Andrew Zimmern: ‘Bizarre Foods’ Host on New Season, Famous Chefs & Favorite Food [INTERVIEW]

Throughout Andrew Zimmern's time on Bizarre Foods, the famed culinary personality has eaten quite a few things that may be deemed as questionable in terms of taste. Or, perhaps even bizarre. Of course, if you ask him about it, it doesn't seem to matter. Even with Season 9 kicking off on Monday, Sept. 28, Zimmern still views the show as a chance to bring cultures together through the one thing we all have in common: food.

Whether it be fermented "Dr. Seuss" animals, as he exclusively tells MStars News, or the fine dining experiences of Spain, Zimmern's take on what makes Bizarre Foods so successful appears to be both the entertainment value and the ability to unite people. The actual food, while also important, seems to be secondary.

With that in mind, MStars spoke with Zimmern about the ten years of Bizarre Foods, the upcoming season and what he thinks about chefs hitting the "celebrity" pedestal.

MStars News: Congratulations on the new season! Are you surprised with how much this show has hit?
Andrew Zimmern: Yeah! The most amazing thing that I have ever experienced in my life has been the ten-year thrill ride of Bizarre Foods. It's an incredible legacy and body of work. I'm very concerned about protecting [that]. It becomes harder and harder in television these days to maintain integrity. It is the great privilege I have of having that worry, in a sense, considering that most people never have that opportunity.

MS: You have an interesting theory about Bizarre Foods. You once said that it's not about the food; it's about exploring other cultures and you thought the best way to do that is through food. What is it about food that does that?
AZ: I like food because I can read the history of people in a bowl of soup. I'm a food guy; it's how I interpret other cultures and that's important to me. But this show is about understanding other cultures through food as a way to increase our capacity for patience, tolerance and understanding. The reason being is that if I'm going to do a show, and the show is going to get aired, I want it to stand for something. I want there to be platform that means something.

I look at so many people on television today and I'm made nauseous by their lack of platform and perspective. We live in a day and age where we need entertainment, and my show is 80% entertainment – I concede that – however, more importantly, we need to have a message and we need to be prescriptive.

We live in a world where people are constantly talking about what divides us: skin color, sexuality, politics, religion. [I thought] let's do a show about the things we have in common, like our love of food.

MS: Is this how you've always been?
AZ: No, for the first 30 years of my life I was selfish and self-centered, a taker of things and a user of people. Along the way I developed a very bad drug and alcohol problem. In the end, 24 years ago, I got sober and have stayed sober ever since. In the first year I was clean, it was impressed upon me that I ought to have live my life with a different series of principles.

I spent seven years in kitchens toying with the idea of what I could do to unite the principles I was trying to live by with a career. I decided that I wanted to do it through a career in television, that I could have a huge impact and develop a monster-sized platform from which to talk about these issues. And you're looking at the results.

MS: Is there a certain section of the world that you feel has the most bizarre foods?
AZ: I would be lying to you if I said that the world of Southeast Asia, in certain places, isn't more peppered with unusual things. [laughs]

MS: What's the most bizarre thing you've ever eaten?
AZ: Probably all of the fermented stuff. Or some of the Dr. Seuss animals, animals I never knew existed until I got there.

MS: In today's world, many chefs are celebrities. What do you feel is the cause of that?
AZ: The cult of food and celebrity in America is a very interesting topic. I think we have an amazing capacity in America to lionize people; we put people up on pedestals way faster than we should. We certainly are doing that with chefs and people in the food business.

That being said, 20 years ago when Food Network made the food world as popular as it is, something magical really happened. I do believe people involved in the food world are the greatest human beings on planet Earth; they're nurturers by heart. They are very profound thinkers on the subjects of social justice, on politics, on how to get along better, and a whole myriad of social issues. I'd rather have food people put on pedestals rather than sports stars or music stars.

MS: Does it cheapen the industry at all?
AZ: Yes. I think we've gotten to that point. This is America, we overdo everything. We do it in every category so why should culinary people be immune to that?

MS: Everyone has their favorite spice. Do you have one that you feel can make almost anything taste better?
AZ: Yes, soy sauce!

Catch the Season 9 premiere of Bizarre Foods on Travel Channel Monday at 9:00 p.m.