In today’s age of digital expression and with flat panel representation in every room of the home and in most businesses the world has become smaller place for sure. At about the same time as the creation of the “boob tube” another new technology was reaching out and becoming extremely available for a hungry public; air travel. With these two questionably monumental achievements the world is not as mysterious, daunting and unattainable as it once was.
The Las Vegas Restaurant Examiner cannot help but notice how some crafty and creative television producers have successfully created as any true capitalist would admire the weekly representation and introduction of Anthony Bourdain-2005, Andrew Zimmern -2006 and Adam Richman-2008. Importantly, to express that this article discusses these people due to the similarity of food and flight. Sadly without the two technologies or even one or the other we would not know who these food critics are and all concerned would be a hungrier and less diverse public.
The global connoisseur with only a comestible desire and a plane ticket in hand has the ability to dine in Morocco today and Rome tomorrow. It’s truly exciting to watch these traveling ex-chefs as they effortlessly travel from restaurant to restaurant and see them sampling and enjoying country specific cuisine in the span of 30 - 60 minutes each and every week.
When watching Man v Food this chubby show host Adam Richman for most have no idea he has a BA from Emory University in international studies, then later studied and graduated from the Yale School of Drama. Overall his persona is shown as a hard working blue collar ex busboy and ex cook eating evangelist. In his show he travels around America taking on what appear the best and most impossible eating challenges. Most of these bragging right events involve consumption of high sodium and fat rich food challenges in a limited time with a selection of other daunting factors such as extreme size and spiciness. The secondary reward is a t shirt or picture on the wall of the restaurant of the challenge. Occasionally when successful the winner has a food or dish named after them. Amazing and fun to watch how cardiac abusive the host is as he chows down every week!
Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern is shockingly fun. The cuisines that this show host shares with his public are mostly “gross” main cuisine unattainable items that you would have to fly to consume, if you would want too. These questionably edible gems are definitely “not” to be considered the norm to most cultures and are truly bizarre. After graduating from Vasser College Andrew was an executive chef or general manager for many of New York’s finest restaurants. He has quite a formidable food back ground along as a published newspaper and magazine columnist, established free lance writer and radio show host. Having been a drug and alcohol addict he had migrated and self checked himself into Hazelden Treatment Center for drug and alcohol addiction treatment in Minnesota. This Minnesota transplant from a New York Jewish family has most of his credentials and industry participation coming from that region although there is a history working as a General Manager and Executive chef in many fine New York restaurants and can be found on his resume. Zimmern actual unappetizing comments while he devours a sheep penis, water buffolo colon fresh from the field it had just roamed freely or any other bizarre items including crawly twisting bugs is surely a shockingly enjoyable watch. If you haven’t seen this TV host eat, seek it out its great.
New York City born Anthony Bourdain has to be the “Bad Boy” of all television food show hosts ever and most likely ever will be. He attended Vassar College for two years, then attending and graduating from The Culinary Institute of America. As many in this industry he started and worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant and traversed the ladder through the ranks and kitchen positions to where he is now an accomplished writer and author about his love of culinary delights.
His following personal quote is a wonderful closing to this article for those who love food and attain perhaps the optimum of restaurant and or chef positions which is “television food critic”,” I have exactly the same work ethic. I don't see writing as anything more important than cooking. In fact, I'm a little queasier on the writing. There's an element of shame, because it's so easy. I can't believe that people give me money for this shit. The TV, too. It's not work. At the end of the day, the TV show is the best job in the world. I get to go anywhere I want, eat and drink whatever I want. As long as I just babble at the camera, other people will pay for it. It's a gift. A few months ago, I was sitting cross-legged in the mountains of Vietnam with a bunch of Thai tribesman as a guest of honor drinking rice whiskey. Three years ago I never, ever in a million years thought that I would ever live to see any of that. So I know that I'm a lucky man.”
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