米其林是如何评定星级餐厅的？

赵青奇

获得米其林星级餐厅的称号是无数餐厅和主厨的梦想，因为获此殊荣就犹如获得了餐饮界的奥斯卡奖一般。另一方面，如果一家餐厅获得了米其林餐厅的称号，想必大家都会想要前往那里一品高水准的美味佳肴。那么，米其林是如何评定星级餐厅的？被称为“密探”的美食评审员们又是怎样在匿名的情况下完成对餐厅及其菜品的评审工作的呢？

Since the first edition of the Michelin Guide was published， back in 1900， the inspection process has been kept a closely guarded secret. However， over the years a number of clues have emerged which help to shine a light on1） how restaurants are awarded Michelin stars.

How did the guide

come about？

Yes， it is the same Michelin that make the tires2）. In fact， the purpose of the first guide tied in with their tire making heritage. To boost the demand for cars and， therefore， car tires， the company began making atlases3） which included certain restaurants on different routes. At that time， one star meant the restaurant was worthy of a stop along the way； two stars meant it was worth a detour4） and three stars that you ought to make a special journey to visit the restaurant.

Michelin claim that the stars mean the same thing today， only adjusted for a more mobile society. Yet with the proliferation5） of restaurants in the 114 years after the foundation of the guide， many people think Michelin stars actually possess more value than that—particularly with the degree of prestige6） the stars hold in today's society.

1900年问世的《米其林指南》

自首版《米其林指南》于1900年出版以来，米其林星级餐厅的评定过程一直都是高度机密。不过，在这么多年的时间里，有很多线索浮出了水面，帮助我们了解米其林是如何评定餐厅星级的。

《米其林指南》

是如何诞生的？

没错，这个米其林就是制造轮胎的那个米其林。事实上，出版第一本《米其林指南》的目的就跟该公司历史悠久的轮胎制造生意有关。为了提升人们对汽车（进而对轮胎）的需求，米其林开始制作地图册，上面标注的内容包括不同路线上的一些餐厅。当时，一颗星意味着该餐厅值得在顺路经过时停车前往，两颗星意味着该餐厅值得绕道前往，三颗星则意味着你应该专程前往该餐厅。

米其林公司声称，星级在今天所代表的含义和过去相同，只不过为了适应如今出行更为自如的社会进行了调整。然而，自指南问世114年（编注：英文原文发表于2014年10月）以来，随着大量餐厅的涌现，很多人认为米其林的星级实际上拥有更大的价值，尤其是其星级在当今社会所享有的极高声誉。

1. shine a light on： 使……显得更加清楚；使……更易于理解

2. tire [.ta..（r）] n. 轮胎

3. atlas [..tl.s] n. 地图册；地图集

米其林评审员的生活

令很多人惊讶的是，全世界仅有约120位米其林评审员，尽管《米其林指南》现在已在23个不同的国家使用。每位评审员都是匿名的；如果评审员听到了任何有关餐厅怀疑自己身份的风声，他们就会立即取消预订，并让一位同事在未来随机挑一个日子重新进行预订，然后他们自己则在接下来的十年里都不再造访这个地区。

不过，一位评审员表示，即便自己被识破了，而自己又没有察觉到，这也不大可能会对结果产生太大的影响。“[主厨]不会仅仅因为我在餐厅里用餐就变得更加出色，他做的饭菜也不会变得更加可口。他唯一能做的就是在我的盘子里加一些原料，但这样做也是有风险的，因为一个食谱中的食材配比都是十分精确的。”

由于米其林评审员的人数不多，他们每人一个月有三个星期都在奔波，每晚都住在不同的酒店里。他們每天都要试吃午餐和晚餐，每年品尝约240家不同餐厅的美食菜肴。当然了，米其林会为其报销餐费。不过，这个福利只能他们自己独享，和他们一起用餐的人必须单独支付费用。

评审员每年驾车的里程超过1.8万英里（编注：约2.9万公里），和健康隐患（他们或许认为这是自己享用如此丰盛的美食所带来的）相比，路上存在的危险才是更令他们感到担心的事情。米其林公司会确保评审员定期接受健康检查，与此同时他们每半年还有资格享受一次胆固醇检查。endprint

The life of a Michelin inspector

Surprisingly to many， there are only around 120 inspectors worldwide. This is despite the guide now operating in 23 different countries. Every inspector is anonymous7）； if an inspector heard any hint that a restaurant suspected who they were， they would immediately cancel the booking and have a colleague reschedule at a random date in the future. They would then stay away from the region for the next 10 years.

But even if they were rumbled8） without being aware of it， one inspector said， it would be unlikely to change much. "[The chef] is not going to be better， and nor is his food， simply because I'm eating at the restaurant. The only thing he could do would be to add some ingredients to my plate， but that's risky too， since a recipe is made with very precise proportions."

Due to the small number of Michelin inspectors， each is on the road for three out of every four weeks， staying in a different hotel every night. They eat lunch and dinner every day， sampling9） around 240 different restaurants every year. Michelin， of course， picks up the inspector's bill10）. The perks11） don't extend to a plus one， though—their cost would have to be paid independently.

Driving over 18，000 miles every year， dangers on the road are more of a concern to inspectors than the health risks one might perceive to be associated with enjoying such a rich diet. Michelin ensure there are regular health check-ups for inspectors， while they are also entitled to a six-monthly cholesterol12） check.

4. detour [.di.t..（r）] n. 绕行的路，迂回路

5. proliferation [pr..l.f..re..n] n. 激增；涌现；大量的事物

6. prestige [pre.sti..] n. 威信，声望

7. anonymous [..n.n.m.s] adj. 匿名的；不具名的

8. rumble [.r.mbl] vt. 察觉，发现；看穿，识破

9. sample [.sɑ.mpl] vt. 品尝

10. pick up the bill： 付账

11. perk [p..k] n. （工资以外的）补贴，津贴

12. cholesterol [k..lest.r.l] n. 胆固醇

13. premises [.prem.s.z] n. （商店、参观、公司等使用的）房屋及土地

14. décor [.de.k..（r）] n. （房间、家具等的）装饰（布局），装潢（风格）

15. signature dish： 招牌菜。signature [.s.ɡn.t..（r）] adj. 显示个人特色的，个性化的

16. re.nement [r..fa.nm.nt] n. （精细的）改进，完善

17. set apart： 使显得突出，使显得与众不同

18. culinary [.k.l.n.ri] adj. 烹饪的；厨房的

How do the inspectors come to their decisions？

The exact scoring systems used by Michelin inspectors remain a very closely guarded secret. Yet we do know some aspects of the process. Inspectors visit premises13） around once every 18 months， unless it is being considered for gaining or losing a star. In these instances， a one star restaurant will receive four visits before it can gain its second star. A two star location must be inspected on ten occasions before it can claim the ultimate honor of three stars.

After every meal， the inspector writes a report. It was thought that service， décor14） and location were each considered as part of the process， but the Michelin Guide editor， Rebecca Burr， this year told us that "It is all about the food. Absolutely". Burr suggested that to go from one star to two means displaying "that technical strength， signature dishes15）， refinement16）， something that sets them apart17）". While the journey from two to three stars is about the "ultimate culinary18） experience".

评审员是如何做出决定的？

米其林評审员使用的确切的评分体系仍然是高度机密。不过，他们评审过程的某些方面我们还是了解的。评审员大约每18个月造访一次餐厅，除非该餐厅正在被考虑升一颗星或是降一颗星，在这种情况下，米其林一星餐厅将经过评审员的四次造访才能获得第二颗星，两星餐厅则必须经过十次造访才能获得三星餐厅的至高荣誉。

每次用完餐后，评审员都会写一份报告。有人认为餐厅的服务、装饰风格和位置都是评审过程中会考查的方面，但《米其林指南》的编辑丽贝卡伯尔今年告诉我们：“最重要的就是食物，绝对是这样。”伯尔表示从一颗星升至两颗星意味着餐厅展现了“那种技术上的实力、招牌菜、对菜品的完善，就是使其与众不同的一些因素”，而从两颗星提升至三颗星则在于餐厅提供了“极致的用餐体验”。endprint