Just as you can’t judge a stewed eel by its looks (otherwise who would eat one?), you can’t judge a series by its name. “Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern,” tonight on the Travel Channel, is smarter than its lame title implies, thanks to the charm and intelligence of its host. The gimmick: Mr. Zimmern, a Minneapolis chef, food writer and radio host, travels the globe eating grubs, grouper throats and mammalian unmentionables, all to demonstrate that offal isn’t so bad. The reality: By taking an anthropological approach to food, Mr. Zimmern broadens his subject, conveying a vivid sense of place and a serious appreciation for social and culinary diversity. Now back to those grouper throats, and mullet gizzards, tongue and chitlins. That was the Gulf Coast, last week. Before that Mr. Zimmern went to Ecuador, where he ingested guinea pig (“absolutely fall-off-the-bone delicious”), “lemony tasting” live ants in the rain forest and grubs, served on banana leaves at a family feast. Then … [Read more...] about One Man’s Biodiversity Is Another Man’s Lunch
Gulf coast
As Trade War Spreads to Mexico, Companies Lose a Safe Harbor
When trade tensions with China flared last year, many companies sought refuge in a country with a long, stable relationship with the United States: Mexico. Now, that alternative for production and materials may also be in jeopardy with President Trump’s threat to impose escalating tariffs on imports from Mexico, aimed at forcing action on illegal immigration. In the short term, the tariffs would mean lower profits for American importers and higher prices for American consumers on everything from avocados to Volkswagens. In the long run, they could force companies to reconsider the continent-spanning supply chains that have made North America one of the world’s most interconnected economies. That disruption, experts warn, could be far more damaging to the United States economy than the cost of tariffs themselves. The United States imported more than $345 billion in goods from Mexico last year, and shipped $265 billion the other way. But if anything, those numbers understate the … [Read more...] about As Trade War Spreads to Mexico, Companies Lose a Safe Harbor
Is Houston the South? This map got everyone talking
Add "imaginary geography" to the list of things we've fervently argued about on Twitter. A map that supposedly defines the South down to the county level from International Center for Law and Economics editor R.J. Lehmann made the rounds on Twitter, and some people had big feelings about it. According to Lehmann, the South includes all of Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and both Carolinas (I'm listening), parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, Missouri, Virginia, West Virginia (okay...), one single county in Kansas (I mean, I guess?), and smatterings of Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Delaware and Maryland (????). I did this map a couple years ago and I stand behind it. pic.twitter.com/luVpPefElL — R.J. Lehmann (@raylehmann) June 7, 2021 (Yes, I did have to pull up a children's map of the U.S. to confirm these. Geography is not my strong suit, and I am not well-traveled when it comes to the east coast.) Clearly, this map isn't based on … [Read more...] about Is Houston the South? This map got everyone talking
