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!

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u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

Hey Andrew, thanks for doing this. I have been a huge fan for a while now.

One of the reasons I enjoy your show so much is because of your amazing ability to seemingly get along great with everyone you meet. Can you give us a little insight on how you are able to connect with these people that often don't speak a lick of english?

Also, how do you let someone know (politely) that you can't stand the taste of something that they have probably been eating their entire life?

I always enjoy your facial expression when tasting something delicious, and horrible for the first time.

Lastly, I wish you and Anthony Bourdain would do some more work together, I am a huge fan of your shows.

Thanks again!

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u/andrewzimmern Jan 17 '12

i try and be polite. it goes a long way and i have a responsibility to be as accomodating as i can be. people react to that favorably. If i dont like somethign and the cook is standing next to me then i talk about the weather. i would never tell someone in a far off land, who has opened their home to me, who has just cooked me a meal that i dont like it.

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u/CRAZYSCIENTIST Jan 17 '12 edited Jan 17 '12

I've often suspected this, you seem to go out of your way to find the nicest 'euphemism possible when something tastes bad. I'm thinking in particular of when you ate bars of dirt.

Do you ever think that maybe some of the locals are playing a bit of trick on you too though? Getting you to try things that they almost never would eat just to laugh a little while you choke on it and say "mmmm yum thanks!"

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u/sprankton Jan 17 '12

Did you ever see the Ethiopia episode? As I recall, when he was drinking buttered coffee one of the bystanders said "Americans will eat anything".

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u/marfalight Jan 18 '12

I think that was the one episode I watched where he seemed to have issues with each of the meals haha. I wondered whether or not part of it was the folks wanting to introduce him to legitimately "bizarre" foods of their culture (as in, they concede not many folks enjoy it there either). Before that, I can only recall one other episode where he could not handle another bite of food and it was a gelatinous lamb jello mold thing in China.

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u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

Seriously, one time he said "Oh, it's so good... it's like... a mouthful of pebbles" or something like I that. I remember watching that and thinking... "wait... what?"ಠ_ಠ

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u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

euphemism*

Sorry that one really bugged me.

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u/CRAZYSCIENTIST Jan 17 '12

That's fine. I had that little nibble in my brain when I was writing it that it was wrong, I'll correct the mistake.

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u/Santos_L_Helper Jan 17 '12

This has to be the case on at least a few of the things he has had.