The first season of VICE’s Fresh Off The Boat, which followed outspoken, eccentric chef Eddie Huang on a worldwide journey, ended up providing exactly what it advertised on the tin. Led by its unique star, it was brash, unique, blue-collar, worldly, occasionally quite controversial, and always filled with a variety of delicious-looking meals. Its fifteen episodes racked up millions of views, making it one of VICE‘s most successful web series to date.
Now, Huang is back, and he’s just as uncensored as ever. Fresh Off The Boat‘s second season has begun, with Huang observing, riding, eating, drinking, and swearing his way across Mongolia.
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As with the first season, the star of the show is not the food but the local flavor. After arriving in the Gobi Desert, Huang takes in archery, horse racing, and Mongolian wrestling at the Naadam festival, saddles up for a camel ride, and then briefly samples some camel vodka (no, seriously) and camel’s milk curds. Judging from his reaction to the curds, I’m guessing we won’t see them adorning Huang’s signature pork buns any time soon.
Fans of Huang’s work at Baohaus (which is one of Manhattan’s many great late-night drunk food establishments) may be disappointed by the lack of actual food in the episode, but cuisine was never so important to Fresh Off The Boat‘s appeal. The main attraction has always been Huang, and he is in rare form in the debut episode. Love him or hate him, he’s a perfect fit for VICE–and his show is, too.
