Yesterday, Bob Blumer gave us the rundown on his new series, World's Weirdest Restaurants premiering April 4th at 9pm and 9:30pm ET. Today, in part two of my interview, he gives us even more insights into the series, and what's coming up next for him in the year ahead. Plus, check out the end of the post for your chance to win tickets to the pop-up restaurant event he's hosting in Vancouver in honour of the new series.
Devon Scoble: Have you learned anything from the show that viewers could use to make their own entertaining more interesting?
Bob:
There are a lot of things you can do. You can always do an ‘in the
dark’ thing, where you blindfold your guests, or just turn off all the
lights. [You can wear] costumes. You can always eat in the
nude—especially for people who don’t know each other, I would suggest,
or maybe for a first date, a blind date.
In Japan there a lot of
what they call ‘cosplay’—costume play—restaurants where they would dress
up as
Alice in Wonderland characters or, you know, as crazy doctors in
the ward of a prison. So, you can dress up. And then some of the
restaurants had meals that were somewhat thematically-plated, so you
can always play with your food.
Devon: After doing a show like this,
you must be able to see weirdness everywhere, kind of like a sixth
sense. Can you think of anything that Canadians typically do or eat that
people in other cultures would find weird?
Bob: Well, poutine,
right? That would seem pretty bizarre to any foreigner, I would think.
And you know the restaurant, Just Desserts? That would be a good
example of a restaurant where people in Asia would probably come here
and find it kind of weird. Because a) mostly they don’t do that kind of
dessert and then b) the notion of an all-dessert restaurant is, unto
itself, a little bit weird. So, I think the combination would make it a
little surprising to say, the Japanese, for example.
Devon: What’s up next for you?
Bob:
Well, we’re hoping that there will be a second season of the show, so
we’re hoping to be back on the road this summer. I’m working on a second
edition of my grilled pizza book [
Pizza on the Grill: 100 Feisty
Fire-Roasted Recipes for Pizza & More], which has done very well in
America—that’s a book that I co-wrote with a friend of mine. I just
designed the label for a blueberry wine that is coming out, also here in
America. And after I finish these two pop-up dinners and the launch of
the show, I’m heading to Portugal for a quick bike trip. And then it
will be back to the grind—which, of course, is not a grind.
Bob Blumer’s World’s Weirdest Restaurants premieres Wed., April 4 at 9 & 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network Canada.
Giveaway:
Join gastronaut Bob Blumer for a delicious night of weirdness at the
World's Weirdest Pop-Up Restaurant featuring a sneak preview of his
latest Food Network Canada show, and a surprise four-course meal
highlighting dishes from the series.
We have (1) pair of tickets to
giveaway to this event taking place Wednesday, March 28th at 8:30pm at The Waldorf Hotel in Vancouver. For a chance to win, email
giveaways@foodnewtork.ca with the answer to the following question: What is the name of Bob Blumer's pizza-themed cook book? Don't forget to add your mailing address and phone
number to your email submission. Please add "World's Weirdest
Restaurants - Vancouver" to your email subject line. Giveaway rules are
below.
Related:
Giveaway Rules
The World's Weirdest Restaurants Giveaway Rules
The
following are the giveaway rules (“Rules”) for the World's Weirdest
Restaurants giveaway (the “Giveaway”) being administered by Shaw Media
(“Shaw”).
RULE 1. HOW TO ENTER
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. To
enter, entrants must answer the question posted above correctly, as
determined by a Shaw representative. The Giveaway shall run from March
16, 2012 to March 22, 2012 after which time no answers will be
considered.
RULE 2. SELECTION OF WINNER
Upon completion of the
Giveaway, a Shaw representative shall review the answers submitted by
each entrant to determine which entrant answered the question correctly.
From the entrants that correctly answered the question, Shaw will
randomly select the prize winner (“Winner”) and provide the prize to the
winner. For the purposes of this Giveaway and the awarding of prize,
these Rules shall govern in all respects and the decision of any Shaw
representatives shall be final.
RULE 3. PRIZE
There is 1 prize
available to be won, which consists of a pair of tickets to the World's
Weirdest Restaurants event in Vancouver (“Prize”). The approximate value
of the Prize is under one hundred dollars Canadian ($100).
RULE 4. GENERAL
By
participating in this Giveaway, you agree to abide by these Rules and
the decisions of Shaw in awarding the Prize, which decisions shall be
final and binding upon all entrants. Entrants who have not complied with
these Rules are subject to disqualification. Shaw reserves the right to
modify the Rules, before or during the Giveaway, in its sole
discretion, in any way at any time it deems necessary or appropriate
without materially affecting the terms and conditions of this Giveaway.
Interpretation of these Giveaway rules by Shaw shall be final.
Personal
information collected during the course of this Giveaway shall be used
by Shaw and its authorized representatives solely for the purposes of
conducting the Giveaway and awarding prizes, and will not be used or
disclosed for any other purpose unless required by law.
The
Prize is not transferable and not redeemable for cash, will not be
extended under any circumstances and must be accepted as offered without
substitution.
Employees of Shaw and its affiliates,
subsidiaries, related companies, advertising and promotional agencies
and the household members of any of the above, are not eligible to
participate in this Giveaway.
By participating in this Giveaway,
the Winner agrees that his/her name may be used in any and all forms of
media, without any further compensation by Shaw and waives all rights
(including moral rights) with respect to printed, broadcast and other
forms of publicity.
In the event of a dispute as to who
submitted an electronic entry, the entry will be deemed to have been
submitted by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address
submitted at the time of entry. “Authorized account holder” is defined
as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an
Internet access provider, on-line service provider or other organization
(e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for
assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted
e-mail address.
Notwithstanding the defined Contest Period, Shaw
reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate the Giveaway,
in whole or part, and/or modify, amend or suspend the Giveaway, and/or
these Rules in any way, at any time, for any reason without prior
notice. Interpretation of these Giveaway Rules by Shaw shall be final.
The Giveaway is subject to all applicable laws of the province of Ontario and the laws of Canada applicable therein.
Posted:
by Devon Scoble
Howdy foodie friends!
Nadine Sharon Anglin here, Foodnetwork.ca Content Producer. I can't wait to finally meet all of you in our new digital home.
I'm familiar with a some of you from our blogs and social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and Foodbuzz, but am looking forward to meeting many more! Hope to continue with all the great conversations and sharing of photos, videos and more :-D