It smells worse then you can imagine, but the taste is sweet and delicious to some people.
Posted on 04/15/2009 1:33:37 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern airs on the Travel Channel. I hate it. Here's why.
1. Zimmern chews with his mouth open.
2. Zimmern insists on dressing in brightly hued shorts and polo shirts, clothes that scream "stereotypical American tourist!" so loudly that not even real, live, stereotypical American tourists would wear them.
3. Zimmern condescendingly explains the food to the very people who just made it for him: "You know this is sweet, and...it's chewy. It's got an undertone of citrus."
4. Zimmern mugs shamelessly at the camera, usually while some sainted grandma is cooking her specialty just for him, as if we're all in on this big joke. The joke being: Wow, these strange people eat really disgusting things, don't they?! Can you believe they eat this stuff? I could really go for a cheeseburger right now. You know, normal food!
5. On a recent episode in Japan, Zimmern visits a funazushi (fermented raw fish) maker, a guy whose family has been making funazushi for 18 generations. As this fellow is proudly showing Zimmern around the centuries-old operation, he opens a barrel filled with fermented fish. Zimmern makes a disgusted face, and says something about how revolting it is. His Japanese host looks embarrassed.
6. Zimmern often visits poor countries, where people don't always have enough to eat. He visits people in their homes, eats their hard-won, homemade food, and explains to them that their food is bizarre, all the while making faces to indicate just how grossed out he is. It really makes you appreciate Anthony Bourdain, who, in similar situations, is unfailingly polite.
7. Didn't your mother ever teach you that it's rude to say that someone's food is disgusting or weird?
It requires a lot of ‘testosterone’ to watch that show.
Zimmern is honest and one h$ll of a lot braver than I am when it comes to strange food!
I live in an Italian neighborhood. Tripe is “normal” food.
So it's OK to make snarky comments in post production out of earshot of the people he's dissing instead of making those comments to the peoples face.
Plus, for some reason I cannot stand the sight of him savoring, with that 'if only you could taste this' look on his face, bull testicles or whatever.
I like Zimmerman better than Bourdain. I always feel like Bourdain is looking for a $2 Malaysian hooker when the camera is off.
But don’t you just love the “nutty” flavor of those roasted bugs?
Zimmerman has me wanting to try Durian fruit. He hates it but I just want food that’s unlawfull to carry in some places.
“The Village Voice”?
That’s in the same gutter as DU.
Now I need a shower.
“So it’s OK to make snarky comments in post production out of earshot of the people he’s dissing instead of making those comments to the peoples face.”
Yeah he certainly isn’t shy about doggin people after he leaves. I can’t stand his show anymore.
Usually Bourdain’s snarky comments are at the expense of the producer who setup the scene. He doesn’t blame poor people for what they get stuck eating, but that doesn’t mean he wants to eat authentic aboriginal poo cooked omelet.
I love ethnic food from any ethnic group but my own and would love an Italian neighborhood.
Thai and Vietnamese however are my all-time faves except for Sushi and Sashimi.
It smells worse then you can imagine, but the taste is sweet and delicious to some people.
I lived in the Philippines and traveled over Southeast Asia for 5 1/2 years.
I traveled through the Mideast as an older teen when coming back from a job painting water towers in Bahrain.
If it tastes good, eat it.
I'll try anything once, twice if I like it.
I'll second that motion on Sushi and Sashimi.
In fact, I'll just have seconds on the Sushi and Sashimi.
Of the food show guys, I’d like to hang out with the guy who does diners and dives second to Bourdain. Bourdain is cool, imo. He knows how to hang out with all kinds of people and have a good time. He’d enjoy an evening by the firepit in my back yard.
You so do not want to try Durian. We have it available here and tried it. It tastes like rotting onion with a similar texture and smells like a wet dog’s hindend.
We all practically threw up and even the dog would not touch it.
To a degree, I agree with you. I think the explanations are necessary, especially to folks who don’t travel much. When I was growing up in the Fifties and Sixties, many of our neighbors thought steamed fish with the head and tail on was exotic.
I do think Andrew’s attire leaves a lot to be desired, especially considering how rotund he looks in snug-fitting clothes.
One neighbor’s blonde, blue-eyed daughter was very curious about “strange” foods and customs. When she was little, I taught her how to use chopsticks as well as explained many of the dishes to her. She eventually studied Japanese in college and went to work for the Bank of Tokyo. In the Eighties, her parents showed us a photo (drop-dead gorgeous) from her MBA graduation. I’m glad our family helped to spark her curiosity.
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