Mick Unplugged — "Breaking Bread and Barriers with Andrew Zimmern"
Date: November 10, 2025
Host: Mick Hunt
Guest: Andrew Zimmern, Emmy-winning TV host, chef, and storyteller
Episode Overview
This episode of Mick Unplugged features renowned chef and food adventurer Andrew Zimmern. Going beyond his "Bizarre Foods" persona, the conversation digs into food as a universal language, the deeper motivations behind impactful work (“the because”), and Andrew’s enduring curiosity about the world. The discussion weaves together life lessons, leadership, honest self-reflection, and practical wisdom—culminating in an exploration of Zimmern’s new project, The Blue Food Cookbook, which advocates for a more sustainable future through seafood and aquatic foods.
Key Topics & Insights
1. Origin of Bizarre Foods & the Power of Curiosity
- Birth of an Idea: Andrew recounts pitching his travel-food show in 2004, originally called The Wandering Spoon, and how the concept evolved into Bizarre Foods after reading a room of skeptical TV executives ([03:33]-[09:21]).
- Childhood Adventures: He reflects on early experiences eating unusual foods in Spain with his father, which normalized global food exploration and curiosity.
“I was a little kid, I was eating bigorno, little French periwinkle snails... I didn’t think there was anything of it. My father was the kind of person who, when in Rome, eat what the Romans eat.”
— Andrew Zimmern [06:33]
- Lesson: Sometimes success comes from improvisation, curiosity, and noticing what makes others react.
2. The “Because” — The Drive Behind the Doing
What gets you out of bed after so many achievements?
Mick asks about Andrew’s “because”—the force deeper than “why” ([09:47]-[13:44]):
“Because I spent 10, 12, 14 years being a user of people and a taker of things. Because I owe the world a debt I don’t think I can ever repay. Because I’m endlessly curious.”
— Andrew Zimmern [10:10]
- Guilt & Redemption: Andrew is candid about his past struggles and his sense of responsibility to give back.
- Curiosity as Purpose: He’s driven to keep exploring, telling new stories, and, with them, instigating positive change.
- Broader Mission: Zimmern champions a diversified diet as a way to heal people, economies, and the planet.
“If we diversify our diets, we can save this planet. We can save families, we can lower prices on food.”
— Andrew Zimmern [11:19]
3. Pursuit of Balance & Self-Reflection
On “Doing It All” and Avoiding Burnout ([13:44]-[18:22]):
- Admitting Imperfection: Both Mick and Andrew wrestle with overcommitment and guilt over relationships that need more attention.
- Action Steps & Astronaut Logic: Andrew shares advice from a behavioral scientist: Problems are rarely one-dimensional; break down dilemmas and address one piece at a time.
- Raw Honesty: Both men acknowledge the relentless pace of their work and the struggle to “put their own oxygen mask on first.”
“I’m a mile long and a quarter inch deep and I want to get...I no longer want to have a spread offense...I need to be an inch deep and a quarter mile long.”
— Andrew Zimmern [14:46]
4. Healing Through Food: Stories from the Table
Food as Universal Language ([24:23]-[36:15]):
- Family Meal Ritual: Every Bizarre Foods episode ends with a shared meal—highlighting the familiar and universal aspects of eating together.
- Human Connection: Andrew believes that humanity’s similarities vastly outweigh our differences, and food is the quickest bridge.
“I wanted people to see how much they had in common...in a world that was increasingly defining itself by the things that divided us.”
— Andrew Zimmern [25:35]
Memorable Stories
- Lapland Dinner: Eating with a Finnish reindeer herding family, recognizing familiar parental negotiations and universal human behaviors ([27:24]-[31:00]).
- Lunch with a Terrorist: Meeting a notorious former Palestinian militant; a chilling illustration of deep-seated conflict but also an exercise in listening and seeking understanding.
“He just said, ‘My daughter’s daughter’s daughter will bathe in the blood of your son’s children’s children,’ and sipped his juice.”
— Andrew Zimmern [36:07]
- Big Takeaway: Food can be neutral, common ground—even in the most fraught circumstances.
5. The Blue Food Cookbook — Solutions for a Hungry World
Why “Blue Food”? ([44:39]-[54:28]):
- Definition: All foods from aquatic environments—fish, seaweed, shellfish, underwater plants.
- Sustainability: Promotes eating more seafood and aquatic plants as a means of reducing the environmental strain from land-based animal agriculture.
- Consumer Confusion: Americans, Andrew argues, have been led astray by myths about seafood being too expensive, smelly, or hard to cook—a contrast to much of the rest of the world.
“If we...eat more meals out of the ocean, we would eat fewer meals from the green economy...We are literally devouring our own planet.”
— Andrew Zimmern [47:00]
- Aquaculture Advocacy: Farming seafood can be sustainable, safe, and scalable—if consumers demand and trust it.
- Practical Guide: The cookbook contains 145 recipes plus extensive guidance on buying, preparing, and understanding the diversity of blue foods.
- Climate & Social Justice Links: Better blue food choices can address hunger, climate change, job and gender equity, and more.
6. Favorite Recipes & Home Cooking Inspiration
- Lasagna with Seaweed: Andrew’s go-to, emphasizing that seaweed’s “umami bomb” can change the way people think about comfort food.
- Kelp Crumble and Seaweed Brownies: Pushing listeners to try unexpected combinations for health, taste, and environmental impact.
“Great food is about contrast...and seaweed is arguably the healthiest thing you can eat.”
— Andrew Zimmern [55:42]
Notable Quotes & Moments
-
On Purpose:
“I want to die in the saddle...I have no interest in stopping and going off and playing golf...”
— Andrew Zimmern [12:50] -
On Honesty:
“I learned a long time ago to answer a question honestly. I think there’s more people out there who can relate to a human being who screws a lot of stuff up...”
— Andrew Zimmern [12:20] -
On Connection:
“Co-regulating with human beings before operationalizing with them is the most crucial thing that you can do.”
— Andrew Zimmern [21:39] -
On Optimism:
“I enjoy it more when I’m visiting you wherever you live, and we connect...Turns out like we’re living the same life, Right?”
— Andrew Zimmern [41:30]
Key Takeaways
- True leadership springs not just from knowing “why,” but from living your “because”—an integration of duty, curiosity, and honest self-examination.
- Food is not just sustenance, but a tool for healing divisions, creating empathy, and sparking real conversations—even in conflict zones.
- Adopting more “blue food” in our diets isn’t only about health but planetary survival, and Andrew Zimmern’s Blue Food Cookbook gives the tools, recipes, and arguments needed for this shift.
- Vulnerability and curiosity are not weaknesses in leadership; they’re fuel for growth, innovation, and authentic connection.
Highlighted Timestamps
- 03:33 — Andrew Zimmern describes the origin of Bizarre Foods
- 09:47 — Mick asks about Andrew’s “because”; deep dive into purpose
- 14:46 — Andrew and Mick discuss the struggle for balance amid busyness
- 24:23 — Food as a healer, the family meal ritual, and universality of eating
- 27:24 — Story from Lapland: the universal language of food
- 36:07 — Lunch with a terrorist: confronting hate and the limits of food’s comfort
- 44:39 — Introduction to The Blue Food Cookbook and its mission
- 55:42 — The power of seaweed and reimagining favorite foods
Final Thoughts
Zimmern entwines his culinary journey with wisdom on purpose, resilience, healing, and environmental responsibility. Breaking Bread and Barriers challenges listeners to embrace curiosity, eat consciously, and find “the because”—the deeper mission that animates genuine leadership and change.
To learn more and get The Blue Food Cookbook, visit your local bookstore, Amazon, or AndrewZimmern.com.
“Your because is your superpower. Go unleash it.”
— Mick Hunt [58:32]