When you hear the term celebrity, you usually think of the glitz and glamour clad stars of Hollywood, the beautiful and pampered faces that work the red carpet, and the slender clean cut bodies of big name actors and actresses. However, with the rise of channels like the Food Network and the Travel Channel, the simple word “food” is being thrown in front of “celebrity”. Now celebrities aren’t just about beauty, but the very thing that they try to avoid over-consuming. A new “Food Celebrity”, in particular, that is exactly the opposite of the typical Hollywood persona is Andrew Zimmern, the host of two Travel Channel shows, Bizarre Foods and Bizarre World. You’ll soon see why his shows are the antithesis of all that is the glamour of Hollywood.

A Brief Biography

Andrew Zimmern is a New York City native, born into a Jewish family who had a strong start in the culinary field. At the young age of fourteen, he began his career by enrolling in a formal culinary school, where he learned the foundation principles of cooking. To accompany his skills in the kitchen, he also graduated from Vassar College, a prestigious liberal arts school in New York. Upon his graduation, he took on positions such as executive chef and general manager of a number of fine restaurants in New York City. He also was a lecturer on restaurant management and design at The New School for Social Research. In 1992, Zimmern took his career to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he became the executive chef at Café Un Deux Trois. Five years later, he left the restaurant business and shared his love of food with the world.

I believe that it is safe to say that Zimmern can be classified as a multi-media “food personality”. His work can be read, heard, seen, and tasted. He is a contributing writer for the Minneapolis-St.Paul Magazine, as well as many national magazines and publications, which has allowed him to receive the Society of Professional Journalists Page One Award. He also avidly blogs about interesting places, sights, and foods that he encounters.

His works have also been heard through his radio career as hosts of Chowhound, The Andrew Zimmern Show and Food Court with Andrew Zimmern. Both shows achieved wide popularity in the Twin Cities discussing…you guessed it, FOOD. Zimmern no longer has radio shows due to his extensive television career, but from time to time uploads podcasts on his personal website.

Zimmern’s popularity surfaced to the national and global level in February 2007 with the premiere of his hit show Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern on the Travel Channel. This documentary-style program travels from country to country sharing each one’s culture with the rest of the world through the sampling of local, yet strange, delicacies. In 2009 the Travel Channel premiered the show Bizarre World that showcases the cultures of the world.

Recipes

Before the world knew Andrew Zimmern as the TV Star who ate weird foods, he was first and foremost a chef, a creator of food for the public. Although he no longer is an executive chef for New York City restaurants, his skills in the kitchen have not gone to waste. He continually writes for food magazines, newspapers, and even his website, which has an extensive library of recipes written and prepared by Zimmern himself.

Scrolling through his online cookbook, I noticed the ease of use of his site. His recipes are categorized by Type of Meal, such as Breakfast, Salad, Entrée, or Dessert; Main Ingredients, like Beef, Cheese, or Eggs; and even Origin of Dish, like Africa, Asia, or France.

Now, what would this Green Media Project be without a little seasonal dishes? Zimmern’s recipe library also features dishes that are prepared with seasonal ingredients. If I wanted to find a dish that I can cook right now from the fruits and vegetables that are growing in this beautiful weather, I would click on the “Spring” link, which would then lead me to a list of recipes, including a very delicious “Spring Asparagus and Wild Morel Salad with Hazelnut-Lemon Vinaigrette”.

If I wanted to plan ahead for the summer months and look for a dish that I could use with my tomatoes, I would click on Summer and find The Best Tomato Soup.

The Best Tomato Soup

Let’s examine Andrew’s Best Tomato Soup recipe. The recipe starts by determining the number of servings that will be produced. When I follow recipes, I often have trouble determining the portions of ingredients because, for me, the amount of servings I want to produce are never the same as the amount stated in the recipe. Luckily for me and many others, every recipe in Zimmern’s cookbook has a servings calculator. You simply enter the amount of servings you want and it automatically portions the ingredients accordingly. This is definitely “cooking made easier”. Zimmern also includes a short description of the dish that explains the typical time of year to eat the dish, other alternatives, and even a personal memory or story associated with it. This allows the reader to feel something for the dish. This one or two line description helps make the dish more personable and comforting, rather than a cold heartless instruction.

Like other typical recipes, a list of ingredients is provided followed by the instructions. The ingredients list is clearly laid out with the amount and the ingredient. One thing I noticed, and very much appreciated, is the labeling of units. The typical label for tablespoon is tbsp. and tsp. for teaspoon. Zimmern simply uses an uppercase “T” for tablespoon and a lowercase “t” for teaspoon. This labeling method is simple yet self-explanatory. Obviously a Table is bigger than a cup of tea, so this makes perfect sense to me. If this still doesn’t make sense to you, Zimmern goes one step further and labels it for you. If you place the cursor over the “T” , the cursor will turn into a “?”, and a little note will appear reading “Tablespoon”. You will find that “lb” means pound, “clv” means clove, and “oz” means ounce.

Sometimes the ingredients list says more than just the item itself. Often times, chefs will tell you how to prepare the ingredient in one word. This is also seen in the directions. Words like “core”, something that I thought was a noun, indicates the way the ingredient is cut. Zimmern makes it easy for us and provides a glossary of directional terms used in recipes. For uncommon ingredients, such as Pernod,  Zimmern also links an extra note explaining what the ingredient is and where it could be bought.

Zimmern’s directions are fairly straightforward. He carefully explains each step of the cooking process.

I understand that recipes are supposed to be quick reference guides to cooking, but I would have like to known why Zimmern took the steps he did. I would have like to known why the tomatoes needed to be placed cut side up and why the onions needed to sweat. I also wished that there were pictures of the finished dish. When I go online in search of a recipe, I look for something that I know will at least look good. I am a visual learner, so I want to know what my food will look like before I try to make it.

In my previous experiences with creating recipes for the public, I’ve had trouble creating the ingredients list. When I cook I don’t measure. I add a little of one ingredient, and if it doesn’t taste right, I add some more. The thing I found most interesting and helpful is Zimmern’s use of external links and the servings calculator. Tools such as these make the recipe less intimidating and more appealing to a wider audience. Experienced and inexperienced cooks can all benefit from these helpful tools.

TV Shows

Zimmern is most famous for his show on the Travel Channel, Bizarre Foods, which features the regional cuisine of cultures all around the world. He focuses on the foods that are perceived by the western world as weird, disgusting, and bizarre. Every episode is a new place on Zimmern’s list, in which he shows how the food is prepared, served, and consumed with, of course, a self-demonstration.

Balut

In this episode of Bizarre Foods, Zimmern travels to the islands of the Philippines, where he features the local treat called, Balut, a fertilized duck egg.

Balut is a duck that is fertilized from 16 to 20 days. According to an article entitled Balut: Fertilized Duck Eggs And Their Role In Filipino Culture, from the Western Folklore journal, the duck egg at this stage in fertilization has pronounced feathers, bones, and a beak. If you wait too long to eat it, 26 to 28 days of incubation, the chick will hatch. There are also different types of balut based on the breed of the laying duck.

A raw balut egg is prepared by boiling it in water for 20 to 30 minutes. This Filipino delicacy is cracked open and pealed, in a similar fashion to a regular hard boiled egg, which Zimmern says himself. The balut is always eaten warm and never cold, either by itself or accompanied with condiments, like salt, vinegar, or soy sauce.

You might ask, why in the world would anyone eat an unborn baby duckling? Like many foods around the world, balut, too, has a story. The Philippines is a nation that, only until recently, declared its independence. However, prior to 1946, the Philippines has been under constant control of Spain, Japan, and even the United States, resulting in a variety of cultural influences. The controlling powers allowed the Philippines to enter the trading world, where it was exposed to the Asian and Arab cultures. The balut egg is an influence of the Chinese culture, as seen by similar dishes in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos.

It is believed by many that the balut egg is a great source of energy for both men and women, each with its respective functions. According to the same article in the Western Folklore journal, men prefer to eat the more developed balut that are aged 17 to 20 days. This more developed chick is believed to be an aphrodisiac, which “arouses” men’s sexual appetite. On the other hand, women are discouraged from eating the balut this late in the fertilization stage, but rather encouraged to eat the balut aged between 10 and 16 days. Pregnant women and sick people are encouraged to eat balut because it is a high source of calcium and protein. Like many cultures, the egg is a symbol of life, and consuming it will give you a longer one.

Andrew Zimmern’s approach to the balut egg is that of an outsider or tourist. His stout body, brightly colored shirts, and American accent hardly allow him to blend in. Although he is a foreigner, he does not seem scared, but rather interested in trying the food. He talks with the balutan workers and learns about the entire process from start to finish. He may look like an ordinary American tourist, but he is insightful, observant, and mindful of detail. When he receives the newly steamed balut, it is as if the show has turned into a studio cooking demonstration show. He takes control of the balut describing the texture and feel of the egg. Video can only do so much to convey an idea, but Zimmern’s verbal description helps the viewer really imagine the balut egg. He describes the warmth and color just after it is steamed, defining the shape and position of the duck embryo. He cracks the egg open, and the tone goes back to that of a travel show, asking the balutan worker for guidance as he seasons the balut with salt and vinegar. Then the moment we’ve all been waiting for…he eats it! We wait to see his reaction as he chews, then swallows. Approval? Disgust? Delicious? Then suddenly he goes back to being a food critic. As he swallows the last bit of balut in his mouth, he says, “Let’s talk about this for a second”. He begins by describing the very similar taste and texture of a hard-boiled egg with elements of roasted poultry. Very politely he thanks his hosts for their time and hospitality for sharing with him the Filipino culture of eating the balut.

Durian

In another episode, Andrew Zimmern travels to Malaysia in search of the tropical fruit, durian.

According to the book entitled 1001 Foods You Must Taste Before You Die, the durian fruit is considered as the “king of fruits”. The reason for this maybe its scent, for some, is described as fragrant, and for many others as overpowering and offensive. The odor is comparable to that of spoiled meat, which has allowed itself to be banned from hotels and public transportation.

This stinky fruit is consumed by cutting the hard spiky rind open and eating the soft inner fruit. The texture is creamy and similar to that of custard. It is said to possess a unique flavor that is used in both sweet and savory dishes in Southeast Asian cuisine.

This wonderfully aromatic fruit also has nutritional and medicinal qualities. It is high in sugar, vitamin C, potassium, and is a good source of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. The fruit’s leaves and roots have healing qualities, especially for fever. The leaves are placed on the forehead of fever patients, and the roots are boiled and served as a tea.

Zimmern faced the durian in its natural habitat led by a guide who is an expert farmer and cultivator of the fruit. The farmer proudly says, “Maybe the smell is to the foreigner, something bad, but we enjoy the smell”. He tells Zimmern to take a big whiff of the fragrant fruit and taunts him to eat it. This is one of the few foods that Zimmern is unable to eat and spits it out. In this episode, Zimmern appears to be more of a tourist than a food critic.

I feel that Andrew Zimmern’s show, Bizarre Foods, is educational and entertaining. I appreciate that Zimmern is venturing out into the world educating us about the different foods and delicacies of their cultures. His message, “If it looks good, eat it” tells us not to be afraid and to overcome our fears of trying new foods. This is the kind of mindset that I hope to have someday. The world is an interesting place, with a lot of interesting food. It would be a shame if fear got in the way of trying these wonderful things.

These are the sources that I used in creating this post. I highly recommend them.

• http://www.andrewzimmern.com
• Case, Frances, and Gregg Wallace. 1001 Foods You Must Taste before You Die. New York: Universe, 2008. Print.
• “Durian.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 02 Apr. 2010. <http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian&gt;.
• Magat, Margaret. “Balut: Fertilized Duck Eggs And Their Role In Filipino Culture.” Western Folklore61.1 (2002). Web.