Is Andrew Zimmern The Key to Perfectly Pairing Food and Politics?
Andrew Zimmern is a former chef that partied pretty hard and has gone on record talking about his struggles with drugs and alcohol. Thankfully, Zimmern’s love of food and cooking helped him pull through, and he’s gone on to become one of the most recognizable hosts and culinary authorities in the world. But after years of helping us discover bizarre eats followed by a failed attempt to teach us all about “horseshit” Chinese food at midwestern restaurants, Zimmern is ready to reinvent himself. How? By hosting a new show on MSNBC called What’s Eating America? Can Zimmern’s charm and expertise help America’s finally figure out a way to respectfully discuss politics due to a shared love of food? Let’s discuss!
The series revolves around Zimmern traveling around America and showing viewers how politically charged topics are impacting the food world. Think immigration, healthcare, and the environment just to name a few icebreakers that typically get people’s blood boiling. What’s Eating America will also feature special guest chef José Andrés in its debut episode. But is Zimmern the best person to get people to open up about some of the most pressing issues facing the food world? As a celebrity chef who’s helped shaped food TV programming for over a decade, he’s certainly qualified for the job, but like, wouldn’t it make sense to maybe give someone else a shot every once in awhile?
While you should watch the show because of the guests he features and the topics he discusses, Zimmern is very much anchoring this series, and with that comes scrutiny about his own politics in the kitchen. If you didn’t bother to click on the link above, we’re going to lay it out for ya. Lucky Cricket’s website paints a pleasant picture of a restaurant inspired by travels throughout Asia. Yet when it launched, Zimmern seemed to indicate that americanized Chinese food is devastating palettes throughout the Midwest and he was going to make sure to stop it by introducing hot chili oil, hand pulled noodles, and real roasted duck to guests. That unleashed a tornado of criticism, considering many Chinese immigrants adapted familiar recipes from their traditional cuisine to cater to American eaters. Zimmern apologized, but his restaurant is still selling tiki mugs, so we’re not really sure if they totally get the fact that a restaurant located in a mall is not going to reinvent anything. Does this situation make him more in tune to the politics of food? Most definitely. Maybe he is the right person for the job (but seriously can’t we give someone else a shot every once in a while?)
What’s Eating America? premieres Sunday, February 16 at 9PM ET on MSNBC and will be a five episode series. If the Internet and ratings support it, perhaps it will be renewed for a second season. Do you plan on watching? And is food the best way to get people read in about today’s political climate? Drop us a line and let us know below.