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PEOPLE & ARTS Thursday 3 augusT 2017

Bizarre Foods host on new show, travel tips, addiction hope

By BETH J. HARPAZ from AP’s wide-ranging a pretty long way.”
AP Travel Editor chat with Zimmern, includ- “I hope family members
NEW YORK (AP) — Andrew ing advice on using social or loved ones who have
Zimmern, host of Travel media to find good food someone (struggling with
Channel’s “Bizarre Foods,” when you travel, and a addiction) hear it loud and
thinks he’s misunderstood. message of hope for fami- clear. Don’t listen to the
He says he’s known as “fat lies struggling with addic- statistics. There is recovery
guy runs around world, eats tion. available for everyone.
bugs,” but adds, “I don’t FINDING GOOD FOOD There is no one so hopeless
think I’ve eaten a bug or WHEN YOU TRAVEL as to actually be hopeless.
an organ in ‘Bizarre Foods’ “I google local food writ- It just does not exist. Some-
in years.” ers. ... I look up who are the times intervention is neces-
“I purposely set out to make most famous chefs on the sary. Actually separation
a show that’s entertaining,” Eater Heatmap but I also from substances. And a lot
he said. “At the same time look on the Michelin guide of families don’t go down
I try to be very thought- and see who are the three- the intervention route fast
ful and thought-provoking star Michelin chefs.” enough. ... There are tons In this Thursday, July 20, 2017 photo, Travel Channel’s “Bizzare
and I try to educate and I “People forget that if you of great places out there.” Foods” host Andrew Zimmern, a four-time James Beard award-
take the cultural lessons of go onto Instagram or Twit- MOST BIZARRE FOOD EVER winning chef, samples Taiwanese noodle soup and pork roll at
the show very, very, very ter, you can actually click EATEN Happy Stony Noodle in Elmhurst, Queens in New York.
seriously.” The show’s cur- on someone’s feed and “In Samoa, we had a coral Associated Press
rent season focuses on look at their timeline and worm that swims up from
American destinations, you can flip back and the bottom of the ocean, back down and fertilizes surface with the natives, I
along with their history and back and back. So if I want thousands of feet, and dies the coral. ... To eat that can’t think of something
social context. And a new to know where’s great to in the sun and then falls worm when it floats to the stranger.q
show, “The Zimmern List,” eat in Italy, I’ll look and see
debuts early 2018 show- where Michael White and
casing his favorite places, Mario Batali and all these
“where I actually go when other chefs have eaten
the cameras aren’t rolling.” when they’ve been in Italy
Zimmern — a chef who’s last year. When I want to
won four James Beard look up where’s fun to eat
awards — invited The As- in Paris, I’ll look and see
sociated Press to follow where Daniel Boulud went
him in Queens, New York, and ate last year when he
for a glimpse of what “The was in Paris.”
Zimmern List” will be like. In RELATIONSHIP WITH ANTHO-
the Astoria neighborhood, NY BOURDAIN
he sampled cured meats “We’re friends, we do hang
and pastries at Muncan out. I did his stage show
Food Corp., founded by with him when he came
an immigrant from the for- to Minneapolis. ... We were
mer Yugoslavia; then had both part of the Jose An-
a goat dish called katakat dres tribute dinner last Feb-
at Kababish, which serves ruary, that was the last time
Pakistani, Indian and Ban- we saw each other. We
gladeshi food in Jackson went outside on the deck
Heights; and finished with and locked the door be-
Taiwanese noodle soup, hind us, so we could just be
pork roll and minced veg- alone, and spend a half-
etables at Happy Stony hour catching up. I don’t
Noodle in Elmhurst. think we’re competition
Faisel and Hera Shaikh, at all actually. I think Tony
from Ashburn, Virginia, would probably say the
were picking up food from same thing.”
Kababish when Zimmern “I absolutely adore what
appeared. After taking a Tony does because of his
few selfies with him, Faisel storytelling ability. And it’s
Shaikh said he’s dined at shot beautifully.”
places recommended by ON ADDICTION: NOBODY
Zimmern around the world, IS HOPELESS
from Dubai to Australia. “I’ve been sober for 25 ½
“I see his show and I write it years. I was a heroin ad-
down,” Shaikh said. “Wher- dict. An alcoholic, I was a
ever he goes, I go.” Shaikh criminal. I was homeless.
says he likes the show be- So I have a very, very low
cause Zimmern tells “the bottom story. Tried to kill
whole story ... the culture, myself by drinking myself
the society, the back- to death, didn’t work, living
ground, about where the in an abandoned build-
food comes from.” ing, stealing purses (left) on
Here are some excerpts chairs to live. So I’ve come