Brandi Moore · Global Economy Expert

Sometimes I wonder if we would be better off with fewer English speakers on the planet. Why? If we were forced to hear people speaking from a different platform than our own and had to “translate,” we would be confronted by an obvious difference and prepare to accommodate it. And we may presume that other differences also lurk and raise our awareness.

But instead, we are numbed. Americans are especially prone to this problem because we constantly hear our own language spoken by new Americans. Their heavy accents create an uncertain consistency in our language. There is no “right” way to s…

I am one half of a couple that approaches the Michelin Guide with caution. We use the guides – plural – when we travel around the world to find the best places to eat but there are times when what we find is fancy rather than good. Typically this happens across the whole country (Italy is a good example) and we end up ignoring advice Michelin has collected.

This approach to eating and seeking out places to do so makes me highly interested in the new release of the Japan Michelin Guide. Stars were handed out to local haunts offering newspaper wrapped fish and other delicious things not se…