Here's Why Andrew Zimmern Refuses To Eat Oatmeal

If you are a fan of oatmeal, you may want to look away and stop reading because Andrew Zimmern revealed that he is not, and his thoughts on this staple may leave you feeling a little oat-rageous. What does the celebrity chef who has eaten some rather interesting foods over the course of his career have against this porridge?

We're truly flummoxed by this admission because Healthline shares that oatmeal is both delicious and nutritious. Cooking Light calls it a "superstar" in the world of grains and explains it comes in three varieties — milled, steel-cut, and rolled oat. This cereal is often described as having a mild but sweet taste, and it can be eaten as a hot cereal or served at room temperature if you are eating the overnight type that have been soaked properly in a liquid of your choosing.

Ok, sure, when you think of oatmeal you might think of mush or about Charles Dickens and his story of the orphaned Oliver Twist. But this gruel has come a long way since the Victorian era. When Quaker Oats started making its instant version of this dish, it became a convenient food that parents on the go could feel good about feeding their kids and themselves. So, what could Zimmern possibly have against it?

Back in 2017, Zimmern tweeted, "I don't eat walnuts, raw cookie dough, hot oatmeal... yecch. I have eaten durian a lot, trying to give it a chance but I don't care for it. Anything else, bring it on, I'm hungry." Some in the Twitterverse were left to believe he has a problem with the texture. Maybe, cooked oatmeal is too mushy for Zimmern, or maybe he just needs to try a few simple ways to make oatmeal taste better. After all, oatmeal is a canvas waiting for you to add a little bit of cinnamon and sugar, honey and bananas, or whatever flavors makes your taste buds sing.

But recently, Zimmern explained his feelings about oatmeal a little further. According to Market Watch, when quizzed on his dislike for this meal, Zimmern said, "I won't eat oatmeal. What a horrific, awful thing to do to such a glorious thing as an oat. To make a what I call jailhouse partridge out of it, what a horrific thing to do." And he doesn't just think it's bad for adults to eat, he thinks it is cruel and unusual punishment to feed oatmeal to children. Zimmern said, "What a horrible thing to subject children to, give them gruel for breakfast. I want eggs and a couple pieces of bacon and a glass of orange juice. Turn my oats into cookies with plump raisins." 

We do appreciate a good oatmeal raisin cookie. Sorry oatmeal.