Bizarre appétit

The guy travels the world, and shows us the foods people eat. If you are offended by the way other countries, slaughter their food, don't watch this show. And some here, blame the host of the show for this? I don't get that! Do you get mad at a reporter, for doing a story about a murder? Is the murder, his fault too? The guy is nothing more than a food reporter! And you have contacted PETA? What for? they don't have any jurisdiction in other countries! We don't gut animals live, and eat them, before they die, here in the US. And as others have pointed out, many of these other countries, LET NOTHING GO TO WASTE! I don't always agree with some of their methods. But who are you, or I, to judge THEIR CULTURE! As far as where he goes, and what he eats... Well shocking things get RATINGS! Are you going to watch this show, if Andrew eats hot-dogs and hamburgers every episode? This may come as a shock to some... TV is a business! I will also agree, maybe the content, isn't something a child needs to see. But the same could be said about the nightly news. This show is about food, and the cultures of the people that eat them. That simple!"Oh my god! He used the "M word". This guy was born in 1961! The "M" word has not always been considered a derogatory comment. But now that you "little people", decided you don't like that word, the world needs to change! As well as television networks! I did not know this was offensive, to "little people". But I'm sure Andrew knew that! And he blatantly attacked some of his viewers on purpose! Really! Are you kidding me! You even admitted, he was talking about worms! Ever hear of midget racers? Midget baseball, midget football? Mostly played by small children. Are you offended by that? The word midget is defined as, smaller than normal. That's it! You "little people" decided it was offensive to you. But that is what the word means! You are the ones that decided it was derogatory. And then we have PETA, you people have been involved in arson, burglary, bombing, assault, breaking and entering, and even murder! All in the name of saving life! Yeah nice people, with a cause!

My grandkids and I were watching the travel channel at 8:30 p.m. and they slit the throat of a hanging pig to drink the blood. I have complained about this show for years. WTF? Major networks are carrying this and don't even care about the animals that are not even killed before they are meals - are you kidding me? Zimmerman is sadistic and for ratings. He cares nothing about the animal abuse. He is disgusting and so is this show! I can't believe it on major TV - he just travels around for ratings to kill animals or have them abused and cruelty on national TV. Zimmerman - please tell me you do not own a pet! Do us all a favor - leave the show and hopefully the show will just go bye bye. I have also alerted PETA like many others say they have too.

The first series produce a real wow effect, I really think now that American cuisine is the best cuisine of any country in the world, I mean: including the best Japanese, the best Cambodian, the best Mexican. The series about Seattle just turned my view of the world upside down, especially that coffee machine for 20 thousand dollars. But then almost all the series became about which of the sentient beings to kill with own hands, to peel off the skin and drain the blood. There's still a lot of interesting stuff, but it's 10 minutes in each episode without killing. Although, the presenter always mentions the ethical component. So, if it's okay for you, then there will be 10 stars.

Admittedly, I'm a sucker for food-shows. Over the last few years there has been an influx of food- and cooking-shows in Germany. Not all were gold, though. Shows like "Man versus Food" (about a pig in human shape who shoves food down his gullet) or "King of Bacon" (obese redneck attempts to fill his arteries like a Christmas-stocking), where all just short of distasteful in the truest sense. Different with "Bizarre Foods". For one, the show has a very sympathetic host in the form of Andrew Zimmern. Sure, one could say that by the final seasons, Zimern fell a little too much in love with the camera. But he never stooped down to a level of an Anthony Bourdain oder Gordon Ramsay in the US-variations of "Kitchen Nightmares". Instead, Zimmern convinced the viewer that he was actually culinary interested (unlike Bourdain) and a real chef (again, unlike Bourdain).

To the content itself: Sure, "Khlii" (salted rot-meat in Morocco), Hakarl (rotten shark in Iceland) or maggot-infested cheese (again, rotten) from Sardinia are not to everybody's taste, and I agree with Zimmern regarding the Durian-plant, perhaps among the foulest plants ever produced by nature. Balut (half-developed duck-embryos)? I would have said categorically "no" before watching this particular "Bizarre Foods"-episode, but here's the magic of Zimmern: he's able to convey tastes, smells, textures, etc., that virtually makes the viewer a deeper impression. So, yes, since then I consider trying Balut. I must give the show credit where credit is due: It put quiet a few places and even more dishes on my personal to-do-list. Especially Spain, Venice and Greece (to name but three) seem to be filled with culinary treasures that would make every food-aficionado heart beat faster.

As to the accusations of animal abuse that PETA-cranks frequently voice (which ironically all seem to come from "First World"-countries): Not everybody lives in the land of plenty, where almost everybody can afford the luxury of not seeing how your food is produced or white-wash their conscious with vegan food (that anybody with two taste-buds would consider a culinary abomination). Not sure if I'm paraphrasing Zimmern here, but to the vegetarians who refuse to eat meat out of pure principle: you haven't saved that steak that you won't eat; you simply disrespected it. Don't like what's cooking in the kitchen? Stay out of the kitchen.

I only have two real criticisms about the show: The title itself, for one. "Bizarre", that's a very subjective description of 99 percent of the presented dishes. In Germany the show was called "Der Alles-Esser" (roughly: "The guy who gobbles everything"), which is equally unfitting. First: if you want to try 'bizarre food' (in the negative sense), go down to a certain fast-food-joint with a Scottish name or go for the 50 cent package-food at the local discounter. I have doubt that Andrew would be able to stomach that stuff. The other issue is more about monetary issues. Sure, I'd love to go for a healthy plate of Beluga-caviar in St. Petersburg or stuffed duck in Paris, but who's going to pay? In such moments it comes to mind that it becomes heyday that IMDb is starting to pay their reviewers.

As far as food-shows go, I'd give it a straight 9 from 10 and a healthy "Bon Appetit".

One of the last good shows on the Travel Channel. Shocking -- a show centered around what its channel name insinuates. It wouldn't be long, however, before shows like Man V. Food would derail this once wonderful and educational channel.