The Bizarre Truth

How I Walked Out the Door Mouth First . . . and Came Back Shaking My Head

By: Andrew Zimmern

Narrated by: Andrew Zimmern

Andrew Zimmern, the host of The Travel Channel’s hit series Bizarre Foods, has an extraordinarily well-earned reputation for traveling far and wide to seek out and sample anything and everything that’s consumed as food globally, from cow vein stew in Bolivia and giant flying ants in Uganda to raw camel kidneys in Ethiopia, putrefied shark in blood pudding in Iceland and Wolfgang Puck's Hunan style rooster balls in Los Angeles. For Zimmern, local cuisine—bizarre, gross or downright stomach turning as it may be to us—is not simply what’s served at mealtime. It is a primary avenue to discovering what is most authentic—the bizarre truth—about cultures everywhere. Having eaten his way around the world over the course of four seasons of Bizarre Foods, Zimmern has now launched Bizarre Worlds, a new series on the Travel Channel, and this, his first book, a chronicle of his journeys as he not only tastes the “taboo treats” of the world, but delves deep into the cultures and lifestyles of far-flung locales and seeks the most prized of the modern traveler’s goals: The Authentic Experience. Written in the smart, often hilarious voice he uses to narrate his TV shows, Zimmern uses his adventures in “culinary anthropology” to illustrate such themes as: why visiting local markets can reveal more about destinations than museums; the importance of going to “the last stop on the subway”—the most remote area of a place where its essence is most often revealed; the need to seek out and catalog “the last bottle of coca-cola in the desert,” i.e. disappearing foods and cultures; the profound differences between dining and eating; and the pleasures of snout to tail, local, fresh and organic food. Zimmern takes readers into the back of a souk in Morocco where locals are eating a whole roasted lamb; along with a conch fisherman in Tobago, who may be the last of his kind; to Mississippi, where he dines on raccoon and possum. There, he writes, "People said, 'That's roadkill!' ‘No it's not,’ I said. ‘It's a cultural story.’”

Whether it’s a session with an Incan witch doctor in Ecuador who blows fire on him, spits on him, thrashes him with poisonous branches and beats him with a live guinea pig or drinking blood in Uganda and cow urine tonic in India or eating roasted bats on an uninhabited island in Samoa, Zimmern cheerfully celebrates the undiscovered destinations and weird wonders still remaining in our increasingly globalized world.©2009 Andrew Zimmern; (P)2009 Random House Audio

poor editing

The editing was terrible. The book is split into 2 sections. 1 is of storyies and people hes met and the other is describing recipes and dishes. The book would go great alongside watching bizzare foods season 1.

The Bizarre Truth...

I’ve been a fan of Andrew Zimmern’s Travel Channel shows for several years. It started with his “Bizarre Foods” series and has spread to his other shows such as “ Driven by Food,” “Delicious Destinations,” and now “The Zimmern List.” This is my first read of his, however, and what an excellent job, from start to finish. He puts the reader in “his shoes” and makes you feel like you’re the one in another country, eating some exotic dish! As with everything he does, he puts his full passion and love for food and culture into this book. Highly recommend if you want to escape to another country without leaving your home!

worth every second

wonderful listen, full of some very very valuable lessons about the world we live in.

Insights about food as a cultural bridge

Funny, frank and eye opening travel narratives from the former host of Bizarre Foods. Great for whetting your appetite for international travel and practicing cultural humility.

If you are a Zimmern fan, you will love this book!

Where does The Bizarre Truth rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Its not about the crazy food but the people and friends along the path. Andrew does a great job reading his book bringing you right into the story. He brings in the people side of his stories and some background behind the scenes not shown on television. You end this audio book looking for more detail on the background and people Andrew has met on his many journeys.