hours. Bicycle racing was big at that time and after the Michelin tire came out, if a racer wanted to win, he used Michelin tires.
Lance Armstrong just cheated.
@@brentbeacham9691 how is your comment related to Mike's comment?
@@brentbeacham9691 Fastest in the world on bike, get mad hater.
@@___Bebo___ Nah man, fastest man who cheated just enough to still be able to join the official races. There are true drug and steroid-fueled monsters out there but they keep them out of the spotlight.
I love delicious food
Brasier is one of my all-time chef heroes. I want to be like her. Simple food done perfectly, no fuss, no extra. Just absolutely perfect.
And the saddest part is that it would be VERY unlikely for a chef like Brasier to get a Michelin Star today. Precisely because she cooks good food for the eating, not just for the presentation.
@@Nelsonwmj Yeah, I think about the Miami stars they've done and it's depressing. Like the best food is a sandwich off the side of a coin laundry or a fritanga made by lil ol' abuelitas. No fuss, just an 8.99$ styrofoam plate of meat, beans and rice that leaves you in tears of joy
@beeaggro2593 I'm so glad other people get it. That's the kind of desserts I want to make. No fussy sugar decorations, no fondant.
@@Nelsonwmj I kind of disagree. I think recently, even Michelin Guide reviewers are starting to rebel against "nice looking food" in favor of _great_ tasting food again.
@@Sacto1654 I'd much rather have good homecooked meals that just taste amazing be the basis for Michelin stars than whatever fancy schmancy pseudo scientist chef can concoct for $3000 per meal. There's a place for both in the world and I think the Michelin star criteria can reflect both equally
Once, my husband and I were talking about a restaurant and he said it was a three star place. I confused Michelin stars with google review stars so I replied ‘they only have three stars?!’. We still laugh about the restaurant that only has three Michelin stars to this day 😂
Another amazing episode - I learned so much!
Lady.. Google reviews have only been around, like max 10yrs... You're clearly 60+.. Means you were like Mid-50's and STILL didn't know simple knowledge?
She said she mistook the three stars to google’s ratings, not Michelin
@@StanHowseYou’re however old you are and STILL don’t know how to not be rude and demeaning to another human being?
That's a funny anecdote! And honestly I don't think it will do any harm for some 3 Michelin Star restaurants and their chefs to actually hear this story in person like in a passing conversation between some people around them. Good to keep them grounded and realise that there are still people out there who want to eat good food but don't know nor care for what the Michelin Stars are.
@@StanHowsei’m sorry that someone wasn’t aware of your precious Michelin Stars, Sir. How un-fucking-forgivable of them
I'm French and I remember before GPS and stuff I used to be the "map holder" in the car with my father when we were coursing through the territory. It was a Michelin map and it was very well made, precise and convenient and all. Really brings up cool memories!
My mother used to keep an increasingly degrading plastic bag full of road maps that became more tattered with use over time. One year, my siblings and I all pitched in to give her a lovely wooden chest of drawers that went with their living room furniture to keep all the maps in. It was the first really nice thing that her children bought her with our young adult earning power. When I moved into a rental condo in a newish development, my parents got lost and were three hours late to my housewarming party because my neighborhood wasn't in my mother's last edition of the road map. That year, we all pitched in to get her a set of updated Rand McNally road maps.
riding shotgun has a lot of responsibilities! navigation, DJ, interesting conversation topics all rolled into one.
@@oldfrend That is still a job in my family, even after the advent of GPS.
It's hard to describe to younger people today how important a good map really was back in the day. And not just accurate, but easy to read. I miss those days!
@@emmettfitz-hume9408I have run into times when the cell phone signal isn't there, or Google is just wrong. And that is when my kids get it, and I am not just an old fossil. They know how to still read maps.
fun fact: as part of their marketing strategy to help people drive, they also funded thousands of road signs, with a distinctive concrete and ceramics look, that are so durable many still exist, and they're still seen as an important part of the rural france heritage and car culture
The first ones were actually enameled lava stone, much more durable than cement. It brings back memories!
It’s crazy their marketing skills were so effective.
People with very ordinary income making a trip to a really good restaurant and spend hundreds of euros once or twice a year is also still not uncommon in French rural culture I understoond. With worth a trip or worth a detour, Michelin wasn't being metaphorical.
But without the government robbing us all, who would fund our infrastructure??
I can kinda understand the plot of "The Menu": being forced to cook up and decorate some pretentious bs just for a star and losing sight of the imporatant thing of cooking: the love, you pour into it
Such a great movie.
Yes chef!
Awesome movie. Everytime I am eating somewhere fancy and someone makes a fuss about it I can't help but think of the movie
it kinda takes the idea that a meal is not just for yer stomach, but all yer senses.
@@Sniperbear13 No, if a meal were just for your stomach, no one would have a problem eating boiled potatoes until they die. Even by the most basic standards a meal involves 3 senses (smell, taste, touch i.e. the texture of the food) and for some people, 4 (sight). Many won't eat something that doesn't look good and that gets even worse when you put photos of the food in the menu because they don't get a chance to smell it.
That chicken dish really is the epitome of "The simple thing, done well" which is the true essence of gourmet food.
Thank you for unearthing this recipe, I have seen Poulet de Bresse for sale near me in the UK, so I may give this a go
My partner once worked for Michelin and while I’d heard many stories through those years, nothing prepared me for him to cheerfully call out the Michelin Man’s name before Max could say it.
It’s like I don’t even know you anymore 😂😂😂.
I also got additional fun facts and memories of the home office in Greenville, SC. Good times!
Please share some fun facts!
So cool.
I love that you mentioned how part of what made this dish so delicious was her use of a special breed of chicken, the Bresse. In fact there are small farms in the US that raise this very special and very tasty chicken such as my own. This breed is growing in popularity as the chicken you buy in grocery stores is so bland and tasteless. The bresse is the only breed of chicken that actually has marbling in the meat and is finished in a very specific protocol to really accent its exceptional flavors.
I have been in Burgundy for 12 years and you can find Bresse chicken quite easily around here. It is an amazingly tasty experience for sure, very far from the image of the tasteless chicken (not very true around here, even for mid-range "label rouge" chicken), though it tends to be for (semi-)festive occasions given the price.
Where does one purchase such chicken from farms like yours?
This is why I shop at farmer's markets in the US.
Good food, not corporate farm antibiotic growth hormone god only knows what, chicken.
Geeznutz- I do not know about his farm, but there are services online that sell all sorts of things from small farms.
Do you have any Ayam Cemanis? Those fetch a pretty penny.
My husband and I ate at La Mère Brazier maybe 12 years ago. My favourite thing about it was that there was a table of four friends - all about 80 years old, who came out to have the Poulet de Bresse dinner, which was, at the time, the most economical thing on the menu. You would have a roast chicken and all the trimmings which would be carved tableside. We watched it from a distance and were determined to get back there with two friends to experience it the way those folks were, which is to say, with ecstatic fervour. Oh yeah, my ris de veau was pretty damn good as well.
Stop people watching
@@jaybrown7811 What is wrong with you
I, like Eugene Brazier, learned to cook by just cooking. Some of my early attempts were terrible, but I got better with time and practice, and I'm now a decent cook. Though I have no Michelin stars or even a restaurant. I just enjoy cooking for my family.
Thats with all professions, be it cooking or, for example, programming. For the later, let that compiler burn, produce crappy code and learn from it, you only get better the more projects you do.
I learned to cook after marrying.. I'd always done some, as soon as my mother allowed me near a stove, but wanting to be a good wife and please my sweetie was a great incentive. I have a funny story about "Blue food" (it was originally a George Carlin joke and I actually tried my making my first cake "blue food" ) my husband joked about it for years.
I agree. Food is meant to be enjoyed and savored. Never to be treated like a show pony. My maternal grandfather used to say when he was alive: "When you eat, you are like the emperor. Nobody gets to bother you.". He was a man who loves good food. To him, good food doesn't need to be super fancy.
I usually make same ol same ol, but sometimes after couple of learning juices (usually rum), i get itch to go crazy. I want to make something weird. Sometimes it works and sometimes doesn't. But got couple of my favorite foods made while drunk. Never knew that when you poach chicken wings and legs in coconut milk, curry, paprika and chili would make my favorite food ever. And they say drinking is bad.
Same here. I started by watching my mom, then trying on my own and learning by doing, but UA-cam has become my best teacher.
I worked for a 3 star restaurant for several years and it was SOOO important to us. It took our legendary Chef 30 years to get his restaurant to 3 stars despite being already honored by a presidential medal for his contribution to culinary excellence for our country. A documentary on PBS. The 3 stars was way more important to him. Since then the restaurant has kept it for 6 years now I believe. I will say I understand the difference now between a no star, a 1 star and a 3 star. You will not find a better dining experience.
what is the name of the restaurant
The Inn at Little Washington@@Shiegao
I knew it was The Inn At Little Washington just from your description haha. THE best meal of my life.
Man these guys were marketing aces. They gave you a destination to go to, a map to get there, and also funded installations of public roadsigns with a distinct, uniform look and font. In other words, they essentially created a whole "driving experience," creating the feeling of anticipation for that nice restaurant, the ritual of pulling out the 'ole trusty handbook map, and the ambience of being on the road with the slick new street signs.
I'm surprised a Michelin car radio line wasn't also created, as listening to the radio while on the road would've been yet another key selling point with incentivizing people to drive more. Or maybe Michelin "car flasks" as an early predecessor to Thermoses or Yetis, sold as a portable bottle that would keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold so you could enjoy a beverage while driving that wouldn't slosh out in a bumpy ride or break if it fell, and taking that idea further, partnering with car manufacturers to install "car flask holders" that perfectly fit a Michelin bottle on the dashboards of cars. Can you imagine Michelin being the number one name in the game of modern car stereo speakers or automobile AC units? Anything to make driving more appealing and get people on the road more! What about after-market seat heaters too? Crazy potential.
Well then they would be getting into the hellscape that is Radio Broadcasting, especially during the Golden Age of Radio. Especially since Radios were still big and produced overwhelmingly for stationary use.
seriously, this show is better than Netflix. I put this on in the background but then ended up glued to the screen shaking my head in surprise at all the cool things I learned. And all while watching essentially a cooking show to relax. I LOVE THIS and will share this episode with my whole family!
Netflix documentaries are known to outright lie.
yes, and his genuinely sunny disposition makes it all the better
Facts. Simply facts.
Max is everything both Food Network and History Channel wishes they were.
Not gonna lie I wasn't expecting the history segment to be this cool.
“A formidable woman with a voice like a foghorn, rough language, and strong forearms” my god I think I just found my spiritual ancestor.
As a mechanic, I agree 😂
Mommy?
Hunny your just phhatty
The word dyke was invented 1978
There's nothing in the world like a woman who can bench press you while loudly insulting your appearance, character, and family lineage at the same time.
For any Latin students tuning in: 'Nunc est bibendum' is a classic example of the passive periphrastic, a saucy little thing Latin can do with a future passive participle and the verb 'to be.' It conveys a sense of necessity or obligation. "Now, you've gotta drink!" is an acceptable translation, even though there is no overtly expressed agent. In passive constructions, Latin may exclude the agent if it's understood from context. If you're going for an idiomatic translation, which you probably should, it's widely agreed that one of the best available is "Shots! Shots! Shots!"
Daughter of a Latin teacher here 🙋. Loved this!!! 💯🥰❤
My Latin is so rusty (and it wasn't great to begin with), so thank you for adding some deliciously idiomatic translation into my day! 🎉❤
Maybe something like "now it's drinking time" conveys the idea without an agent.
Oh man, I'll never forget this lesson, cause my name is perfect for teaching it. The teacher writing out "amandus", saying, "And so the feminine form would be..." and staring me down so my classmate would get the hint
"Now is the time to drink" is how I'd translate it. If you want to be literal and expand on it for an exam you'd probably write "Now it is appropriate to drink".
I'm from Bresse. It's always a pleasure to see our chicken mentionned for their quality by someone from a far off land
Right the “magic” is certainly a fading memory. I have a good story…. Years ago I was visiting Disneyland when I got my monthly visitor unexpectedly. I was in quite a bit of pain and I had a hard time finding the medication/ needs in the park. I went into the Grand Californian and visited the sundry shop. I could not find what I needed but a helpful staff member saw my distress, discreetly asked what I needed and gave me a bag containing midol, pads , M&Ms and a ticket for a free drink at the bar. I went to pay and he winked and said it was “on Mickey”. Love it
That was very sweet. I wonder if that was a discreet Disney-authorized package? Smart marketing, if so, and kind.
that's a neat story but what does that have to do with Michelin stars?
Sweet
@@kermit8173i think they wrote their comment in the wrong video. ☺️
That was so sweet and would make my day! "Mickey" knew all of the required remedies 😊
8:15 Originally a driving license was just a document that attested that you were a good driver. Here in Sweden they didn't become mandatory until 1924, for instance. So it was actually a good idea that they told people how to drive.
They didn’t realize how dumb people were until they took the horse out of the equation.
Well it wasn´t really needed, right. The first cars, apart from being luxury products wich only few people had access to (and that could only drive around very restricted areas due to roads, maintenance and fuel availability), where also quite slow. No need to prove you are capable of handling something even a child could outrun. Also, and that´s the most important part I guess: Thy didn´t give a quack back then about a lot of things. Why care if someone drives a combustion engine into a crowd when they put uranium into their toothpaste and children into factories.
@@feed8647 Yes, I'm no friend of freedom infringing laws and regulations, I only mentioned it. When the first cars were made there were also literally no gun control in many countries and you could buy all the drugs and chemicals you wanted just like any other item at the pharmacy.
@@feed8647 The first automobile accident fatality was 42-year-old Mary Ward, a celebrated microscopist, artist, astronomer and naturalist, who fell from a steam carriage and died after crush injuries from its heavy iron wheels on August 31, 1869 in the Irish midlands in County Offaly west of Dublin.
Needing a vacation, Mary Ward and her husband Henry went to visit her cousin, William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, who had a castle in the Irish midlands west of Dublin. When someone at her cousin's castle, suggested taking her cousin’s homemade automobile out for a spin, she and her husband went along as passengers. When turning a sharp corner leading to Cumberland Street near Parsonstown, Mary Ward fell forward to the ground and the vehicle drove over her. Medical aid was useless as Mrs Ward was killed instantly.
An inquest was held on 1 September at Birr Castle. After hearing the results of Dr. Woods and other witnesses, the jury returned a verdict of an accidental death and no individual was to blame for Mary Ward’s death.
BTW, the radioactive toothpaste Doramad made by the German company Auergesellschaft contained thorium, not uranium. Various cosmetics, creams, lotions and ingestibles contained thorium or radium in the early 20th century. Note that radium is produced by the radioactive decay of uranium.
There were some devices/structures, but not cosmetics or toothpastes, which contained uranium and claimed health benefits such as the following:
- Uranium sand houses, where patients would sit on benches in a round room that had a floor composed of mildly radioactive sand (usually beach sand with crushed minerals like carnotite). These were popular in Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado during the 1950s.
- Lying in a narrow box with sands that reputedly contained uranium ore was promoted as a treatment for arthritis, bursitis, and rheumatism as late as 1956.
- The NICO Clean Tobacco Card was a device exported from Japan to the United States in the 1960s, consisting of a small card with low-grade uranium ore on one side. The card was to be placed inside a pack of cigarettes, and the producers claimed that the radiation emitted by the card would reduce tar and nicotine. A similar product called the Nicotine Alkaloid Control Plate is reported to have contained monazite sand (with thorium).
- Various consumer products such as jewelry, pendants, wristbands and athletic tape are touted as incorporating "negative ion technology"-also advertised under other names such as "quantum scalar energy", "volcanic lava energy", and "quantum science". These products are purportedly infused with minerals that generate negative ions and are marketed as having health benefits or as a means of improving emotional well-being. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and various state agencies have cautioned that such products may contain radioactive material such as uranium and thorium to produce negative ions. Radioactivity levels of these products vary, with some products found to contain levels of radiation high enough to warrant increased regulatory control, such as requiring a radioactive materials license.
According to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, "at the beginning of the 20th century, radium was a popular additive in consumer products such as toothpaste, hair creams, and even food items because of its supposed beneficial health properties. When they were found to have adverse health effects, such products soon became unpopular, and authorities in many countries prohibited them. Manufacturers used radium until the early 1970s in self-luminous paints for watches, aircraft switches, clocks, and instrument dials."
The general public had no idea that these radioactive substances were so dangerous, but the scientists and corporate executives most certainly did! And yet, they sat back and watched as everyone around them was poisoning themselves.
The suits and scientists behind the U.S. Radium Corporation were probably the worst. Knowing very well that their key ingredient radium was approximately one million times more active than uranium, they were careful to avoid any exposure to it themselves. While their young female factory workers fresh out of high school were literally encouraged to swallow radium on a daily basis, the owners and chemists were using lead screens, masks and tongs to handle the radium.
@@feed8647 The cars were very hard to drive, though. Not as early as some of these, but go look up how to drive a Ford Model T. The only thing a driver from today would get right is the steering wheel.
Some Michelin starred restaurants in Europe still serve relatively traditional fare. Like, The Ritz in Paris servers very traditional French food, it's just plated exquisitely. Not all Michelin starred restaurants serve truffle air reduction foam.
Well that's why they have "Categories". It's not all Fine Dining.
There are accessible Michelin restaurants in every country they rate. They say themselves hospitality is the principal way they rate restaurants.
@@StanHowse Erm, The Ritz is absolutely fine dining. Honestly, for most people it is the literal embodiment of fine dining. OP was trying to get across that even in the fine dining category, there are restaurants that serve recognizable dishes with familiar ingredients and comforting flavors, they're not all inscrutable science experiments.
In fact, even today there still aren't that many restaurants that feature molecular gastronomy gimmicks as a centerpiece. It mildly annoys me that a lot of people (not necessarily you) assume that since they saw Wiley Dufresne or Heston Blumenthal on PBS one time, all starred restaurants must be nerdy elitist monasteries serving food that looks like Duplo blocks under domes of flavored smoke. That's not reality.
@@its_clean The snob factor is such a big one. But I really like how Max noted how good food needn't necessarily be complicated and showy. So many things in society that we praise as "good" are just the result of people trying to virtue-signal their supposed superior taste (for food, or politics, or whatever) by aligning themselves with whatever showy fad is going on.
Growing up in early 2000s, my parents treated the AAA (American Automobile Association) restaurant recommendations just like the original Michelin guide- on road trips I don't remember going anywhere that didn't have a AAA certification!
They also kept every single AAA roadmap which was a total throwback to go through when my parents downsized a couple years ago
French here and honestly, if you ever go to France, skip Paris and go to Lyon directly. This is where the heart of French cuisine is, where you'll find a ton of interesting places to try. Also Lyon is a beautiful city with a pleasant atmosphere!
It does look like a flower. It also, however, looks like an asterisk which we use to " star " or make note of an item when typing. It's used on one page documents to call attention to footnotes. Each subsequent item on the page being noted receiving an additional star or asterix
Me: What kind of liquor should I put in the sauce?
Mère Brazier: Yes
She made this dinner one night after a few too many glasses and kept making it afterwards
One of the things I love about Max's videos is seeing which Pokemon character is behind him. LOVE the Pikachu chef on the counter!!!!
Yesss I love it, would love a Pokemon collection tour some day! 💛
As soon as I noticed it, I thought "Pikachef!" 😄
Dude, yes! I'm always pumped to see it, the same way I pay intense attention to the name of the shop next door in the Bob's Burgers intro. It's such a fun little easter egg, and I love how he themes the Pokemon with the video (By the way Max, Chef Pikachu is an immaculate choice for this one. 5 stars)
I want to take Chef Pikachu home with me!
You mean pikachef?
For the same reason an Irish beer company have the authority on world records I guess: our world is weird.
Okay, now that I've seen the history behind it and it weirdly made sense... Could you do an episode about Guiness in your drinking history show (pretty please)? I'm very curious to know what the story behind that is.
I never made this connection
As far as I understand, it started as a guide for pub quizzes. Very popular in Ireland.
@@owenbloomfield1177 Oh the kind of trivia game we can play while drinking? Cool! (disclamer: poster's opinion only. Drinking is not actually cool, don't do it kids)
@@c0mpu73rguy The way that I heard it was Guinness started the book to end bar fights.
What's really interesting about the post-war Michelin guides is that for several years they showed specific bunkers, command posts, etc. that were destroyed in the war but that took years to clean up, thus sometimes "decorating" and sometimes interfering with local roads. (If that sounds a bit crazy, during a family trip in 1982 we passed through the obvious remains of German U-boat pens on the French coast -- cleaning up that many tons of reinforced concrete takes a *long* time.)
I truly do think the deepest basis of human cultures, tied to countries or not, is rooted in their food. The legacies of earnest farmers, experimental chefs, and hardworking cooks have been the backing of everything else humanity has ever built, and each distinct culture is a layered framework of all their endeavors. French cuisine isn't the culinary end-all-be-all, but a lot of the passion and drive for excellence of those famous and even not so famous French chefs has carried on a LOT more into the modern day than people would expect. The fact you find so many decades, and even century old recipes still enduring in one form or another is proof of that.
The history of Michelin reminds me a lot of the path AAA has taken, growing from a driver's and road lobby to providing maps and travel assistance, to providing insurance and discounts.
Andrew Zimmern has the best description of modern Michelin Star meals.
"Children's portions designed by interior decorators."
Very funny. Love Andrew Z.
@@melissalambert7615 He's like my fun culinary uncle, along with Alton Brown.
Okay sir now that will be $195! Would you like to tip???
Bro I just paid over $100 for like 4 mouthfuls of food that didn't even taste that great and you want me to tip?
@@tyronebiggums5547 At least the Meres d'Lyon knew how to make a tasty, stick-to-your-ribs meal. "Cuisine de bonfemme." A meal to do a king OR a hard-working peasant proud.
That really is a perfect description.
I have to say, while most michelin star restaurants I have eaten have the whole show thing and the courses with 7 to 15 dishes, the first one I ate at (around 12 years ago) had just gotten the star at the time and had nothing like that. They specialized in mushroom dishes and while the combination of flavours was very original, and the quality of the product was amazing, it was not showy at all (the restaurant was a clasic asador in a village in the middle of nowhere). Now they started the whole minimalist, tons of dishes thing not long after that, but the fact that they got the star before it made it clear that the showyness is no requirement to get the stars, even today.
I think it’s interesting that most people these days are more interested in the over the top presentation and showmanship of fine dining rather than just being interested in having a delicious meal.
I am not interested in any of that nonsense, I just like good food, tastes even better when it’s being served for a fair price.
@@carsonnesbit1178 Main reason for getting informed about a place before trying it
It's a bit of the shame they started doing the whole minimalist showy thing after they got the star! Was the food just as good?
@@caimansaurus5564 yes, the food was actually better with the showy menu since they trimmed their menu and took out a few dishes that weren't really at the same level (mostly their fish dishes)
If they had just trimmed those dishes without the showy thing (and specially without the significant price increase) it would have been even better, but that's how the business works
@@agomez7740 ah, that's good to hear. sad about the premium.
When I was a kid, twice a year every year my family would drive from our home in the South of England down through France to stay with relatives on the South coast of France. On the way we would use the guide to pick restraunts and hotels as it would take a few days. Back then there were so many small places serving up this kind of food, Francew truly becama a magical place for me. I feel so lucky to have seen and experienced that.
Max! I have had the worst and most horrible day! Coming on here and seeing a video from you is such a relief! Watching your content always brightens my mood and helps me to feel ok. Thanks so much for everything you do! 🤗
Do hope your following day was HEAPS better!!
I am from Europe, and when I was a Child, the Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters always was the Michelin Man for me lol. I didn't know Marshmallows, but that tire guy was something I was familiar with lol.
That's really cute ! it's fun because in France he's literally called Bibendum Chamallow lol it's so ingrained in us that anything that looks like it is a bibendum now
Me too!!!!!
For me, the Michelin Man always looked like a mummy lol
Today's Michelin starred restaurants are often disparaged as "Tellerdesigner" (Platedesigner) here in my area of germany. You know because of the "fireworks" and the small portions and the plates look more like art than something you should/can eat. And because they are really expensive especially for the small portions (even if a meal has many courses). So seeing what has gotten three stars around the time the guide started makes me curious where or when that changed.
Magazines , then tv , then social media
We had that Instagram mindset for decades, it just distilled the process to it's purest element.
Lol "tellerdesigner" I love that! 😁
I think it just became a game of trying to one-up everyone else competing for a star, by being "the most fancy" versus just "having good food". Make a dish that looks and tastes good with the idea of it being fancy and gourmet and 'for the rich' people will go nuts.
The loss of quality in lieu of an ever-increasing-complexity of mere form which signifies nothing, is a problem that extends beyond restaurants.
My father was a tyre salesman and fitter ,and memories of childhood in London area, like going to his shop and climbing in the towers of tyres,getting dirty the smell is very evocative to this day. Also we knew him as Mr Bibendum ,my dad was a smoker and our home was full of tyre ashtrays ,it was a miniature tyre with a glass interior.
My Uncle Ron had one of those ashtrays, and when he passed away my Aunt Joan who wasn't a smoker gave it to my Mother. I don't have a clue whatever became of it.
That’s a wonderful story.
I’m so pleased you said Economical, not Cheapest. Blessings.
@@brentbeacham9691 Thank you ,thinking about it does bring back nice memories of my dad ,as he passed away in 1974 when I was quite young and each memory is precious. 🥰
@@DoctorRobertNeville Don’t know what became of ours either ,as nobody else smoked in our family.
In the UK we had the Bradshaw's Railway Guides, which actually started in the early 1800's and continued to be published year on year until at least the 1940's and later editions covered most of Europe. They even got mentions in the Sherlock Holmes novels, being regarded as absolutely indispensable for anyone wanting to travel across the UK and Europe during late 1800's and early 1900's
The explanation for Bib Gourmand had me clutching my heart at how CUTE, the big tire man, the mascot, has declared the place tasty
I’ve watched a lot of UA-cam over the past ~15 years, but every time I watch any of your videos I always come to the same conclusion that this is my favorite channel of all time. I’m not a chef by any means but I think cooking is fun. The recipes you talk about are always a blast to make and knowing the history and stories behind them makes them 100x cooler.
Poulet à la crème(chicken in a cream sauce ) is still served in Vonnas in the George Blanc restaurant (the grandson of la mère Blanc). And they still have 3 stars in the Michelin guide.
I am from Lyon and grew up in the Bresse region. this is so enlightening and brings me back home. Jacques Pepin is also a Bressan
FYI-- that restaurant in Singapore is called 'Hawker Chan'. The name is actually on the sides of the shop sign.
That smile and look you have right after your first taste of something that you really enjoy - that smile and look on your face could sell any food of any type anywhere.
One part of this recipe brought back memories of my high school cafeteria in the 1960s. The cook was a former US Army cook and his food was fantastic. One of my favorites was chicken fried in (Government surplus) butter.
I bet you absolutely could make this 3 star class just by simply tarting it up to the extremes and embellishing the plate.
That’s basically what the restaurant has done to retain their stars today.
Don't forget to drop the serving size down to maaaybe 100 grams
All you have to do is cook the sauce with some Gelatin to make a Jelly puck sized disk at the center of the plate, strip the meat off the bone and pile it into a ring mold on top of the sauce disk, add a few "micro greens" and a couple of swooshes of some pureed or foamed Asparagus for example and you there you go.
@@brianargo4595and that's including the plate 😂
Whole lot of people that have never been to a single 3 Michelin Star restaurant have this ridiculous idea. Go to 20+ and get back to me. Some of the best food you will ever taste, if you ever have a chance.
There's a scene at the beginning of "Kelly's Heroes" where the platoon of men are looking at a michelin guide trying to find the best hotel in the town of Nancy (they were going to be attacking) to see which hotels were still standing and of good quality.
Thank you, Max! As an Historian I love your information and emotional connection (not to mention passion) for your subjects. This edition was great, informed me and made me laugh! I do love simple, honest food with big flavours such as the one you offered today. So much modern food is too unapproachable.
1) THANK YOU!! Everytime I hear it I've wondered about the connection, and assumed I must be mishearing it. So thank you for fully explaining the connection.
2) my favorite time of year is early spring because everything is still brown (except for the evergreens, benefits of living in Seattle) but several trees have flowers even before they get full leaves. I just LOVE the juxtaposition of it! So I absolutely loved the juxtaposition of the Pyrex measuring cup thing and the super fancy plate and flatware with the fancy table cloth!
I've had the good fortune of eating at Rick Bayless's 3 star restaurant in Chicago. A mutual friend of my best friend worked at a 2 star restaurant in California and was being promoted to head chef. So he visited every major food city for inspiration and when he came to Chicago, needed a tour guide so I took him around to some of the best places.
I would never have been able to afford going to such a luxurious place, but he insisted on paying after showing him sights and places for 4 days. I ordered what I would consider as the cheapest main course on the menu, duck tacos. It was the best succulent duck I've had since, and the freshest, spiciest salsa Verde I ever had, and I'm first generation American on my father's side, we're Hispanic/Mexican. I have only gone to a one star restaurant since, and I can safely say both of those places are THE best dining experiences I've had in my life.
Thanks a lot for the mention about the "mères de Lyon", it's a beautiful part of the city culinary history. Unfortunately, it is not as well known as before.
If you can try some traditional cooking, like the one served in the "bouchons lyonnais". Old style and protected restaurants 😋
One of my dreams is to travel across Italy and France, tasting local cuisine and wines, and Lyon is in my itinerary (if I ever manage to make that trip).
For a french book about restaurants and a french recipe for chicken I would advise to view the film "L'aile ou la cuisse " - "The Wing or the Thigh" a french comedy with the famous Louis de Funès, as the publisher of a gourmet guide, which makes fun about Haute Cuisine and fast food.
the "Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle" at 14:10 he said isnt named that. The restaurant is called Hawker Chan and it has branches across multiple southeast asian countries, including mine. It's well known at least in my country particularly because it has a michelin star, even tho michelin hasnt expanded to my country yet.
I can understand why Max would expect restaurants that have earned a star to have very sophisticated and complex offerings, but in actuality the simple dishes prepared _flawlessly_ are what would more often than not get you that star(s) in the guide
That quote, "Man only truly respects what he pays for" is so true. Working in theatre, you put on a free show and people assume it must be bad because it is free. Doesn't matter how good the show is, people won't turn up. But start charging money and people wull turn up. We did a series of childrens shows during school holidays and charged a small amount for tickets. Audience sizes were ok, but not great. We increased the price and the size of the audiences grew. People assign worth to cost, even when not warranted by quality. If it costs a bunch of money it must be good.
Heinlein pointed this out in several characters in his novels but the common phrase was "that which is given has no value". He had a point when you look at how people actually conduct themselves.
too many people say "you get what you pay for" and this is the consequence of that thought
I used to sell handmade soap at farmer's markets and craft fairs, and my baby soaps were my worst selling product until I *increased* the price on them. They were made from the same high-quality ingredients as everything else I made but cost less to produce because they had no fragrance and the bars were smaller, so I priced them accordingly - about half the cost of my full-sized and scented bars. I hardly sold any and was considering removing them from the product line altogether. Then, to simplify record keeping and streamline sales, I started charging the same price for all soaps regardless of size, additives, fragrance, etc. Lo and behold, people started buying enough of the previously rejected baby soap to make it worth producing again.
Turns out that no one wants to buy something for their baby that they perceive as "cheap," and most people find it easier to pay attention to a price tag that to an in-depth description of all the ingredients in a product.
That is how prices work. When prices are higher, something is in demand, at least when the prices aren't artificially made, like your movie tickets.
@@secretbaguette you confuse cause and effect
The way it is *supposed* to work: high demand -> high price
the problem we were talking about: high prices -> higher demand
we weren't lamenting about the basic concept of prices rising when something is in higher demand
we were lamenting about stupid people thinking "more expensive = better product" without reflecting if that is true
you know, people asking for artificially inflated prices because they don't bother to check the quality of the product
I like that it looks like Pikachu is going to cook a smaller Pikachu in the background
_what_
@@slwrabbits over his right shoulder it looks like there's a pikachu with a smaller pikachu in a pot.
_nooooooooooooo_ don't be a cannibal, Pikachu!!
It’s a pikachu eat pikachu world out there
OH! It's supposed to be rice shaped like a Pikachu head!
What an absolutely lovely dish, simple IS better sometimes!! And I think that's one of the things I like about "old" French cooking - or maybe I mean provincial French? Anyway, point is, the flavors are always simple but the ingredients are always AS fresh and high quality as possible which just makes such a huge difference. You wouldn't think green beans can be all that 'special,' but the hands-down most delicious green beans I ever had were picked thirty minutes before they hit the hot water. I still recall those fondly and it's been twenty years.
Freshness and quality makes a huge difference! I hate green beans, but the only time I ever ate them and didn't hate them was eating home grown green beans at my friends house as a child. I've never had any since that were not intolerable.
great and informative video as always! however a minor correction is necessary: a gourmand is a glutton, someone who eats a lot, while a gourmet is a connaisseur, someone who is very knowledgable about food and it's making and has "good" taste. unfortunately, the two are usually used interchangeably in other languages.
Oh if you go to Lyon you must go to Halles Paul Bocuse, too. It's an indoor market. Packed full with Bresse chickens (Bresse is next door!) wonderful cheeses, charcuterie and every kind of goodies. And the Mère Brazier restaurant still makes some of the most famous recipes exactly the same, and the decor hasn't changed since the 1930s.
And don"'t forget the saucissons de Lyon at the Bocuse market. Definitely 'worth a detour' as they say. BTW some of the stalls set up tables and chairs and exist as small bistros. But Max don't just make a detour to Lyon. Go spend a week . The city is beautiful and the food... Extraordinary restaurants in every price range.
Sadly the Halles Bocuse have become extremely expansive since COVID. I used to go there everytime I wanted to cook something nice. I would often buy quenelles or a saucisson brioché or even armenian specialties at Baladourian, but since 2020 it's just for rich people. The quality also took a hit, now there's a lot of fancy original things and you can't even find the old saucisson anymore, the brioche isn't the same.
Agree but for a rich tourist like Max it's a curiosity to visit once in your life. The poulets de Bresse are unique quality and you can sample lots of things, have some oysters or whatever... Prince Charles seemed to love it when he visited a few years ago, he was mesmerised by the rows of saucissons 😁
_"His name is Bibendum._
_He is a powerful being Adam; the man eats Glass, I've seen him do it."_
- The Panalysts.
Thanks for this.
There used to be a restaurant called Bibendum in London at the Michelin building (81 Fulham), I ate there, but there's a new restaurant there.
Lol wasn't expecting to see a deep LRR reference in the wild. Right on
As someone who used to cook for a Michelin star restaurant in college, i never understood why/how they had that award, so this was super helpful and entertaining to watch, thank you.
18:24 Even in France, Lyon is known for being the city of exceptionally good hearty food. So for a foodie like you, when you'll come to France, you certainly should not skip a visit to Lyon.
I miss a lot of the simple foods that I had when I was younger. Sometimes something as simple as a BLT or a Tomato sandwich can be so satisfying.
I first learned about Madam Brazier from Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown. He went to Lyon to have a meal and talk to Monsieur Bocuse. Anyone interested should definitely check that episode out, it's fantastic.
I have Paul Bocause basic cookery book, blue in its own sleeve.
Fab, photos and each step is explained. Never made scrambled eggs with butter and cream before this book!
I have most likely seen it but need to go back. I love Anthony Bourdain.
Thanks a lot for talking about the history of gastronomy in Lyon, I'm from there and we are very proud of our culture and history. Please if you ever come in France take a few days to explore Lyon, you won't regret it.
Over the course of my life, I've occasionally been to some highly-rated, very expensive restaurants. While the food and service was good, you often felt like you were paying more for "the show" than the actual meal. I actually prefer to find place that while they may not look like it, have incredible food at a reasonable price.
I'm so excited you included Bibendum! I learned about him several years back when I was preparing a grad school seminar about copyright law. (Michelin vs. Canadian Auto Workers) Isn't he fascinating? :)
I love that you covered the Bib Gourmand list too. I have several around me and one became my favorite more “upscale” Mexican restaurant which I only found out was on the guide after the fact. There are many that are decently priced and absolutely more delicious than all the tiny tasting menu style dishes at restaurants who have full stars. More people should check out what Bib Gourmand restaurants are around them.
FYI: À votre santé a.k.a. "To your health" is the french equivalent of "cheers" or other sayings said before drinking
I hear it shortened to just "à santé" a lot. 🥂
@@cyberpunkcentral8500 Just "santé" actually :)
@@shabadouswag7399 In my region is more often "à la vôtre" or "à la tienne", "to yours", with "health" being implied. Maybe it's a north vs south thing.
I've never heard that, and I've lived in France for 31 years. Generally it's "Santé!" or "A la tienne!"@@cyberpunkcentral8500
@@shabadouswag7399
We do say "**à** santé"
(American South)
It's not correct, but that's how people say it 🤷
I'd love an episode about a food misconception. Like how you covered people thinking tomatoes were toxic, what odd things did we used to eat because we thought a,b,c? Wonderful episode as always 😊
Have you ever seen the episode about “Weird Cures for the Black Plague” or maybe “Hildegard von Bingen’s Cookies of Joy”? Those might qualify.
Yes Max, please do this video!
Ah, the Guide Michelin.
I've dined in a few rated restaurants, and let me tell you, they were *spot-on* in the recommendations.
Krazy Kats, one the places (they have since lost their rating, sadly) did not pull out *any* stops. Quiet, quirky, and out of the way, they were purely advertised by word of mouth - and were very busy for it. Understated, they were just simply excellent.
„A formidable woman with a voice like a foghorn, rough language, and strong forearms.“ I'm not gonna lie, that sounds like a description of my own mom.
Excellent episode today Max, really informative and insightful, the quality of your storytelling has improved in leaps and bounds between this time last year and now its incredible. Keep up the great work :)
Oh my goodness! I LITERALLY just found this out a few weeks ago & posted a Short about it yesterday! Safe to say, many of us didn’t know about this! It really was such a great marketing ploy! Amazing how it caught on! 🤣 cool to learn even more about it!
Going to watch your short right now!
@@TastingHistory this recipe is making me hungry I must say 😆
"Mére Brazier": proof that Mom's cooking is always the best 😊
Hmmm, not quite. These "mothers" had learned their trade as private cooks to the upper-classes and when the latter became impoverished they had to open their restaurants. Also la mère Dupont is (still) the working-class way of saying Mrs Dupont, nothing really motherly attached to it.
@isabelled4871 tell me the joke went ovee your head without saying the joke went over your head...
"Le chomp" had me laughing so much I had to pause the vid. 😂 Bless you, Jose, never change!
😂
Minute?
Great video, it is incredible how randomly this all happened! About Michelin stars no longer being given to normal food: I actually have a milkbar (the type of place to eat in Poland serving really simple dinners like meat and potatoes, pierogi, pancakes or soup) next to my home that apparently has a Michelin star, or had it till not long ago. We've bought a meal for homeless man there and wondered why it was so expensive. Now we know.
So sometimes the simplest meals still get Michelin star.
I love that the ingredients for this, even if they're high-quality, are still so simple! It's so much easier in prospects to find the right ingredients for this than a modern Michelin recipe, and the equipment, too, is much more accessible.
Back in 2009 I spent about 6 weeks in Clermont-Ferrand, France! They have a massive museum there that details the history of the company; totally worth a visit if you're staying in the Central Massif for any amount of time.
It's a beautiful, albeit underrated, part of the country.
It's not underrated as much as empty. It's great to see volcanoes or for biking but it's in the middle of nowhere and the climate is relatively cold. 6 weeks in Clermont Ferrand seems like a lot, I guess you're a nature enjoyer?
@Ezullof
It‘s not too far from Paris tho. for a day trip..
I remember the family of my French book lol. First year of French, the family moved into the new immeuble in Paris, meeting families and shop owners and a parrot at their neighbor‘s apartment that annoys him with AU SEcOURS all the time (and joking on neighbours with it), and someone breaking his leg and being hospitalized.
The relatives of the family who moved in, lived in Clermont-Ferrand.
(Their teenage daughter always got upset when they were set to go bc she wanted more time with her petit ami lol. always arguing abt how long she can stay out)
All I learned in 7th grade in Germany (in a nutshell)
it isnt "for the duke of burgundy" its the name of the wine.
its "of burgundy style" meaning its got the wine inside from burgundy region.
And quite a stand out style it is. Most of the current Netherlands was once under Duke of Burgundy rule, those were not just in general good times in which society and economy thrived, the Burgudian rulers were also known for their lavish parties with plenty of great food and win thrown for also the ordinary people. In Dutch 'Bourgondiër' is still synomynous with someone who eats and drinks very well and enjoys life.
I worked for a short while in Dijon, Burgundy and have to admit, also without the dukes they still maintain a high standard everywhere. Not just the fancy restaurants, there is a high baseline everywhere.
Baked and fried chicken in a creamy wine sauce is always delicious. The most scrumptious meal I ever had I made myself - Chef John's chicken marsala.
Fun fact, Bresse chickens are hard to find in America, but you can find them at Ozark Valley Bresse in Arkansas where we exclusively breed this incredible breed! Check out the world's best tasting chicken.
Actually the way inspectors rate now is very different, i remember marco saying regarding the comparisons between books by older inspectors and newer ones
As seen in Kelly's Heroes. A regiment was literally going through Northern France using Michelin guide to advance. (Also to find the best billet location for the troops).
Big Joe asking the German Colonel for the best hotel in Nancy
I read that the military would use their maps to get around which was wild
I've eaten at Gordon's Kitchen in Vegas. My husband and I shared the tomahawk steak platter. A giant and super amazing meal and I'll never forget our waiter Joe...he only told us his name 50 times.
Another great video! I knew about Michelin restaurant ratings but never associated it with the tire company! Michelin is a French name so it didnt surprise me to hear it in assotiation with food. As usual, your historical info is fascinating and I always learn new things from you.
Simplicity should never be underestimated. It’s the act of omitting everything else that could have been added. It’s easy to think creativity is about adding a bit of this and that, but actually, it’s the opposite.
Have you ever thought of looking at the Cubano sandwich, its roots in Tampa, and its supposed connection to the American cigar industry? Recently came across that story and found it fascinating. Anyway, I absolutely love the show, and never miss an episode. Keep it up!
15:45 Yum, eye contacts on boiled egg yolks. Just like mom used to make.
One of my favorite things to do when planning road trips is picking restaurants to visit. I haven't visited any Michelin starred restaurants yet, but eventually I'll get to some
The Bress is getting more common in home flocks, they're called American Bress. My daughter is raising them. What historically made them special was not only the breed but the way they were fed. They were fed milk and whey to finish them. Meaty and super tender.
It’s great to that people are still raising rare domestic animals so they don’t die out
Poulet de Bresse refers to two distinct things: the race, which is also called "bresse-gauloise" (with four variants, including the famous black with blue legs), and the breeding/feeding method (which is still common in Bresse Bourguignone).
@@catherinesanchez1185 In that specific case, there's no risk of that. Over 1 million of Bresse chickens a year are raised in the Bresse region they come from, and they sell well at a good price, as both the name, the way they're raised and where, are protected by a label "appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC)".
@@Ezullof Thanks for the details. I just know the ones here in the US had to change the name adding "American" because the original breed is also defined by a geographic location.
@@_asphobelle6887 the only problem with that, it's a long way to ship chicken at a reasonable price to the US.
It's often most difficult to prepare a simple dish because it really accentuates the ingredients that you choose to put in it. I remember watching a cooking competition show and the challenge on an episode was to cook well-known chef's last meal wishes. It was an odd concept, but I remember one chef said that, for his last meal, he wanted a roasted chicken. It forced the chefs to focus on the quality and preparation. Modern chefs can be ingenious and the things they create are spectacular, but I think nothing beats a simple dish of a high-quality ingredients done right.
Google doesn't even update its satellite imagery map every year. People back then just had a great attitude.
I really truly LOVE Max's history. It's one of the highlights of my week. Always so interesting.
I always thought it was just a homonym. I never would have guessed the actual tire company is behind it.
Tbf it could very well have been the case. Michelin is just a diminutive of Michel used as a surname, it's relatively common.
@@Ezullof Exactly why I thought it would be a homonym. There are more people than names to go around, so several famous ones would be called the same.
Max, my mom and I are hooked on your show, and we get so many ideas for dinner. Thank you for all you've shared!
The best french restaurants, auberges and places to find good food and meals aren't in big cities, but in small villages across French regions. The first gastronomic guide in France was the "Almanac des Gourmands" of 1803. The Michelin Gastronomic Guide was created in 1900 to encourage circulation with cars and bicycle and encourage gourmets to travel for the pleasure of eating well. This will cause tire wear (and thus promote tire trading). The guide was filled with advertisements for hotels and gas stations.
Such a fascinating exploration into this topic. One of my favorites you've done yet!