On Apr 3, 8:15 pm, (Ubiquitous) wrote:
> In article >, backspace@backspace
> wrote:
>
> >Does somebody likeAndrewZimmernhave to build up a tolerance to such
> >exotic foodstuffs? If I went to the Philippines and tried balut, would it
> >make me sick?
>
> I don't know, but I remember the Philipino food they served at my best
> friend's wedding did a number on me.
>
> How is this show, anyway? It looks vaguely interesting, but since it's
> on Food Network...

It's on the Travel Channel. The show is okay, but I have some
complaints about it. The pilot, Bizarre Foods of Asia, was more
interesting than any of the subsequent episodes -- although a good
deal of what he ate in that show (e.g., sushi, curry) wasn't bizarre
at all; and he shied away from the really unusual stuff. That's been
a problem with the show in general. You get glimpses of odd foods,
but Zimmern tends to stick to the more ordinary stuff. Worse yet,
you'll often see him put his fork in something unusual -- but then he
doesn't eat it! (Watch carefully.) Also, Zimmern sometimes claims to
be full after just a few bites, which doesn't gibe with his girth.
Basically, I think he's a person with ordinary tastes who pretends,
for the sake of having a TV show, to be drawn to unusual foods.

I also think that Zimmern isn't very good at describing what he eats
-- especially for a chef. He seriously overuses certain words
("funky," "fabulous") without giving the viewer a good idea of what
the culinary experience is like.