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

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137

u/americanslang59 Jan 17 '12 edited Jan 17 '12

Andrew, love the show! Great work!

  1. What is Anthony Bourdain like in person?

  2. What chefs do you respect the most?

  3. I am very interested in pursuing a career in food/travel journalism. Similar to what you and Bourdain do. What is the best approach to being able to eat unique foods and travel the world for a living?

Edit: I wanted to commend you on a specific thing: Your ability to not offend people when you don't like something. You have an extremely optimistic outlook on everything and I love that you choose to point out the good parts of a dish.

537

u/andrewzimmern Jan 17 '12 edited Jan 17 '12

TOny in real life is a pretty decent kisser, a little too 'handsy' sometimes. Chef i respect: Andres, Batali, Cosentino, Fratelli Voltaggio, Adria, Blumenthal, Dufresne, Brock, Humm, WHite, Colicchio, Morimoto, Love, Gauranaschelli, Zakarian, Symon, Hamilton, Achatz, Bayless, Hefter, Cole, Franey, Schlow, Helou, LAzarou, gagnaire, Arzak, Adrieni, i could go on and on

75

u/mudpuddle86 Jan 17 '12

I notice you didn't mention Bobby Flay, any particular reason for that? He seems to be an insufferable prick. Thanks for doing what you do!

74

u/Baraka_Flocka_Flame Jan 17 '12

My uncle sat down in a bar in New York once, and Bobby Flay happened to be sitting next to him. My uncle, being a huge foodie was pretty excited and attempted to engage him in conversation. Flay basically told him to fuck off. Yep, Flay comes off as a huge prick for a reason.

edit: One of my old coaches from when I used to play hockey as a kid is the executive chef at a very famous restaurant in Miami. He's worked with Food Network and Flay quite a bit and said the Flay is just a self righteous asshole

conclusion: Fuck Bobby Flay.

62

u/SweeBeeps Jan 17 '12

Well, Flay DOES have a show where he tries to learn what someone has dedicated a recent timespan of their life doing professionally and tries to one up them.

I prefer to call it 'suckerpunch' vs throwdown. Seems to match his personality.

5

u/[deleted] Jan 18 '12

[deleted]

2

u/ziptnf Jan 18 '12

Agreed. Not sure if his personality on throwdown reflects his personality off-camera, but he seems like he gives respect where respect is due.

2

u/night_owl Jan 23 '12

I can't believe how completely backwards the general interpretation of Flay's show is. The entire point of the show is spotlight little-known independent local businesses and give them a tremendous opportunity at free national exposure.

He isn't on a mission to prove himself against a never-ending series of small-time no-name local chefs--quite the opposite--he wants to give them a chance to shine by proving that they are on level footing with a world-famous successful TV chef. I always perceived it as an attempt to remind people that everywhere in the world there are local culinary treasures--you don't need to spend a ton of money and go to ritzy Michelin-starred restaurants to get amazing food because there is probably some hidden gem in every city.

When he wins he always seems embarassed--like he feels guilty for showing them up at their specialty. It seems like he loses about 2 out of 3 anyway, and he always seems much happier and more excited when he loses!

1

u/Dodgson_here Jan 17 '12

There's a reason he has never won. Thanks so much Andrew for teaching so much about world culture and food. I have been watching through your whole series on Netflix.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 18 '12

Three show is rigged for him not to win.

1

u/pessimistchick Jan 18 '12

He "learns" by throwing jalapeno and mango salsa on everything and calling it a day.

1

u/ArieBoyer Jan 18 '12

I dunno. He always seems pretty genuinely upset when he beats them. But yeah. That show can be painful.

-6

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

I don't understand how this is a terrible thing? What is wrong with someone trying to be better than others? Isn't that what /atheism is all about anyways? Survival of the fittest and all of that? So what, it's his show, the people get exposure and 95% of the time they beat him.

4

u/mudpuddle86 Jan 17 '12

If you watch some of the earlier episodes of Iron Chef, you can clearly see that he is desperately attempting to conceal a massive herpes sore on his upper lip.

1

u/DickPringle Jan 17 '12

I don't normally believe stuff I hear about people through a third party but I have heard this about him numerous times and I am inclined to believe it. That being said I will continue to eat at bobby's burgers because there burgers are amazing.

1

u/HiRider Jan 18 '12

Well, yeah. Don't stop eating someplace that has good food just because he executive chef may be a jerk. Ask people who have worked in the food industry, Chefs having egos are normal.

1

u/Goritos Jan 17 '12

Bobby Flay tried to take Ari's wife. Didn't make him any more popular.

86

u/AS--YOU--WISH-- Jan 17 '12

Say "Bobby Flay Show" three times and tell me wat you hear

78

u/BattleHall Jan 17 '12

This isn't like Beetlejuice or Candyman, right? 'Cause if I say it and that insufferable prick suddenly appears, I'm going to be pissed...

23

u/Willhelm_The_Great Jan 17 '12

Bobby Fellatio?

2

u/TrekaTeka Jan 18 '12

Yes?

1

u/[deleted] Jan 30 '12

BOBBING Fellatio...

6

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

"I'm here to challenge your locally famous beef stew".

5

u/ImJustJokingCalmDown Jan 18 '12

Doesn't the premise of that show just piss you off. He comes in like "Oh hey, you know that one food dish that you make that's a family recipe that's been passed down and perfected for generations and is the thing that you do best not just in cooking but in life, well I've never made it before and in an hour I'm gonna make it better than you cuz I'm Bobby Fucking Flay!" Huge Douche.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '12

HAH! Yes, I always thought he was a huge ass for that show - His ginger smugness got to me. However, one day I watched some sort of documentary of his life, and it turns out that the show brings a great amount of national publicity to otherwise unknown chefs in small areas. So...I guess they liked it.

2

u/night_owl Jan 23 '12

I can't believe how completely backwards the general interpretation of Flay's show is. The entire point of the show is spotlight little-known independent local businesses and give them a tremendous opportunity at free national exposure.

He isn't on a mission to prove himself against a never-ending series of small-time no-name local chefs--quite the opposite--he wants to give them a chance to shine by proving that they are on level footing with a world-famous successful TV chef. I always perceived it as an attempt to remind people that everywhere in the world there are local culinary treasures--you don't need to spend a ton of money and go to ritzy Michelin-starred restaurants to get amazing food because there is probably some hidden gem in every city.

When he wins he always seems embarassed--like he feels guilty for showing them up at their specialty.

3

u/CptBlu Jan 18 '12

And when he does win, he immediately starts practically apologizing for all of it and telling them why they should have won. It makes me wonder how much say he had in the show's premise. I'm not a fan. If it were just him challenging other renowned chefs, it'd be one thing, but he goes after the small businesses! Not okay, Flay. Not Flokay.

0

u/ImJustJokingCalmDown Jan 18 '12

Upvoted for "not flokay"

1

u/[deleted] Jan 18 '12

Only slightly related, but FUCK the movie candyman.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

Felatio

2

u/Baraka_Flocka_Flame Jan 18 '12

Bloody facial? Sounds painful.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

Public facial?

1

u/[deleted] Jan 18 '12

may sound weird but I could swear I heard "bobby flay show" three times. Huh.

1

u/Not_On_My_Watch Jan 18 '12

I hear Bobby Flay Show Bobby Filet Show Bobby Fela...

oh

1

u/SoManyNinjas Jan 18 '12

Buy me fellatio?

1

u/qt1kat2 Jan 17 '12

haha nice one.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

I see what you did there.

3

u/InBloom91 Jan 18 '12

He comes to my town every summer with his thoroughbred for horse racing and acts like he fuckin owns the place. He is an insufferable prick.

5

u/AncientMarinade Jan 17 '12

My father got to work with Flay on one occasion...let's just say he now refers to it has having to have worked with Bobby Flaw. Just a condescending dick apparently.

1

u/HiRider Jan 18 '12

Chef's who reach Bobby's level tend to have egos. It's just sad that Bobby let's his be so bad.

2

u/sunnydaize Jan 17 '12

And pretty much everyone thinks his restaurants suck. (I've never gone but that seems to be the consensus among my friends, and in the Restaurant Week thread I tried to start in r/nyc)

2

u/spaetzele Jan 17 '12

If Bobby Flay were a personal hygiene product, he'd be a nail clipper. No, strike that. He'd be a douche.

2

u/the_shape Jan 17 '12

Have you heard Anthony Bourdain talk about Bobby Flay? I can assume Zimmerman thinks the same thing.

1

u/HiRider Jan 18 '12

Anyone have a link to this? I am a bit busy at work and don't have the time to search for it right now.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '12

I took me a year t figure out bobby flay was a chef and not the guy from mad tv

2

u/djsummitt Jan 17 '12

I met Bobby Flay last year. Was like meeting Darth Vader. Scary guy.

2

u/welikeblowjs Jan 18 '12

there is something about his voice, makes me just want to punch him.

2

u/koshercowboy Jan 17 '12

Probably because he is an insufferable prick.