Since I just posted a review of Fuschia Dunlop's new book on eating in China, it seems apropos to include this posting on Andrew Zimmern's show on Vietnam. Zimmern has a show on the Travel Chanel on bizarre food experiences and travels. My sister Tasha pointed me to a segment that was taped in and around Hanoi. You can watch parts of the Vietnam segment on YouTube. A recap of the show is below:
- Snake village and snake food being cooked
- Hanoi street food, pho and civet coffee (the coffee beans that go through the intestinal track of the civet)
- Hanoi cha ca la vong restaurant and Highway 4 restaurant of 'exotic' things like roasted sparrow (my mom ate them when she was young)
- Hanoi old quarter and home cooking (snails, silkworms, eel) - check out the luxe kitchen!
- High-tech fish sauce making with concrete vats, sterile but interesting
- Ha Long Bay
He makes it seem wacky and weird and goes out of his way to say that snake is a delicacy, but is fish sauce bizarre? Bill Daley at the Chicago Tribune just recently wrote a short piece encouraging readers to find cool uses for fish sauce. How bizarre is that? Not really. There's lots of regular food that Vietnamese people eat and I wish that a little more time was devoted to that. But then, the show wouldn't be called bizarre, right?
I'm sure if an Asian person were to do a show on bizarre western foods, that may include Roquefort cheese and risotto, which would be described as bad, undercooked chao (jook).
Annie says
We love watching both Andrew Zimmern and Tony Bourdain on the Travel Channel. They're so much more interesting than Food TV's bland "stars". Plus, I'm glad they get to expose the rest of the world to these (largely unseen by the Western world) culinary destinations.
Even if it is from an outsider's perspective, I don't think they are trying to offend anyone. They are at least trying to foster better awareness of the different kinds of food not normally seen in America, and that I think is a Go
Marvin says
I have the same feelings, Andrea, about the "bizarre" foods of the Philippines shown on Western tv. There is so much more to Filipino food than the embryonic duck eggs that are always showcased on such shows. I too wish that there was more time devoted to our "normal" foods.
And Annie, I agree with you too. I watch Zimmern and Bourdain regularly, and I know they aren't meaning to offend anyone. It is good that they can create awareness of other cuisines, but there is so much more to these other
Jason says
I liked the show, but for someone pretty well-versed in viet cuisine, not much of it seemed very bizarre. And in general, I wish he would take more time learning to pronounce things. The way he said 'Pho' was ridiculous and not even close. And in Spanish speaking countries he always says 'mucho gracias' instead of 'muchas gracias'. How hard is it to learn to say thanks properly in Spanish?
I love Bourdain too (and more) but he rarely even tries to describe the food. He just says "that's good" "t
Al says
Interesting: "undercooked chao", "Italian chao."
Italians love a certain "toothiness" to rice and pasta. Although asian rice and pasta dishes are not overcooked, there is a certain resistance to the bite in Italian pasta and rice dishes which I love.
On the other hand, Asian noodles are so much more slurpable!
Ciao!
Preyanka says
Well, fish sauce is not bizarre, but it can be a bizarre experience and overwhelming if you go where it's made, so maybe that's what he meant, perhaps? I personally don't like Andrew Zimmern's show because it's too self-congratulatory (look at me! I'm eating something bizarre!). I prefer Anthony Bourdain because he contextualizes his experiences better. And he does eat "bizarre" things--such as his latest foray into Laotian cuisine with ant egg omelets!
Andrea Nguyen says
I had a love-hate kind of reaction to the Zimmern's segment on Vietnam. When you go over there, in Hanoi, tourists are hit with snake wine. I had some at a wine event years ago and it tastes like medicinal moonshine. Zimmern is sincere, I believe, but at one point he says that Vietnamese people shop daily for food because they many don't have refrigerators. Then he goes to a family kitchen that is outfitted like a western kitchen (note the microwave on the counter) for some 'exotic' fare. I imag
Simon Bao says
Andrew Zimmern is a pet peeve of mine.
I think there is a huge difference between Andrew Zimmern and Anthony Bourdain. Please consider what I say, and see if the difference makes sense.
Andrew Zimmern does a show devoted to Creepy Food Porn. He goes around finding "exotic" foods that he knows will creep out a mainstream American audience, then has you watch him as he eats them. He does nothing whatsoever to put that food in a cultural context, a geographical context, a historical context, an env
Simon Bao says
Andrea, if you promise to be the Gracious Host, I'll be the Ungracious Sidekick and we can do a Travel Network special on American foods. Not just Roquefort Cheese and undercooked Risotto... A close up examination of canned corned beef hash, spaghetti-o's, Hamburger Helper - The Tuna Edition, Caviar, and some very overly ripe Brie that's been dusted with brown sugar, baked with candied pecans, and served with apples.
Actually, I don't mind the corned beef hash, and love caviar and over-ripened
Jason Dezember says
Simon,
Even though I watch Zimmern's show and find it interesting, I totally agree. That's why I so much prefer Bourdain, his overt respect for the people he is with. When Zimmern tried and couldn't handle Durian, he said something like "I can't even handle that, and I've had some really weird food". I couldn't help think: hey, it's certainly not weird to the farmer you're talking to, have a little respect!
Zimmern's a bit of a cultural fish out of water and very western-centric. Bourdain I admi
Simon Bao says
Jason, I don't know how often any of Bourdain's past "No Reservations" travels may be re-broadcast, but one episode where he was in Vietnam was kind of classic "Bourdain." I think it was "The Island of Mr. Sang."
He was not there to eat Weird Food, he was there to eat and drink what was offered and interesting to him. The episode may have started out in Hanoi with Bourdain eating some Cha Ca, I'm not sure. But at one point and his guide were in what appeared to be the highlands, at a kind of
Tuty says
Simon and Jason... I second your comments on both TV hosts. Zimmern needs to expand his vocabulary beyond: Chewy, Salty, Game-y, Fishy, Crunchy. He also needs to stop saying, "I've eaten some weird food throughout my life..."
Robyn says
Hear hear Simon!
I totally agree re Zimmerman (Andrea, you probably could have predicted my response to this post). I hate, hate, hate that show! He may not mean to offend but in my opinion he does, by reducing the cuisine of every place he visits to the 'weird' and 'bizarre'. Not only that, half the time he doesn't get his facts right. It's bad enough that his visit to Manila consists entirely of balut, mole crickets, and other 'weirdities', even when he includes a visit to the province of Pamp
Simon Bao says
Robyn, this past Saturday evening my fiance had a kind of "Bizarre Vietnamese Foods" experience, kind of heavy with the Fear Factor element. But my American-born, white American fiance handles such things with grace and wisdom, and that's why we're getting hitched.
We'd visited a friend in hospital, then drove down into the city and the VNese 'hood to visit a while with friends and update everyone on our friend's progress and prognosis. On stepping into the house where everyone was assembled,
Robyn says
Hee hee. Simon, I just did a post that touched on a soup featuring those unlaid eggs. I love yolks so I think they're pretty cool.
Yep, your fiancee sounds like a keeper, all right!
Andrea Nguyen says
Simon, you'd suggested earlier that we have a discussion on restorative foods and I think that if you're going to the hospital -- where people often leave with either fewer or more parts than they came in with -- a good strategy is to eat a few parts while you're still in the hospital to ensure that you've got it all together.
As for the yolks -- well they're full of nutrients and are bound to boost something.
I don't watch as much TV as I should to keep up with things. But it would be fun to do
Simon Bao says
Andrea, Food Network may feel that as long as they've got Sandra Lee in a kimono doing Indochine Brunches, they've got us covered. 🙂 Given what does go on that network, I'm content to let them leave us all alone. LOL
A lot of chefs and cooks and foodies do turn to PBS instead to host their programs. (Actually, most of the time that's American Public Television, APT.) Sometimes that's a program host who couldn't possibly get on the air anywhere else, but that also includes some hosts who l
White On Rice Couple says
I've never been a fan of Zimmerman and have debated tirelessly on my opinions regarding the differences between Zimmerman and Bourdain.
I just actually stopped for a bit and read all the comments and it looks like Simon said everything I would have. Well said Simon! Bravo!
Bourdain shows genuine interest and respect to people, culture and their food traditions first. Then the content will automatically be interesting.
Zimmerman looks for shocking content first, regardless of how it reflects the
helen says
Yr right about the cheese. Some of my Viet colleagues have trouble with big steaks.
I guess other 'weird' foods would be dog meat black pudding, cat meat (illegal in cities but available), blood jelly, mam tom with bun (the sonic death shrimp sauce), the fertilised duck egg (good fried in butter), the unlaid eggs, and rice wine with goat fetuses in it.
But yr right, it's still noodles and normal fare most of the way
Evin Morris says
The blood jelly is actually pretty good. (I've eaten it several times at parties thrown by my (vietnamese) fiance's friends. The men always seem amazed that I like it- and can keep up with them when they chase it with Remy and Heineken.
Evin
Andrea Nguyen says
Evin, you're a good fiance. Proving that you can eat and enjoy and drink as well as the men -- BRAVO! They probably need the Remy and Heineken as chasers.
hema says
hi this is hema
me and my husband james we both love travel chanel.especially andrew zimmerman's bizarre food,we really love that.also antony bordain's show only bad thing abou his program his language, therefore we cant show it to our children.They want to see that with us but we wont let them watch his program because when he uses "f" words, there is a "beep" u can hear that time my kids r asking what he said, if he can reduce that,this kind of show will really help kids to know about other cu
cheap kamagra says
For our reading class we have to make a food for the theme of our book. My theme is adventure. So what food can I make for adventure thats not to hard and expensive?
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*_*
uggs sale says
I liked the show, but for someone pretty well-versed in viet cuisine, not much of it seemed very bizarre. And in general, I wish he would take more time learning to pronounce things. The way he said 'Pho' was ridiculous and not even close. And in Spanish speaking countries he always says 'mucho gracias' instead of 'muchas gracias'. How hard is it to learn to say thanks properly in Spanish?
uggs sale says
I have to say, that I could not agree with you in 100%, but it?s just my opinion, which could be wrong.
marlon says
The men always seem amazed that I like it- and can keep up with them when they chase it with Remy and Heineken.