Andrew Zimmern

Old Feb 7th, 2008, 08:12 PM
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Andrew Zimmern

There is a fellow, that I am sure most of you know, on the Travel Channel named Andrew Zimmern. His show is called Bizarre Foods, he ingests whatever crosses his plate, and his trademark is the gusto in which he devours the odd food.
Wednesday he visited Spain and it was the most honest representation of Spanish food I have seen on American TV.

Among the foods he ate were roast suckling pig including the head and eyes, percebes (a barnacle found in Galicia and very suggestive looking when alive), fried pigs ears, bull testicles, various hams and fish. He concluded witha visit to El Bulli. The home of ethereal cuisine.

And while we have not tasted all that he has, it was instructive and enjoyable.



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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 01:36 AM
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He is not bad; interesting factoid is that both he and Bourdain attended Vassar. I found the Spain program to be pretty good; I will watch most shows about Spain! (Had most of those foods in one setting or another, but never, ever would I try the pig eyes!!)
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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 04:37 AM
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If you have ever had a hot dog.....you probably have eaten "pigs eyes" etc. Here's looking at ya!!
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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 04:42 AM
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No, it is not usual to eat pig's (or any other animal's) eyes. In fact, it is the first time I've heard.
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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 05:03 AM
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I had never heard of eating pig's eyes either. Sheep's eyes are delicacies in some Middle Eastern countries but pig's eyes..?? I doubt if they are in the hot dogs that I eat!

Just ate some buffalo tail in Laos...on the subject of unusual foods!
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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 05:07 AM
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Pig's ears are an ingredient of Head Cheese or Sulze.
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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 05:13 AM
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The pig's cheek is certainly very tasty. I just had them as part of a lunch at a local Spanish-inspired restaurant in NYC.. They also make fantastic filling for tacos.
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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 05:27 AM
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Ok, ekschrunchy, I've been waiting patiently, but when are we going to get a trip report for your S.E.A. trip? ;-) I want to hear about the food...
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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 05:41 AM
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Oh, Kristina I am so wiped out ( not too wiped out to offer my opinion on every topic here on Fodor's though!!)
I will get around to it soon. But I guess you know..."First Prize for Best Bangkok meal goes to........." Chote Chitr!!!
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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 05:46 AM
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EKS...now you are talking Pork cheeks or Guanciale is superb, in all preparations
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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 05:51 AM
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Yes, guanciale is pork cheek (more exactly, pork jowl) , but I had never had them whole as the center of a dish before the other day at Casa Mono.
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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 07:31 AM
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EKS.....Va bene, multo saporito!
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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 07:47 AM
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Having roasted a suckling pig, I can guarantee that the eyes would not have come out looking like eyes. They must have been cooked separately.
Eating the head is nothing unusual, as some variant of head cheese is available in many European countries.
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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 08:21 AM
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I've seen that particular episode and enjoyed it. I was especially intrigued by the barnacle dish.

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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 08:56 AM
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Percebes are seen in Galicia and occasionally in the larger cities. Last year when I ate at Cal Pep I asked for percebes in Spanish and received sea bass in English. Obviously both of my languages are lacking. By the way the sea bass was perfectly prepared.
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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 10:08 AM
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EKS,the cheek is called carrillada (from carrillo: cheek. You have it from pork or from veal, I eat them both and like them a lot
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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 10:35 AM
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To me he is the original geek in its original meaning:

“geek,” a guy who does really gross and disgusting things in the side show at the carnival. The classic act for the carnival geek was to bite the head off of a chicken or to swallow various bugs or animals to get an audience reaction.

It may not be a nice thing to say about him but he is beginning to look like what he eats, a bit slug-like. But that is just my opinion.
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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 02:16 PM
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Very generous SeaUrchin.

Although he proceeds with gusto, he understands and appreciates good.

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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 02:39 PM
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I shouldn't have posted on here really, I have never watched his show more than a few minutes. I would hope he has more to offer his audience than watching him stuff his mouth for shock. He doesn't look healthy though, he really should eat a healthier diet, but maybe he does.
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Old Feb 8th, 2008, 03:15 PM
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When I first watched the show I thought, Oh No, it's a Food Channel spinoff from Fear Factor. But I've grown to like him. If nothing else, he encourages people to be adventurous - and yes, even a little audacious - in trying new things, which I think is just a solid principle for anyone who wants to travel./

I'm not interested in eating half the things he eats, but then, sometimes I watch his show and think Hey, I've had that, it was good!

BTW, when we were in Lyon a couple of years ago, we ate dinner with one of my French friends at a typical bouchon. My son, then 15, ordered pigs' ears. My French friend said to him in English "Do you know what you ordered?" And he said "Yeah, pigs' ears. I can read the menu." She was really surprised, but even more surprised when he devoured a plate of them'.

I think stretching culinary or any other boundaries is a good thing.
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