Television Review: Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that since the host of this series
purposely seeks out unusual food choices -- by American
standards, that is -- viewers will see him eat things like
rodents, insects, fertilized eggs, and whole baby chickens on a
stick. Outdoor market scenes often show animal carcasses and
seafood being butchered, so this probably isn't for the
littlest viewers -- or older ones with weak stomachs.
Families can talk about food. What are some of your family's
favorite foods? How do those foods get to your home? How do you
prepare them? What's the strangest thing you've ever eaten?
Once you're talking about food, you can discuss the importance
of a balanced diet. What is the food pyramid? What kinds of
foods are important for staying healthy? How do our bodies
respond to poor diets? What other things can people do to stay
healthy?
In BIZARRE FOODS WITH ANDREW ZIMMERN, world-renowned chef/dining critic Andrew Zimmern combines his passion for food with his love of travel to learn about international cultures by sampling traditional cuisine in different countries. Each episode in this eye-opening series spotlights a different country, from Morocco to Ecuador to Spain. Zimmern visits restaurants and outdoor food markets in a handful of cities in each country, trying foods that range from unexpectedly delicious (stuffed frogs) to downright bizarre (wood-devouring mangrove worms, pulled from their own pulpy feasts and sent down the hatch raw).
The jovial Zimmern never shies away from a culinary challenge. And even when an unsavory sample leaves his taste buds crying uncle, he's always respectful of his host country's cultural appreciation of the food and conscientious about explaining the traditional and economical importance of local dining choices.
Bizarre Foods is a family-friendly educational series that's filled with facts about each country's history, geography, language, and native plant and animal life. If you can, watch with your kids so you can answer their questions about the unusual foods on display. And be sure to keep the littlest viewers (and those with weak stomachs) out of the room: There are frequent scenes of animal carcasses being cut up, and it might be upsetting to watch recognizable animals (baby chickens on a stick, for example) being eaten.
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