Andrew Zimmern

I love bugs. And as the first person to popularize their eating in America, I take special pride in seeing their appreciation soar. ”

I love eating in San Francisco, Chiang Dao, China, Tokyo, Hanoi. ”

I love cooking Japanese food at home. It's so easy to make an easy fry, a saute, or a quick braise and serve it over a bowl of rice with pickles and a side salad. ”

I love the Minnesota State Fair, and I go with my family every August for nearly all 12 days. ”

I love the Mexican chapulines. These little crickets are beautifully roasted with salt and lime. ”

It might seem strange to feast on Guinea pig, but Ecuadorians love to eat cuy. Personally, I think it's a phenomenal alternative to pork or chicken. High in protein, low in fat, cheap and easy to raise. Oh, and cuy tastes great, much like roast pig. You might call it a pet, but I prefer to call it dinner. ”

Any decision that I make, anything that I do, every single consideration of my day goes through the prism of what my former experience has been. ”

I consider a perfect hot dog on the street to be as valid a food experience as dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. ”

In everything I do, I want people to get the message of acceptance, to learn not to practice contempt without investigation. I have an obligation to do it. ”

When I was 13, I came back from summer camp - summer of '74 - and my mother had had an accident during surgery and was in an oxygen tent in a coma. It was so traumatic. My parents had been divorced for six or seven years at that point, and it was sort of the seminal event of my life. ”