Fried langoustine tails, green rice flakes, mango gel and a wasabi mayonnaise: this is the basic framework for Tim Raue’s most famous dish, his signature dish, which gourmets all over the world associate with the Berlin star chef. Raue and his wasabi langoustine – they belong together like, more mundanely, chips and ketchup. To make the delicate crustacean taste the way it does, one thing was necessary above all: Raue’s sense of taste and smell. The 50-year-old has assured us of both. What sounds strange is by no means uncommon among celebrities.
In an interview with the New Osnabrücker Zeitung Raue just spoke about his great assets – namely his nose and tongue. “The sense of taste and smell are fundamental to me. And yes: I have insured both,” says the star chef. “However, it remains an uncertain field. If something were to happen to me, it would be difficult to prove that the insured event occurred.”
Football star Ronaldo had his legs insured for 212 million euros
Raue is not the only one with such insurance for body parts. Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, for example, has taken out a policy for his hands. Celebrity chef Raue, however, has decided not to take out such insurance for his fingers. “I can delegate and don’t have to fillet the turbot myself. In my case, the most important thing is no longer cooking.”
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Guitarist Keith Richards has insured his hands for a lot of money. Photo: Ian West/PA Wire, dpa Icon Close Close
Guitarist Keith Richards has insured his hands for a lot of money. Photo: Ian West/PA Wire, dpa
It is not known how much Raue’s insurance is. In the case of football player Cristiano Ronaldo, however, it is known that his legs were insured for a whopping 212 million euros. David Beckham also has such a policy – although it is only worth 63 million. Even if you add up the insurance policies of the two football icons, they don’t come close to Mariah Carey. The insurance sum for the pop diva’s legs is said to have been almost a billion dollars in 2006. Incidentally, Marlene Dietrich had her legs insured back in the 1930s – for 1.8 million marks, a horrendous sum at the time.
Heide Klum’s legs are insured at different prices – because of a scar
The business of insured body parts is extremely lucrative, after all, the premiums for celebrities are high and payment obligations are rare. “A medical report on the respective body part is used as a basis,” says the insurance group Helvetia. For example, model Heidi Klum’s legs are insured at different prices due to a scar. “During the examination, it is also clarified how the damage is measured, what is covered and what is not. A premium is then calculated from this.”
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The insurance sum for Mariah Carey’s legs is said to be more than 900 million dollars. Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, dpa Icon Close Close
The insurance sum for Mariah Carey’s legs is said to be more than 900 million dollars. Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, dpa
The British company Lloyd’s is often behind the insurance of stars. For example, in the case of Keith Richards’ hands. The contract with the rock star was already costing Lloyd’s dearly: when Richards had to cancel a concert because of a broken finger, the insurance company paid.
Top wine sommeliers have their tongues insured
Body insurance is no longer just a topic for stars. “Other professional groups have also recognized the added value. Top wine sommeliers insure their tongues, perfumers their noses,” explains Helvetia, which does not offer body part insurance. Such insurance is also usually not an issue for the average citizen.
The list of those who are far from average and have expensively insured their bodies is long. And sometimes strange. Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian have insured their butts for many millions of dollars, Madonna her breasts, Bruce Springsteen his voice – and “Mr. Sexbomb” Tom Jones even his chest hair. For five million dollars.
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