Customer Reviews

The Bizarre Truth: How I Walked Out the Door Mouth First . . . and Came Back Shaking My Head

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As a big fan of Andrew Zimmern's Travel Channel programs Bizarre Foods and Bizarre Worlds I was very much looking forward to reading this book. Sadly, I was quite disappointed with the book. Zimmern is best in a television format. On the printed page he is off-putting and his style of writing alienated me from the first page. There are five main reasons I did not care for the book.

First, the book's title hints at a behind the scenes look at the making of his Travel Channel shows. Instead, what the book provides is largely a repeat of his TV programs with very little additional insights regarding the "bizarre truths" that went into making the shows. I sort of got the sense Zimmern sat in an editing room watching episodes of Bizarre Foods and Bizarre Worlds and then simply wrote down his reactions to what was on the screen. Rather than the actual subtitle for the book, an appropriate subtitle would be "I've seen the TV show, so why do I need to bother with the book?"

Second, on his television programs Zimmern presents himself as a sort of "aw, shucks" guy who lacks pretenses. By contrast, in the book he comes across as exceedingly condescending and patronizing towards average tourists who lack the resources he has to travel off the beaten path. Zimmern describes himself as a "traveler" (not a "tourist") and at multiple junctures in the book he openly registers his disdain for average tourists whom he seems to think never travel beyond the confines of all-inclusive resorts. At one point in the book he actually cautions himself against sounding smug, and it would have been nice if he had heeded his own words throughout the rest of the volume. I'm not sure if Zimmern actually feels the way that is conveyed in the book or if he somehow thought his target audience holds typical "tourists" in contempt, but the end result is a tone that is grating in its arrogance.

Third, and in a related sense, Zimmern over-generalizes about how less-sophisticated tourists approach their travels. Zimmern's point of comparison with his own travels are "ugly American" tourists, all of whom he seems to think haven't eaten anything more adventurous than a South of the Border Burrito Grande at Taco Bell. There is very little acknowledgment of the diversity of travel experiences of those with whom Zimmern compares himself.

Fourth, Zimmern is at once politically naive and politically closed-minded. For example, while he does recognize the hardships imposed by the authoritarian government of Cuba, he nonetheless reduces the political situation in that country to facile homilies about the injustices heaped on Cuba by the U.S. trade embargo. He seems to be unaware of the fact that other countries can and do trade with Cuba and that the economic under-development of Cuba stems from more than just the bad old Uncle Sam. The irony is that throughout the rest of the book he indicates his preference that international trade not sully the pristine backwaters he likes to reserve as his own personal underdeveloped theme parks (Cuba included) while everyone else never leaves the premises of the downtown Sheraton. Zimmern's throw-away observations about global warming also come across as less sophisticated than that which could have been formulated by a typical college sophomore.

Finally, Zimmern is remarkably inconsistent in light of his pronouncements about the superiority of his own style of traveling versus that of less sophisticated rubes. For example, he derides the tapas trend saying that tapas have no place in cuisine outside of Spain, yet he later says that there are hundreds of variations on the traditional pizza and they are all great as long as someone likes them.

Overall the book was such a disappointment that I left it behind at a hotel lending library. Zimmern congratulates himself about his worldly travels, but as an author he leaves much to be desired.

Written by the host of the Travel Channel's popular series "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern", The Bizarre Truth: How I Walked Out the Door Mouth First... and Came Back Shaking My Head is an enjoyable travelogue of Zimmern's many cultural and culinary adventures filming the show. From the plight of vanishing foods and cultures subsumed by mainstream globalization, to a session with an Incan witch doctor in Ecuador who blows fire on him, to dining on roasted bats on a Samoan Island, to eating raccoon and opossum in Mississippi, The Bizarre Truth is a chronicle of adventure, strange and wonderful palate delights (or distresses), and above all, an open-minded appreciation of the myriad ways mankind has adapted his diet and his way of life to his environment. Highly recommended, especially to fans of the television show.

Fun book! I've watched Andrew Zimmern in Bizarre Foods before and most of the time was really grossed out by what he was eating. Thank goodness he wrote this book! I really came to appreciate how he approaches travel, and appreciate the reasoning behind why people eat all those truly unique and strange foods.

I think my favorite stories were in Iceland - and that's what started out the book. I never thought I'd be wanting to visit Iceland, but he definitely stirred the interest!

He really connected with people and I admire and respect his way of thinking when it comes to eating some of the strange offerings given to him. Some of those folks are so poor, they are offering up a larger portion of food than their own, and who are we to turn that down when it's offered so freely.

Kudos on an interesting book - great way to see travel and now I'm inspired to go traveling and exploring.. mouth first.

This is a great Book. Andrew takes you behind the scenes on his illustrious adventures. Highly descriptive and well-written, you can feel the crash of the ocean waves, the smells of the food, and the adventure that these cultures and great author bring forward. Witty, insightful, and observant, Zimmern is an exceptional Travel author. Write more! Bring us another one Andrew, before these cultures and lifeways disappear.

- Omar W. Rosales

Author, "Elemental Shaman"

http://www.elementalshaman.com

Elemental Shaman: One Man's Journey Into the Heart of Humanity, Spirituality & Ecology

Interesting reading - although I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who doesn't like profanity (there is a few scattered throughout the book). Other than that it is a great read for any who is a foodie or wants to be one. His insights are hilarious and thought-provoking!

From the primitive lungfish in Africa to the bat hunt in Samoa, each and every chapter in this book fascinated me. I learned so much from it and thought it was a valuable read for every food lover and anyone interested in things beyond their own backyard. Reading it felt like traveling around the world with a very knowledgeable and witty tour guide. I highly recommend it!

As a "Bizarre Foods" fan, it was kind of a no-brainer to grab a copy of this book for my Nook. I expected to find some commentary on the show, a fair amount of autobiography, and maybe a couple of funny "behind the scenes" stories.

I wasn't disappointed, as all those bases were covered. The chapters were nicely laid out, well written, and familiar in voice, with Zimmern's unique blend of humor and wonder.

To my (very) pleasant surprise, Zimmern's book then went a big step beyond what I expected (an interesting but predictable rehashing of the episodes I'd already seen) and delved into the author's own social commentary and thought provoking experiences gleaned from leaping, face first, into a vast array of new cultures. Zimmern's own journey from a troubled teen to a world famous television host is, in itself, inspiring, and lends a great deal of respect to the viewpoints he offers.

As a long-time fan of the show, I have a much greater appreciation and respect for WHY Zimmern does what he does, and what it means to him. For anyone who has dismissed Bizarre Foods as a reality-show rehashing of Fear Factor, you should read this book!

There's more to Bizarre Foods (and Andrew Zimmern) than just eating bugs.

-Perry

Perry P. Perkins

Author - La Caja China Cooking

I'm a great fan of Andrew's television show Bizarre Foods and this book is a great companion to the show. Andrew is his ever

charming, funny and lively self as he takes us through food and cultural adventures from Uganda to Iceland. Andrew's most memorable experiences come not just from food but through sharing cultural experiences via food. Here he gives us details of some of his most emotionally charged moments on the cultural food trail. Particularly moving is his description of the trance state entered by the bushmen of the Kalihari as they lay hands on Andrew and bring him into contact with a deep part of his soul.

Also interesting are the moments of great danger that Andrew puts himself in on his adventures, something not seen on the show. Not all the food encountered in the book is of the bizarre kind. There is a memorable chapter where Andrew eats his way through the gastronomic delights of Paris. One segment in the book did bother me greatly and it didn't involve yucky food. Andrew visits a healer in Ecuador where he is instructed to bring along a live guinea pig. As part of the ceremony the healer beats the guinea pig to death against Andrew's body. While I accept many moments of animal cruelty in the book realizing most of the people Andrew encounters are very poor and must eat, this episode of gratuitous cruelty was stomach churning and didn't seem to bother Andrew at all. After its death the poor guinea is tossed on a pile of cigarette butts on the floor. Still Andrew's message in the show as well as in the book is that through food sharing comes cultural understanding and respect and caring for one's fellow man.

The one question that I've always wanted to know, however, was not answered in the book. Has Andrew ever become ill after eating some of these crazy foods?

I am led to believe that the reviewer who found Zimmern condescending has never watched his show, or at least, not watched many of them; Zimmern most certainly is NOT condescending - quite the opposite, in fact. He's a foodie, writing for other foodies, and well, he's really into his subject matter. For fans of the show, you might think of this as the remaining detail he might have put into each episode if he had a full hour or two to wax poetical about every aspect of each "bizarre" encounter, instead of being sadly limited to 30 minutes or less. That being said, he's a little more direct here and there, and his language takes the occasional turn, but none of this comes off as vulgar - just passionate. He describes each meal in a way that you feel like you're right there with him, sharing the experience, which is his stated aim, so I'd say overall the book is a resounding success, if not quite the same as his show - it's much more than that!

The only real flaw I found with the book is Zimmern's (perhaps unavoidable) commentary on the human condition, his not constant, but frequent, interjections of his life philosophy and understanding of the human condition, and finally, his overly-sympathetic treatment of communism in the last chapter. Don't get me wrong - he doesn't shout down the evils of capitalism or anything so abrupt, but the way he paints his picture of Cuba gives one pause to wonder just what his politics are. I don't fault him for having politics of his own, and certainly not for expressing him - that's his right; but I didn't buy the book to read about how imperialistic Americans are in comparison to folks in Botswana and Cuba. I bought the book to read about Zimmern's amazing experiences with food and culture, and he certainly delivers on that - my gripes were only in the final 15 pages or so, and even these weren't severe enough to not want to read the book again or suggest it to fellow foodies.

Overall, this is an outstanding book for fans of the show, especially those who just can't get enough of Zimmern's obvious passion for the food, the culture, and life in general. He comes across in his very conversational writing style just like he does on the show - like a neat guy you'd really like to get to know and share a meal with. Highly recommended!

The books were wrapped up very securely and they didn't get wet even though it rained outside.