Feasting on Asphalt is a television series starring Alton Brown of the Food Network programs Good Eats and Iron Chef America.
Brown's third series, Feasting on Asphalt explores "road food" (eating establishments which cater to travelers) in the historical and present-day United States, with an emphasis on unique restaurants and regional cuisine. In the first two seasons, Brown and his crew seek "good eats" across the country, via Brown's BMW motorcycle. "As far as I’m concerned, there’s no better way to experience the road than from the back of a bike," says Brown. During the third season (titled Feasting on Waves), Brown trades the motorcycle for a boat to island hop throughout the Caribbean with a similar mission.
Season 1 consisted of four episodes, initially broadcast July 29, August 5, August 12, and August 19, 2006 (Shot Spring/Summer '06). Brown traveled from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, and sampled food along his travel route. The episodes included segments documenting famous journeys and travelers (from the Odyssey to the Crusades, to Lewis and Clark, and Jack Kerouac), and interviews with many of the restaurant owners and patrons he met en route.
Brown suffered a motorcycle crash during the shooting of the Nevada segment, injuring his right clavicle. This injury was caught on camera and was shown in episode 4.
Brown began his trip in Mount Pleasant, SC, then wound his way through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and then to the California coast.
Title: "The South Shall Fry Again"
Places Visited:
Title: "I Smell Pork"
Places Visited:
Title: "High Plains Feaster"
Places Visited:
Title: "California or Bust"
Places Visited:
Note: Coordinates were incorrectly shown in ddmmss format on the program.
Alton Brown is shown wearing a sling for three quarters of this episode after his motorcycle accident in Nevada and resulting shoulder injury. On the sling is written: "If you can read this odds are I'm about to scream." The Chicago Tribune said of the incident that Brown was "surely the only Food Network celeb to have broken bones in a motorcycle crash on camera".[3]
The second season, Feasting on Asphalt 2 – The River Run, began airing August 4, 2007 on the Food Network. The journey began in Venice, Louisiana, with Brown and his crew tracing the Mississippi River north. According to Brown's website, Feasting on Asphalt 2 was filmed during April and May 2007,[4] and consists of six episodes along the Great River Road. Brown deviates from the Great River Road, however, missing several of the cities that travel along the Mississippi River; rather than following the river through towns such as Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and Bemidji, Minnesota, Brown cuts straight over from Crosby, Minnesota to Itasca State Park in order to reach the source of the Mississippi River.
Title: "A Strong Brown God"
According to Brown, a strong brown god is a term used by T. S. Eliot to describe the Mississippi River.
Places Visited:
Title: "Fry Me a River"
Places Visited:
Title: "Soul Food Survivor"
Places Visited:
Title: "Take Me To The River"
Places Visited:
Title: "Mid-American Pie"
Places Visited:
Title: "Lutefisk Express"
Places Visited:
The third season uses the title Feasting on Waves as Brown travels the Caribbean by boat in search of local cuisine with less emphasis on established restaurants and more roadside stands and visits to residents' kitchens.[6]
In the series, Alton Brown is seen riding a BMW R1200RT, a touring motorcycle, with a number of accessories. He wears a variety of gear including textile jackets or suits made by BMW, Aerostich, and Vanson, and Aerostich "Combat Touring" boots. His web site lists his motorcycle and camping gear, much of it procured from Aerostich. His motorcycle was purchased used from a BMW dealer and has made prior appearances on Good Eats.[7]Its fate following the accident outside Las Vegas has not been divulged.
For Season 2 Alton Brown and his crew rode the BMW R1200GS, a dual-sport motorcycle. He is seen outfitted with BMW motorcycle apparel.
The River Run series became a book in 2008.[8][9][10]
Evansville's Hilltop Inn restaurant ...[has a] reputation as home of the fried brain sandwich...has been featured in newspapers around the country, on Alton Brown's program "Feasting on Asphalt" and even on a Tokyo TV station.
Brown became known for riding motorcycles, with his Food Network show "Feasting on Asphalt," where he famously tested cooking on the exhaust manifold...his show "Feasting on Asphalt" was one long road trip, with one season going cross country from Atlantic to the Pacific and another up the Mississippi River from the Delta all the way up to the head waters...
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)[My favorite recipe from the "Feasting on Asphalt" book is] the Kool-sicle, which I found in the Delta. That's a dill pickle cured and concentrated in a Cherry Kool-Aid solution. It sounds hideous. It makes these pink things that look like they came from somebody's body. But when cold and placed on a stick and eaten like a Popsicle, you won't believe how good they are!