Adam Richman at Miami University



Adam Richman works the audience at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio

Adam Richman delivered his speech on "Why We Eat, What We Eat, Where We Eat and Why Culinary Anthropology Doesn't Suck" as though it were a stand-up comedy routine. His salty language was peppered with profanity. He did impressions of Dirty Harry, George W. Bush and Bobby Flay. He swaggered around the stage as though he were John Travolta and he told a few Jewish mother jokes. He also talked about food.

The "Man vs. Food" star grew up in Brooklyn, which he credits for giving him a taste for authentic ethnic foods. He showed slides of Brooklyn neighborhoods and restaurants. Polish food next to delis, Chinese food next to Italian pizzerias. He depicted Brooklyn as the melting pot of first generationers who brought their recipes and their culinary anthropology with them.

I found it interesting that Richman instructed us to seek out authentic local food when we travel. He encouraged us to do our homework and research what ethnic groups inhabit a city and that would lead us to knowing what specialties and fresh foods we'd find there. And yet, he didn't do his homework when he came to Cincinnati. He stood on stage and asked how many people in the audience were of Italian descent. A smattering of people raised their hands. "African?" A few. "German?" he asked, and about 80% of the hands in the room went up. Richman laughingly took a step back and said that he'd never been in a room with so many Germans before. "It makes me a little nervous since I'm a Jew."

He was funny. He delivered one-liners throughout his speech. My favorite was: "You can't have balls in skinny jeans, boys." The college guys laughed. Richman was a hit.

At the end of his slide show presentation he answered a few questions from the audience, such as where he had his favorite food challenge? Alaska, because everything he ate came from a 4-mile radius. And was there any place where the background story behind the food was especially interesting to him? Yes, Hawaii (because the pineapples, ham, and coconut we think of Hawaiian food isn't) and Cleveland (where he went to the west side market that still operates sporadically like it did when it relied on the ice supply to come in).

Richman never did bring up Cincinnati chili. I suppose he wasn't in town to eat, anyway. He was here to speak and entertain us. And boy, did he make us laugh!