Bizarre World series aptly kicks off in Center of the World Bizarre: Cuba
The Travel Channel kicks off a new series called Bizarre World Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 10 p.m EST. The first episode is focused on Cuba. It is hosted by Andrew Zimmern, who also does the Bizarre Foods show.
“To most people in the United States, Cuba is a strange country. It can seem so far away even though it is only ninety miles off the U.S. coast. In Cuba, you can find relics of the cold war era just about everywhere you look. But beyond the many reminders of the past, there is a vibrant people and interesting culture.
Millions of people spill into the streets to celebrate International Worker’s Day, otherwise known as the May Day Parade. While marching with the people, Andrew meets world class boxer Teófilo Stevenson. Teofilo is one of the greatest Olympic boxers in Cuban history and he symbolizes the fighting spirit of the Cuban people.
Since the revolution in 1959, the embargo has stopped the import of new American cars. The law has kept classic American car culture very much alive. So, in true Cuban fashion, Andrew rents a gorgeous cherry red 1957 Oldsmobile convertible to get around the streets of Havana.
Andrew shares a delicious lunch with two locals from Vinales, Dago and Omar. They spend an entire evening preparing a freshly slaughtered pig and a Hoodia (a common tree rat) for a roast. The preparation is quite an event as Dago and Omar serenade both Andrew and the pig that will soon be their lunch. The entire neighborhood, including a full band, comes to celebrate the event by singing and dancing.
Even though one trip ends with a broken boat and a rainstorm, nobody Andrew is with seems to mind. Cubans are not wealthy, but they are incredibly rich in spirit. And they have learned to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Andrew’s time in this beautiful nation taught him to better appreciate the privileged life he leads.”
They sent me this press release too. I'm looking forward to it, however sanitized it's going to be. I think I could hang with Zimmern, as long as he isn't doing that thing where he eats things that are still moving. Yikes.
I'm also looking forward to watching it … here's a review from NY Times …
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/arts/television/01bizarre.html
I wish you well :) Melek
"The revolution was mythmaking, there's no denying it. But once a myth is created, what next? Daily life steps in. The bottom line is this: are Cubans happy; has Marxism improved their lives? It struck me happiness came a poor second to the grinding struggle to survive. Don't tell me they are poor but happy. They are poor and afraid to say they are unhappy. Castro's legacy is a poor, frightened Cuba." ~ Martina Devlin
I hope this isn't a disaster. I bet my grandfather (who watches the Travel Channel whenever he's not watching baseball) thinks he's a Commie. I can already hear the shouts… Juanes part II. Oh boy…
It was horrific!!!!!
I am writing a post about it now.
Horrible, Terrible, Insulting!