Romy News - 19 March 2024
Hi there! Tuesday is the perfect day for a bit of adventure and discovery, don’t you think? Great, because today we’re diving into the world of Michelin-starred restaurants, we’ll explore atoms, and we’ll talk about a basketball legend. Let’s go!
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Have you ever heard of the Michelin Guide stars? No, we’re not talking about astronomy, but about stars that reward the best restaurants in the world!
Let’s go back in time to 1900 when the Michelin brothers, André and Édouard, had a brilliant idea: to create a guide for motorists. Their goal? To encourage people to hit the road and, in turn, wear out their Michelin tires faster. Clever, right? Then, in 1920, they had another stroke of genius: a special edition to showcase the best restaurants. And that’s how the first red guides were created and given out for free to drivers to tickle their desire for travel and good food. This is when the Michelin guide stars were born to distinguish the best chefs.
For a restaurant, having one star is already “wow”, two stars is “oh la la”, and three stars is “mamma mia”! Being the chef of a three-star restaurant is like being an Olympic champion of cuisine. Fabien Ferré, a 35-year-old chef, did something remarkable: he became the youngest chef to earn 3 stars right off the bat in the 2024 Michelin guide edition that was released a few days ago! Bravo Fabien!
But you’re probably wondering how to earn these famous stars, right? Well, you have to impress the guide’s inspectors with your dishes, and it’s no piece of cake! They evaluate the quality of the menu, and many other things: the taste, originality, presentation, and even the price. Yes, because a sky-high menu is not good for your stomach or wallet! The worst part of it all is that these mysterious inspectors visit the restaurants unannounced to make sure they truly deserve your stars! It’s like a surprise test!
Winning Michelin stars can change a restaurant’s life. Suddenly, everyone wants to dine there, and the chef becomes a culinary superstar. But one mustn’t slack off because keeping those stars is as difficult as earning them. In France in 2024, there are a total of 639 starred restaurants, and only 30 are lucky enough to have three stars!
It’s amazing how three little stars can make a huge difference, isn’t it? These small symbols have become a great honor in the culinary world. Do you enjoy cooking? How about creating the imaginary menu for your own Michelin-starred restaurant? Send me a photo, and I’ll be happy to share it on Instagram!
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After this tasteful journey, let’s move on to the question of the day. Today, “what is an atom?”
Imagine that everything you see, the air you breathe, even yourself, is made up of tiny particles called atoms. An atom has three friends living inside it: protons, neutrons, and electrons. They are so small that you can’t see them without a super microscope. Did you know that it was a scientist named Ernest Rutherford who discovered the atom’s nucleus using a simple gold leaf?
John Dalton, a very clever scientist, started talking about these atoms in the 19th century, but even he couldn’t see them!
Atoms come together in different ways to create everything that exists. There’s a big list called the periodic table that classifies all these types of atoms, called elements. It was a scientist named Mendeleev who came up with the idea for this table in 1869.
But atoms like to bond, we call it chemical bonding. And when they hold hands really tight, voilà, it forms a molecule! Like water, for example, which is a molecule made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. When you look at your glass of water, think that inside there are billions of these little molecules and billions of billions of atoms.
It’s mind-blowing, isn’t it? Everything that is solid, liquid, or gas, like your chair, your glass of water, or even the air you breathe, it’s all made of atoms! Ask your parents to show you what an atom looks like, and you’ll see it’s very similar to our solar system. How about creating a cool atom drawing and sending it to me? Let’s go!
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After this journey into the incredibly small, let’s talk about sports. Do you know Michael Jordan? Nicknamed “Air Jordan”, he’s a basketball player who soared higher than the rest! Together, we’ll explore his incredible journey, from his beginnings to his legendary status, and see how he became a legend!
Born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York, Michael Jordan wasn’t always the superstar we know today. Believe it or not, in high school, he wasn’t even picked for the basketball team the first time. But do you think that stopped him? Not at all, it even fueled him! Later, at the University of North Carolina, he showed everyone what he was capable of by winning the big student championship in 1982.
In 1984, the Chicago Bulls chose Michael, and like magic, but with a lot of hard work, he became one of the best in the game. Just so you know, he helped the Bulls win the NBA championship six times, and even after taking a break, he came back and lit up the court. Five-time MVP, meaning the most valuable player of the season, quite impressive!
This man also changed the sneaker game with Nike and his famous “Air Jordan,” and he even played alongside Bugs Bunny in the movie “Space Jam”! Have you seen him sticking out his tongue while playing? That’s his trademark!
After retiring, Michael Jordan didn’t stop moving. He did many things to help others and even bought a basketball team, the Charlotte Hornets. Today, we remember him not only for his incredible hoops but also for how he transformed the sport with his style and image.
Michael Jordan’s story goes beyond basketball. It’s a story that tells us that with perseverance, we can bounce back higher after each fall. What does it inspire in your life? If you could ask him a question, what would it be?
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Wow, what an adventure today, right? We went star-hunting in the Michelin Guide, zoomed into the atoms that make up everything, and dribbled alongside basketball legend Michael Jordan. We learned so much together! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did and that you have plenty of incredible stories to share now. So, see you tomorrow for new discoveries and, in the meantime, head over to Instagram quickly to tell me what you think of all this. Come on, see you tomorrow, little explorer of the extraordinary!