Travel Channel
In honor of Halloween, I decided to watch a show that I have never seen before: Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. This week the Travel Channel was featuring a spooky Halloween special and I gave it a gander. I’m not sure how representative this special was of a typical episode, but it definitely defied my expectations. Honestly, I was expecting a slightly trashy show kind of like Fear Factor. How wrong I was! I was pleasantly surprised to find a very intelligent show that doesn’t just feature Andrew trying bizarre foods, but it also looks into the history and culture of the delicacies.
The first half of the episode was dedicated to some history and clips from old shows across the world, from Asia to South America. Andrew discussed some of the different foods that he has tried and was planning on feeding to the guests coming to his Halloween party. He interviewed a food historian and an anthropolgist about the nature of fear in regards to food and how something that is taboo in one society is perfectly normal in another (like eating bugs). He also had a guest bug chef on who pan fried some crickets with chili peppers, basil, potatoes, and garlic. Honestly, they looked really good.
The rest of the episode featured Andrew letting his party guests enjoy some of his favorite bizarre food treats. What was on the menu, you ask? Let me tell you: for starters there was a nice tray of roasted tarantula, waterbugs, and hissing cockroaches, along with some stir fried crickets and ants. After the appetizers, the diners were invited to wash down their tarantula with some fresh blood. The main course consisted of raw goat kidneys (which are apparently crunchy?!?), chicken feet, and guinea pigs. Now, I have some friends who have traveled to Peru and eaten guinea pigs. It doesn’t strike me as that bizarre, but this is coming from someone who has eaten camel, beaver, alligator, bear, and turtle, among other things. What can I say? I like trying new things!
This show definitely had the potential to degrade into a gross reality show, but it didn’t. Andrew was polite and informative, encouraging his guests to try everything without forcing or embarrassing them. It was fun to watch the people try to overcome their stigma and try the food. Many of the guests really enjoyed the tarantula, which supposedly is very similar to soft shell crab. Overall, I was impressed with the show, and would probably check back again to see some of Andrew’s travels. If you’re interested in checking out the Halloween special, check this link for replay times.
Did anyone else catch this episode? What did you think? Can any fans of the show tell me if this was a good representative episode?
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Oct 25, 2008 @ 16:00 EST5EDT
