Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern

i had to sign on here to review this show just because of the other negative reviewers about this show: animal abuse, killing of the animals on TV, complaining about it to Travel TV and PETA and Andrew coming off as an arrogant ass. seriously?

first, i did not watch the show for a long time because i was FULLY aware, by the commercials alone, what it was all about. not things i thought i could stomach! but as i prepare to leave the US for Europe and with similar ideas on food and cultures (not bizarre edibles), i decided to give the show a try. yes, it is shocking in some scenes, but i knew what i was getting into! for those of you complaining about 'animal abuse', i hate to break it to you, but all the "animal abuse" is actually killing what they eat. i am sure some of you don't understand this; you buy your animals all packaged and safe in the supermarket and want to stick your head in the ground of reality. but it is not abuse. this is actually how some people eat in different parts of the world. they kill the animals first, then cook what they kill and THEN they eat it!

second, it can be a shock as well to see that some cultures use EVERY single aspect of said animal, and that includes the blood. drinking blood? there was one episode in the Nordic regions in which sweet 'pancakes' are made from the fresh blood and even the kids eat them and LOVE THEM. again, not like the US where only the good stuff is eaten and the rest, including offal, is usually tossed aside and wasted. not what other cultures and countries do. if you watch more than the one episode that blew your eye balls out, you would see that that is part of their beliefs. you take the animal's life, you show it reverence and respect by using all of it and not wasting anything. that includes 'drinking the blood'. such a salty way of putting it! no one drinks it; it is made into things that are eaten. i know i 'tried' blood sausage before acknowledging exactly what it was.

third, he is an arrogant ass who makes fun of other cultures? really??? the most offensive thing i saw him do in the binge-watching of episodes was trying to kiss the cook on the cheek, with thanks, but it happened to be a woman in a Muslim country, in which they are not allowed to touch strange men. he forgot his head for a minute, but apologized profusely for this transgression. i never regularly see him put himself above other cultures and call names. i actually see the opposite, him going to shandies and shacks and eating the wonderful things that people and cultures will prepare for him, as he humbly does. he also participates and doesn't sit there like a lazy bump on a log.

fourth, VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS - STOP WATCHING THIS SHOW. it has nothing to do with you, and you cannot be objective about what he is doing. two of the negative reviewers who called it 'animal abuse', openly stated they were vegetarians! of course you won't like it or understand it! so stop watching!

and lastly, to that lovely person who insulted him for not putting down on his bio that he used to be a homeless drunk/drug addict? that needs to be there? are you an addict and understand the shame of your past? why would he need to say that on his bio, so he can be judged for transgressions that have nothing to do with today? if you actually watched the show on a regular basis, he has very humbly admitted his past and the fact he doesn't partake in the drinks or even 'cocoa leaves' in Peru, "because he doesn't do that anymore". but again, this little tidbit is SO important to the success of the show!

i am impressed by what i've learned, and what Andrew dares to show us. i have learned a shocking amount of information about cultures, their traditions and some great things to look for when i get to Europe. all you other complainers, change the channel and don't watch! but for god's sake, save your negative reviews about piddly crap for something worth complaining about, like why are the Kardashian's STILL on TV getting paid to prance around and do nothing?!?!?!

If you see this for the first time, please make sure that it's not too exotic if you know what I mean.

Andrew Zimmer, former chef and food critic, travel to all four corners of the earth in serve of the weirdest (and looks disgusting) foods in the area. He travels from the United States, to Africa, to India, and even to Hawaii if he wants to just to try out these strange and sometimes tasty-looking specialties or just the average dish on the market. Some look delicious depending if you know what it is.

However if you have a weak stomach (even though it's on TV) be warned to press Mute. In places such as an Asian country it possess the strangest foods for us Westerners to be even looking at. One, for example, was a frog heart that was freshly cut out and (!!!) still beating! Once our friend Mr. Zimmerman popped that heart into his mouth with the help of chopsticks, my dad and I screamed and looked away! It's that exotic! But perhaps the best/cringing part about this show is that Andrew always describes the taste and texture of anything he eats. It could have a nutty taste, bitter, and just plain yucky and smile (or perhaps grimace if it's that gross.) This show is great for those who love the Travel Channel and are food lovers themselves. Sure, it might look disgusting to watch, but it's very entertaining to see what other countries eat that we would never even smell!

The first series produce a real wow effect, I really think now that American cuisine is the best cuisine of any country in the world, I mean: including the best Japanese, the best Cambodian, the best Mexican. The series about Seattle just turned my view of the world upside down, especially that coffee machine for 20 thousand dollars. But then almost all the series became about which of the sentient beings to kill with own hands, to peel off the skin and drain the blood. There's still a lot of interesting stuff, but it's 10 minutes in each episode without killing. Although, the presenter always mentions the ethical component. So, if it's okay for you, then there will be 10 stars.

The idea of "Bizarre Foods" is very, very simple--so simple that you'd think that the program would have only lasted a season or two. A guy travels the globe having adventures--but mostly eating stuff that would turn many folks' stomachs--such as bugs, guts and God knows what! That's really all there is to "Bizarre Foods"--but it works. Why? Because the host, Andrew Zimern, is perfect for the job. Not only will he eat just about anything (including durian, which he hates) but he has such a great time doing it--bonding with the locals, discussing the food with an amazing reverence as well as just enjoying himself. You can't help but enjoy watching him and actually wishing you could try a few of the foods. Well worth your time--and a good show to watch even if you've missed part of it, as it consists of many small segments. A wonderful show.

Admittedly, I'm a sucker for food-shows. Over the last few years there has been an influx of food- and cooking-shows in Germany. Not all were gold, though. Shows like "Man versus Food" (about a pig in human shape who shoves food down his gullet) or "King of Bacon" (obese redneck attempts to fill his arteries like a Christmas-stocking), where all just short of distasteful in the truest sense. Different with "Bizarre Foods". For one, the show has a very sympathetic host in the form of Andrew Zimmern. Sure, one could say that by the final seasons, Zimern fell a little too much in love with the camera. But he never stooped down to a level of an Anthony Bourdain oder Gordon Ramsay in the US-variations of "Kitchen Nightmares". Instead, Zimmern convinced the viewer that he was actually culinary interested (unlike Bourdain) and a real chef (again, unlike Bourdain).

To the content itself: Sure, "Khlii" (salted rot-meat in Morocco), Hakarl (rotten shark in Iceland) or maggot-infested cheese (again, rotten) from Sardinia are not to everybody's taste, and I agree with Zimmern regarding the Durian-plant, perhaps among the foulest plants ever produced by nature. Balut (half-developed duck-embryos)? I would have said categorically "no" before watching this particular "Bizarre Foods"-episode, but here's the magic of Zimmern: he's able to convey tastes, smells, textures, etc., that virtually makes the viewer a deeper impression. So, yes, since then I consider trying Balut. I must give the show credit where credit is due: It put quiet a few places and even more dishes on my personal to-do-list. Especially Spain, Venice and Greece (to name but three) seem to be filled with culinary treasures that would make every food-aficionado heart beat faster.

As to the accusations of animal abuse that PETA-cranks frequently voice (which ironically all seem to come from "First World"-countries): Not everybody lives in the land of plenty, where almost everybody can afford the luxury of not seeing how your food is produced or white-wash their conscious with vegan food (that anybody with two taste-buds would consider a culinary abomination). Not sure if I'm paraphrasing Zimmern here, but to the vegetarians who refuse to eat meat out of pure principle: you haven't saved that steak that you won't eat; you simply disrespected it. Don't like what's cooking in the kitchen? Stay out of the kitchen.

I only have two real criticisms about the show: The title itself, for one. "Bizarre", that's a very subjective description of 99 percent of the presented dishes. In Germany the show was called "Der Alles-Esser" (roughly: "The guy who gobbles everything"), which is equally unfitting. First: if you want to try 'bizarre food' (in the negative sense), go down to a certain fast-food-joint with a Scottish name or go for the 50 cent package-food at the local discounter. I have doubt that Andrew would be able to stomach that stuff. The other issue is more about monetary issues. Sure, I'd love to go for a healthy plate of Beluga-caviar in St. Petersburg or stuffed duck in Paris, but who's going to pay? In such moments it comes to mind that it becomes heyday that IMDb is starting to pay their reviewers.

As far as food-shows go, I'd give it a straight 9 from 10 and a healthy "Bon Appetit".