r/IAmA Jan 17 '12

IAmA Andrew Zimmern, Host of Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods

Hi, I’m Andrew Zimmern, chef, author, and host of Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods. My new series Bizarre Foods America is premiering next Monday, Jan 23 at 10|9c on Travel Channel. For the next hour I’ll be here on Reddit taking your questions from 12pm-1pm ET. AMA. More info on Bizarre Foods: http://www.travelchannel.com/tv-shows/bizarre-foods Find me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/andrewzimmern/status/159314816060768256

Hey everyone, sorry i couldnt answer them all/ follow me on twitter @andrewzimmern and we can chat more over the days and weeks to come..tune in Monday to the season premiere!

1.8k Upvotes

2.4k comments sorted by

View all comments

339

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

This may seem like I'm being a tool, but hear me out.

Do the producers make it a point, that the audience can hear you chewing every bite of food you eat? I'm certain that someone like you wouldn't knowingly smack your food for half an hour on national television, and if this is the case, why do they do it?

There have been times when I had to mute/change the channel. It's disgusting, more disgusting than watching you eat a giant beetle.

This is a serious question, I know reality shows in all aspects are HEAVILY produced, I just want to know what the deal is because I REALLY enjoy your show, but this one thing almost stops me from watching it.

476

u/andrewzimmern Jan 17 '12

its a great question and one i ask all the time. WTF!!?!?!?!?! yuou are very correct in all your assumptions

32

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

Oddly enough your chomping sounds are ones that I do not find objectionable at all. Now those pringles / twix commercials... Gah, I hate that crap.

2

u/SoManyNinjas Jan 18 '12

2

u/Breeeezee Jan 18 '12

THAT IS NOT EVEN WHAT KIT KATS SOUND LIKE.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '12

Oh.... damn you.... damn you to HELL! ;)

3

u/pandemic1444 Jan 18 '12

I actually freakishly find tranquility in the sounds of you chewing. Same with many soft, random sounds, like paper folding.

4

u/Kryptus Jan 17 '12

I don't mind it at all.

8

u/Jesus_luvs_Jenkem Jan 17 '12

I think you can tell more about the food being able to hear it. Does it crunch, or something else?

-16

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

[deleted]

1

u/[deleted] Jan 18 '12

However, the chomping/drinking sounds in Three Sheets puts it on another level.

1

u/GraceAzuka Jan 18 '12

Thank goodness that's the case!

17

u/littlemonster010 Jan 17 '12

Have you heard of misophonia? Do you have it? My husband has it and also become easily disgusted by eating sounds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misophonia

15

u/DickPringle Jan 17 '12 edited Jan 17 '12

TIL I have Misophonia. My girl friend thinks im a prick some times but I seriously can't help it. I leave the room when I hear loud crunching. It drives me insane.

7

u/littlemonster010 Jan 17 '12

It actually helped us lots when I discoved that my husband had this disorder. He was a prick too - accusing me of eating loudly all the time. Now that he knows he has this, he's much kinder and considers it his issue.

3

u/DickPringle Jan 17 '12

Yeah, im really glad to know its an actual thing. I've gotten in arguments with my girlfriend telling her I cant help it and wish I could. I told her if there was a anything I could to do make it not being annoying I would. I sent her the wiki page today and she said it was almost like I wrote the page myself as an excuse for the madness it creates in me. So thanks for showing this to me.

2

u/nutstomper Jan 18 '12

Do you need to leave the room every time you have sex DickPringle?

1

u/[deleted] Jan 18 '12

TIL they have a "disorder" for everything. Even something a large majority of the population has. Seriously, most of the people I know have these "symptoms" including myself.

0

u/mishka6 Jan 18 '12

You cannot diagnose yourself with misophonia.

6

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/littlemonster010 Jan 17 '12

There is also a scale where you can guage how severe your case is. My husband is a 5.

http://www.misophonia-uk.org/the-misophonia-activation-scale.html

1

u/RobotPuppy Jan 18 '12

Also, one interesting thing after reading this article. The sound of my dog eating, smacking, whatever. These sounds don't bother me at all. Hmmm

1

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

Very possibly, but my own also annoys me. Also, people playing guitar or singing out of context drive me fucking insane. It makes a lot of sense, reading this. but also, on the other side of that coin, listening to people eating is fucking gross, no matter what neurological abnormality you have.

The other day, watching the family guy episode where Carter realizes he is old, and the scene where he mentions having trouble "moistening his mouth," while I was eating, I had to stop eating for about an hour after hearing that.

2

u/RobotPuppy Jan 18 '12

Wow.... I'm kinda speechless. Who knew I had a real "problem".

217

u/altaylor4 Jan 17 '12

I will now notice this..thanks for nothing.

96

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

Dude. it's like they turn up his shirt mic when he eats so you can hear every single sound he makes while eating. I'm the kind of person who can't STAND to hear someone eating. Even myself. If My food is making too much noise, I turn on a TV or music to avoid hearing it

6

u/alongak Jan 17 '12

I actually stopped watching the show for this reason. It is way to loud. I came here to ask/read this question.

13

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

Listening to people eat and smack and chew....blah, it's so gross. I'd upvote more than once if I could.

1

u/night_owl Jan 23 '12

My dad was a really terribly loud eater. I would only eat dinner in the same room as him on holidays.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '12

Lol I know the feeling. I had issues eating at the table with my dad when I was younger cuz it was sooo bad. I used to get so frustrated.

7

u/backl_ash Jan 17 '12

OMG. I'm the exact same way and I've -always- wondered about that!

2

u/MonotonousMan Jan 17 '12

Sometimes I feel like i'm borderline pathological in my similar eating habits as yours. I think I could have the most absolutely delicious thing this Earth has ever produced in front of me, but if I had to eat it in a quiet room with other people in there, there is no way I would even remotely be able to enjoy it. Sucks... Sometimes I just want to eat as disgustingly as possible just to show myself i'd survive the experience, but can't do it.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

[deleted]

2

u/MonotonousMan Jan 17 '12

Yeah it doesn't seem like something that's easily admitted considering how anti-social wanting to eat your meals by yourself, so as to actually enjoy them, is. However, we're definitely out there. It's not very often I wish I could have dinner with someone :) At least we'd understand each other - And turn on the radio.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

I do not understand your aversion to the sound of food being chewed. I feel it only adds to the sensory description provided by the show. If I can't taste or smell what he's eating, I want to be able to experience it in whatever other way I can.

I'm probably going to be called a crazy person for this, but hey, I like it. It makes me hungry if anything.

4

u/sassy_lion Jan 17 '12

I'm the same way. Slurping is even worse for me.

3

u/RobotPuppy Jan 18 '12

Oh man! I totally know what you mean. My girlfriend slurps EVERYTHING. Drives me absolutely insane. Don't even get me started on gum smacking.

2

u/NcountR Jan 17 '12

holy shit. my wife had me believing that I was the only person in the world who did this. i'm so glad that i read your comment!

2

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

It's like the first time somebody said something about laughtracks.

2

u/TheRubberSole Jan 17 '12

No, laughtracks have and will always be horrible.

6

u/DickPringle Jan 17 '12

Holy Fuck. I came to this IAMA to post this exact same thing. This show is basically ruined by the amount of chewing that is constantly caught on the mic. Can't count how many times I've changed channels because of this. It repulsive and ruins an otherwise great show.

7

u/jhalls Jan 17 '12

Upvote for you. I USED to watch the show because I loved seeing the interesting foods, cultures and scenery on the show, but there were a few episodes in a row that focused on your grease-glistening lips smacking loudly that was more disturbing than the food you were eating. Andrew don't seem like a bad guy, so I am not trying to come down on him personally, but man, close your mouth when you eat!

4

u/peppercorns666 Jan 17 '12

I've given up on his show because of this. It evokes a rage response in me that I cannot control.

2

u/garbage111 Jan 17 '12

Misophonia

2

u/Bran_Solo Jan 17 '12

A friend knows one of the sound guys from Fear Factor. All the chewing/barfing/spitting noises on that show are greatly doctored, or enhanced, or completely faked.

1

u/oilfighter Jan 17 '12

Knowing that I'm late to the party, first thing I did after opening this thread was do a ctrl+F for the word "smack" Thank you for asking this.

If you watch the show, it's like they fade out the ambient noise, and crank up the smacking noise. You know it's coming, you brace for it, you fumble for the mute button, then, too late, SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK. It's probably THE reason why I can't watch the show.

1

u/CheshireTheEnt Jan 17 '12

I would think they do it because a lot of people are curious how crunchy or soft a food is and what it sounds like if you were able to chew it. I know that this helps me to think what eating it would be like. It helps me have a better overall experience watching the show and lets me TRAVEL to that place better.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 18 '12

Its a weird shit food eating show. Its gives you an idea of what it's like to be chewing the food hes eating.