The Bizarre Truth: How I Walked Out the Door Mouth First . . . and Came Back Shaking My Head [Hardcover]

As a big fan of Andrew Zimmern's Travel Channel programs Bizarre Foods and Bizarre Worlds I was very much looking forward to reading this book. Sadly, I was quite disappointed with the book. Zimmern is best in a television format. On the printed page he is off-putting and his style of writing alienated me from the first page. There are five main reasons I did not care for the book.

First, the book's title hints at a behind the scenes look at the making of his Travel Channel shows. Instead, what the book provides is largely a repeat of his TV programs with very little additional insights regarding the "bizarre truths" that went into making the shows. I sort of got the sense Zimmern sat in an editing room watching episodes of Bizarre Foods and Bizarre Worlds and then simply wrote down his reactions to what was on the screen. Rather than the actual subtitle for the book, an appropriate subtitle would be "I've seen the TV show, so why do I need to bother with the book?"

Second, on his television programs Zimmern presents himself as a sort of "aw, shucks" guy who lacks pretenses. By contrast, in the book he comes across as exceedingly condescending and patronizing towards average tourists who lack the resources he has to travel off the beaten path. Zimmern describes himself as a "traveler" (not a "tourist") and at multiple junctures in the book he openly registers his disdain for average tourists whom he seems to think never travel beyond the confines of all-inclusive resorts. At one point in the book he actually cautions himself against sounding smug, and it would have been nice if he had heeded his own words throughout the rest of the volume. I'm not sure if Zimmern actually feels the way that is conveyed in the book or if he somehow thought his target audience holds typical "tourists" in contempt, but the end result is a tone that is grating in its arrogance.

Third, and in a related sense, Zimmern over-generalizes about how less-sophisticated tourists approach their travels. Zimmern's point of comparison with his own travels are "ugly American" tourists, all of whom he seems to think haven't eaten anything more adventurous than a South of the Border Burrito Grande at Taco Bell. There is very little acknowledgment of the diversity of travel experiences of those with whom Zimmern compares himself.

Fourth, Zimmern is at once politically naive and politically closed-minded. For example, while he does recognize the hardships imposed by the authoritarian government of Cuba, he nonetheless reduces the political situation in that country to facile homilies about the injustices heaped on Cuba by the U.S. trade embargo. He seems to be unaware of the fact that other countries can and do trade with Cuba and that the economic under-development of Cuba stems from more than just the bad old Uncle Sam. The irony is that throughout the rest of the book he indicates his preference that international trade not sully the pristine backwaters he likes to reserve as his own personal underdeveloped theme parks (Cuba included) while everyone else never leaves the premises of the downtown Sheraton. Zimmern's throw-away observations about global warming also come across as less sophisticated than that which could have been formulated by a typical college sophomore.

Finally, Zimmern is remarkably inconsistent in light of his pronouncements about the superiority of his own style of traveling versus that of less sophisticated rubes. For example, he derides the tapas trend saying that tapas have no place in cuisine outside of Spain, yet he later says that there are hundreds of variations on the traditional pizza and they are all great as long as someone likes them.

Overall the book was such a disappointment that I left it behind at a hotel lending library. Zimmern congratulates himself about his worldly travels, but as an author he leaves much to be desired.

Written by the host of the Travel Channel's popular series "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern", The Bizarre Truth: How I Walked Out the Door Mouth First... and Came Back Shaking My Head is an enjoyable travelogue of Zimmern's many cultural and culinary adventures filming the show. From the plight of vanishing foods and cultures subsumed by mainstream globalization, to a session with an Incan witch doctor in Ecuador who blows fire on him, to dining on roasted bats on a Samoan Island, to eating raccoon and opossum in Mississippi, The Bizarre Truth is a chronicle of adventure, strange and wonderful palate delights (or distresses), and above all, an open-minded appreciation of the myriad ways mankind has adapted his diet and his way of life to his environment. Highly recommended, especially to fans of the television show.

This is a great Book. Andrew takes you behind the scenes on his illustrious adventures. Highly descriptive and well-written, you can feel the crash of the ocean waves, the smells of the food, and the adventure that these cultures and great author bring forward. Witty, insightful, and observant, Zimmern is an exceptional Travel author. Write more! Bring us another one Andrew, before these cultures and lifeways disappear.

- Omar W. Rosales
Author, "Elemental Shaman"
http://www.elementalshaman.com

Elemental Shaman: One Man's Journey Into the Heart of Humanity, Spirituality & Ecology

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