Appetite for Life with Andrew Zimmern

Bizarre Foods host takes online viewers on a series of appetizing culinary adventures in Appetite for Life with Andrew Zimmern

Whether cooking, writing or hosting Bizarre Foods (airing in Canada on the Travel + Escape channel), Andrew Zimmern’s various careers over the years have left him with a substantial fan base that waits anxiously for his latest gastronomic revelations.

For those with palates too discerning to appreciate his Bizarre Foods discoveries, much tastier treats can be found on the journeys he takes for his MSN series, Appetite for Life With Andrew Zimmern.

Full disclosure: Like many web series, Appetite for Life exists in no small part due to the advertising dollars of a major corporation. In this case, Toyota provided Zimmern with a Venza, their new mid-size crossover sedan, which means that each episode invariably finds Zimmern at the wheel of the vehicle while heading to and from his latest destination. Unlike similar ad-driven efforts, however, the product placement in Appetite for Life is literally a means to an end: Not only does it pay for the show, but also it gets him where he needs to go. So what’s to complain about?

Thus far, Zimmern’s Appetite — now in its third season — hasn’t taken him beyond the borders of the U.S., but his stateside travels do find him investigating more than just food. When he visits Chicago, he splits his time between chowing down at former Bears coach Mike Ditka’s steakhouse and playing the blues with Buddy Guy at his nightclub, Legends, while Zimmern’s expedition to Boston involves checking out Ken Oringer’s Barcelona-style tapas restaurant as well as conducting the famed Boston Pops Orchestra.

Each city on Zimmern’s road trip results in a pair of videos, some running just under two minutes, others topping out at over the seven-minute mark. Viewers used to experiencing his culinary explorations for an hour at a time may initially grow frustrated with these bite-sized morsels, but Zimmern’s charm and good humour still go down smooth in the long run.

Originally published in TVW. For daily programming updates and on-screen Entertainment news, subscribe to the free TVW e-newsletters, or purchase a subscription to the weekly magazine.