Bizarre Foods- Great Cultural Insight

[TopSpruce]

Have you guys seen Bizarre foods on the Travel channel?

The host is a pretty fun guy and he's not the typical stuck-up American.
You can learn a lot about different cultures from their food rituals.

For example, in the Russia episode he doesn't meet local people in restaurants or downtown to have chat with. Instead, he makes a better connection when he visits some young people at their dacha. They have a BBQ and head to the sauna and have some vodka. This relates to my own experiences of how Russians view friendship and social interactions.

On the other hand, Zimmern meets Filipinos in more informal settings in public, such as on the beach. In some of the other Asian episodes he jokes with his guide and the conversations vary by country.

Also, you can see the differences between cities. For example, Beijing is a fast moving city with emphasis on the new, while St. Petersburg seems much more stable.

I think this show is a great source of info when comparing cultures and looking at places to travel too.

Russia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6mr34XOBTQ

China
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVpxxTgka1s

Philippines
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W11gPywbHLc

[Jester]

Great show, great guy.

great job he has too!

[TopSpruce]

Great show, great guy.

great job he has too!

I like the guy's attitude too.
Anthony Bourdain also has a good show with lots of cool countries and foods, but I feel that Zimmern does it better and has more real experiences with people. Zimmern is a very open and friendly guy.