An open letter to Andrew Zimmern, host of Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Dear Mr. Zimmern,

First allow me to congratulate you on the premiere of your show’s second season tonight (10 pm EST on the Travel Channel). Despite what your critics may say– that Bizarre Foods is a gross-out rip-off of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations— I usually find your show interesting and your interaction with locals entertaining.

Now, having said that, there is one piece of advice– unsolicited though it may be– that I think you need to hear. I’ll boil it down (cooking metaphor!) to two words: wear pants.

Pants. As opposed to shorts.

Whether it’s guinea pigs in Ecuador, cow’s hearts in Morocco, or balut in the Philippines, there you are, flouting the local conventions and wearing shorts. Do you notice you’re the only one with exposed legs?

Sure, it’s boiling hot in some of these places, but everyone else seems to be enduring it in long pants. C’mon, you’re in pretty good shape, man– you can handle it.

Okay, I realize you’re not going to disguise yourself as a local no matter what you wear, especially considering there’s usually a camera crew following you around. But perhaps it would reflect better on yourself, your show, and your fellow American tourists, if you dressed a little bit more in the custom of your host country.

On a final note, despite the snark, I enjoy your show immensely, you seem like one hell of a nice guy, and keep up the good work. And remember, if they look like long pants, wear ’em!

Best,

Aaron Hotfelder

Can you guess where she’s from?

by Aaron Hotfelder on

In the video above, an actress named Amy Walker adopts 21 different English accents in a row, starting in London and working her way to Ireland, France, the Czech Republic, Moscow, Australia, California, and lots of places in between.

Which of these do you think sound the best? For my money, her California accent is spot-on, while her “Southern” accent leaves a little to be desired. Still, pretty amazing!

Another great race: The Urban Iditarod

by Anna Brones on

The Iditarod started this weekend in Willow, Alaska; the famous race will last for 17 days and eventually end in Nome, Alaska. But just because you don’t live up north doesn’t mean you can’t have your own Iditarod fun. In Portland, OR, we celebrate this great race with our own version: the Urban Iditarod. Held annually since 2000, Portland’s Urban Iditarod also features dogs and sleds, except here “dogs” are in fact humans and the “sleds” they pull are shopping carts. One of the most important parts of the Urban Iditarod? Keeping the “dogs” hydrated, but in a city full of micro-breweries, that isn’t difficult.

Anybody else live in a city with a good Urban Iditarod?

American Airlines guide to Paris

by Anna Brones on

You probably don’t need another guide to Paris, but this month’s American Airlines Milestones Parisian overview is just too amusing to pass up. Besides a helpful section of what’s going on in Paris, there is a funny video guide to the city of lights. My favorite line from the clip:

“Behold the world’s most famous museum, the Louvre. Home to the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and that cute picture of dogs playing poker.”

Check out the “Backstreets” video for some humorous tips on all the typical Parisian things to find around the city. As the guide bites into a crepe full of Nutella, he intelligently points out, “Crepe. Or as they say in Paris…. Les crepes.”

And the video is complete with romanticized accordion music. You don’t have to use the site as your guide to Paris, but at least check it out for your own amusement.

Hotels for art lovers

by Anna Brones on

Last time I went to San Francisco I was happy to come across Hotel des Arts, a well-priced boutique hotel. I am normally a hostel-goer, so anytime I can branch out and have my own room it’s cause for celebration. Despite Hotel des Arts being an actual hotel, I was even more excited about its use of art as interior design. The hotel hired a San Francisco gallery owner, John Doffing, to curate the hotel and he brought in work by every type of artist from graffiti taggers to professional illustrators. The end product is a hotel full of color and life, and a look into the local San Francisco art scene, all without even leaving the hotel doors; I was hooked.

Budget Travel just published their own list of Art Hotels; places to stay where you can rest assured that your room won’t be painted in white. On the list:

Hotel des Arts, San Francisco
The Winston, Amsterdam
Art Luise Kunsthotel, Berlin
Daddy Long Legs, Cape Town
Hotel Fox, Copenhagen

To read descriptions of these and other hotels and their artistic rooms and settings go here. You might be so inspired you won’t even make it to the surrounding museums.