Eat bugs, see bugs, be like a bug at the newest museum in New Orleans

by Jamie Rhein on

Two summers ago my son was wild about cicadas. They were everywhere, and each time he found one of their shells he put it in an empty bottle. His exuberance was the type only four-year-olds can generate

There’s a museum in New Orleans with his name on it. Not literally, the museum is called Audubon Insectarium, but it’s the kind he would LOVE. This museum is the first new tourist attraction to open since Katrina changed the landscape of much of the city and is part of Audubon Nature Institute. I found out about it through this article in the Columbus Dispatch.

The landscape inside the Audubon Insectarium is bugs, bugs and more bugs–35,000 live ones and 15,000 mounted ones–or thereabouts. As people go from exhibit to exhibit, they learn about bugs from prehistoric times through today.

Built in the historic U.S. Custom House, the museum offers entertainment and creativity in how it displays its subject matter. For example, you can get an idea of what a bug’s world looks like through reconstructed tunnels that puts you in the bug’s perspective. Outside the bathrooms, you can see dung beetles roll waste into balls. In case you’re wondering-it’s not the waste from the bathroom. There’s also a chance to test your mettle against a cricket’s power. Can you pedal as fast as a cricket can hop?

Another exhibit is devoted to showing what insects people eat around the world and how they are cooked. That sounds like an exhibit Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods would swoon over. If you want to try an insect yourself, you can try some edible bug snacks. I’ve had chocolate covered grasshoppers before. The closest thing I can think of is Nestle Crunch bars.

Also, there is a section about pest control management and a live butterfly exhibit among other offerings.

Lest you think getting rid of all insects but the pretty kind, one of the main points the museum makes is that if it weren’t for bugs, nothing else would live. Remember the lyrics to the song, “There was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly?” It’s kind of like that.

There’s Breakfast with the Bugs on July 12. Notice it’s with the bugs, not eating bugs.

Could you eat what Andrew Zimmern eats?

by Grant Martin on

One of our favorite shows here on Gadling is “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern,” and although we tease Zimmern once in a while, we love watching the show.

I think that part of the reason that many people watch the show is just to see what crazy food Zimmern is going to push down his throat each episode. Whether this is grasshopper pizza, pigs ears or chicken uterus, everyone wants to see Zimmern eat something disgusting and secretly wants him to retch. It’s kind of like on Fear Factor when they’re forced to eat cockroaches and worms. It’s so so bad. But you just can’t tear yourself away.

If you were in Andrew Zimmern’s place though, could you handle being in a tough foreign country eating seriously questionable food? I know I couldn’t. I have a hard enough time with scallops let alone braided intestines.

On one of my favorite new websites, GraphJam, submitter Ryan sums it up pretty well in this Venn Diagram: Places I would not go + Things I would not eat = “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.”

Which isn’t to say I’m going to stop watching the show. I’ll just be watching it from my sofa with a bowl of Easy Mac.

“Bizarre Foods” on the Travel Channel: Season 2, Bolivia

by Jamie Rhein on

Location: Bolivia, highest and most remote country of South America. Home of naturally freeze-dried potatoes, the Andes, llamas galore, and a fondness for cooking EVERY part that’s at all edible.

Episode Rating: 4 Sheep Testicles (out of 4) using Aaron’s system from last week’s recap.

Summary: My immediate response to this “Bizarre Foods” episode was “Yep, Bolivia is definitely on my go-to list.” In between relishing dishes of animal innards, host Andrew Zimmern traveled widely tossing in cultural tidbits between sampling mostly soups and dried meat. The significance of llamas, bowler hats, witch doctor rituals, women’s wrestling and a traditional feast rounded out Zimmern’s eatfest.

First stop, La Paz, the world’s highest capital. Beforehand shots of sheep and lambs prancing on Bolivia’s high altitude plateaus indicated dishes to come. Here, markets are places for wandering and sampling. Zimmern bought salted pickled pigs feet straight off. The lamb jerky, he liked, although the hair still on it gave him pause. He described it as “Hard as rock… it tastes like the pile of hay the lamb sleeps on.” Perhaps, skip that and try Mocochinchi, a drink also called booger juice. Zimmern said the light peanut version tasted like peanut milk.

The food markets reminded me of Asia where choices can be overwhelming. When deciding which stalls to dip into, Zimmern suggests looking at the cook and seeing which stall looks nice. That’s worked for me.

At La Casa de los Pacenos, Zimmern feasted on: 1. Lamb kidneys–“Wow! could have used a good soaking in milk;” 2. Tripe–“as clean as any I’ve tasted, one might think it’s cold slaw”; and 3. Penis soup. Bull penis soup to be exact. “Ya have to like the rich chunky texture. . . richness of bone marrow and texture of a pear.” Well, okay if you say so. Imagine the chopping–or not.

For llama brains with tongue, sauteed in garlic sauce, Zimmern went to an artsy looking restaurant, Pronto Delicatessen. “You could put the garlic sauce this guy makes on an old tennis shoe and it would taste good, ” Zimmern proclaimed. Frankly, I’d stick with the fish served with lime called Carpaccio de Ispi.

Other Bolivian food tasting locations:

Yapacani, Santa Cruz where at a small Mom and Pop type place, Pop’ll head out the back door to kill dinner. How about well cooked armadillo and feral pig? Achachira, a fruit similar to mangosteen looked delicious, and, according to Zimmern, is indeed.

Altiplano –Up in these mountains the signature dish is naturally freeze-dried potatoes, a process that takes several days and involves skinning them by walking on them with bare feet. The result isn’t pretty and tastes earthy, but they’ll keep for 25 years. I loved this segment the best. The family featured was very sweet–the type who calm jangling nerves just by being around them.

Lake Titicaca–At the feast of Altiplano, Zimmern waxed poetic about the Quinoa dumplings, trout and corn. The landscape was gorgeous–and the feast a worthwhile stop.

Unusual cultural detail: At the Witches Market in La Paz you can get your fortune-told with cocoa leaves and buy fixin’s for a llama fetus offering. Burning one of these brings good luck.

For more episode details, Andrew’s blog can fill you in.

“Bizarre Foods” on the Travel Channel: Season 2, Episode 4 recap

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Location: Andrew‘s adopted home state of Minnesota, where he’s lived for 16 years.

Episode Rating: 3 Sheep Testicles (out of 4)

Summary: Andrew heads to tiny Cyrus, Minnesota, for a supper at a senior center-slash-diner. On the menu is a Scandinavian dish called lutefisk, which is cod that’s prepared with powdered lye and resembles a slab of see-through fish gelatin. Perhaps the only thing more translucent than the lutefisk was the skin of the two women Andrew was dining with, who were a combined 193-years-old.

After his trip to Cyrus, Andrew heads to the Minnesota state fair near St. Paul, where he samples deep-fried Spam nuggets and every food that can conceivably be served on a stick, including spaghetti-and-meatballs and a reuben. In Andrew’s conversations with fellow fair-goers, one can hear more “oot’s” and “aboot’s” than in an NHL locker room.

After the state fair, Andrew heads to a “meat raffle,” which sounds like something that might happen at a bachelorette party, but is actually just a raffle for meat. As Andrew explains: “Buy a ticket. Spin the wheel. Win a pot roast.” Sadly, our host didn’t have much success at the ol’ meat raffle: “Fifteen spins of the wheel, 122 dollars later, and I’m still a big loser.”

It wouldn’t be an episode of Bizarre Foods if Andrew didn’t eat some testicles, and in this episode it’s those of a wild boar. “Fabulous,” he declares.

Finally, Andrew heads to the White Earth Re-Discovery Center to harvest some wild rice, and then goes up to a small northern Minnesota town and samples some sauerkraut pie at– where else– Betty’s Pies.

Bizarre Foods: Spaghetti-and-Meatballs On A Stick; Lutefisk; Deer Heart; Pig Toe; Fish Eyes; Deep-fried Spam Nuggets, Chicken Gizzards, A “Goober Burger”– A Hamburger Topped with Peanut Butter and Mayo; Herring Row (mmm!)

For more on this episode, check out Andrew’s blog here.