VN Cafe: Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern

Friday, January 11, 2008

Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern

Wikipedia Encyclopedia.

Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern is a documentary-styled travel and cuisine program hosted by Andrew Zimmern on the Travel Channel. The first season debuted on Monday, February 26, 2007 at 9pm Eastern Standard Time / Pacific Standard Time.

Bizarre Foods focuses on regional cuisine from around the world which is typically perceived by the American masses as being gross, unique, or, of course, bizarre. In each episode, Zimmern focuses on the cuisine of a particular country or region. He typically shows how the food is procured, where it is served, and, usually without hesitation, eats it.

Originally a one-hour documentary titled Bizarre Foods of Asia, repeated showings on the Travel Channel drew consistent, considerable audiences. In late 2006, it was decided to turn the documentary into a weekly, one-hour show with the same premise and with Andrew Zimmern as the host.

Bizarre Foods draws many parallels to Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, which airs Mondays on the Travel Channel immediately after Bizarre Foods. Whereas No Reservations can be seen more as a mix of travel, unique food, and nightlife, Bizarre Foods focuses more on the ethnic foods and culture of the regions and in particular what Americans see as oddities.

Among the many weird foods sampled by Zimmern in the show, some of the most bizarre include haggis, nutria, balut, goose intestines, coconut grubs, callos (blood sausage and tripe casserole), fruit bats, and a still-beating frog heart, among many other dishes. The only aired foods which Zimmern has been unable to eat are durian, stinky tofu, and deep fried mullet roe.

Bizarre Foods - Vietnam 1/6:
Chef Andrew Zimmern travels to Vietnam, eating the most unusual foods on the planet. Here, the freshest foods are still alive, and almost everything is considered edible. Chef Andrew tastes it all, amidst some of the most picturesque settings in the world.