Andrew Zimmern Interview on Food Travel Culture and Spilled Milk

In this 2023 interview, Andrew Zimmern talked with Famadillo about food as a way to understand culture, his Spilled Milk newsletter, charitable giving and a few memorable lessons from years of travel.

For another perspective on regional food and travel, see our guide to Phoenix food and drink spots.

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How Can Food Help People Understand Other Cultures?

Zimmern said he sees food as one of the best ways to evaluate and understand culture. He pointed to time he spent with nomadic people in Jordan’s Valley of the Moon, where hospitality extended beyond meals to beds, blankets and care for travelers.

What stayed with him was the idea that generosity did not have to be transactional. He saw that experience as one example of how food can reveal the values a community lives by.

How Does Spilled Milk Choose What to Cover?

Zimmern said curiosity and audience interest guide the newsletter. He described himself as someone who reads widely and pays close attention to food, travel and cultural trends, then uses those interests to shape the newsletter’s recipes, travel coverage and reader Q&As.

He also mentioned recommending Cyprus early in the newsletter’s run, before it became a more common travel recommendation. His goal, he said, was to inform and inspire while still leaving readers to make their own food and travel decisions.

Why Build Charitable Giving Into the Newsletter?

Zimmern said a portion of the newsletter’s proceeds had always been donated. He framed that decision simply: he believes people have an obligation to be of service to others. World Central Kitchen was among the organizations connected with that giving.

What Travel Experience Stayed With Him?

Zimmern recalled visiting a floating fishing village on Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake. A fisherman and his family shared their small catch and prepared lunch using the lake water around their raft home.

While filming, Zimmern noticed waste moving through the water and members of his crew suggested he skip the meal. He chose to eat it anyway because the family had shared what little they had with him.

For Zimmern, the moment became less about the food itself and more about being a gracious guest. He described it as a lesson in kindness, respect and gratitude.

The interview showed the theme that runs through much of Zimmern’s work: food matters, but the people, traditions and relationships around it matter more.