The One Food Les Stroud Dreams About When He's Alone In The Wild - Exclusive
Les Stroud spends a lot of his professional life thinking about food. And that's not only because his latest television project, "Wild Harvest," is literally all about it. The show features noted outdoorsman Stroud and celebrated chef Paul Rogalski as they forage for foods in the wilderness and then cook them up into great meals. More often, when Stroud is completing a solo survival ordeal for his long-running show "Survivorman," food is closer to a life-or-death issue.
But when Stroud is not out there gathering the wild berries, harvesting the cattails, or reeling in the Arctic char he needs for a meal, his mind often wanders to foods we associate more closely with the comforts of home than the backwoods, jungles, deserts, tundra, or other remote landscapes in which Stroud has survived. During an exclusive interview with Mashed, Stroud said that as his appetite grows during an expedition, his thoughts always drift to the same foodstuff.
"The thing I dream about tends to be pizza," Stroud says. "And the reason for that is actually more scientific. I think it's scientific — at least biological — in some way. I believe that what happens when I'm out there is there's such a lacking in intake of fat, that what I start to crave is fat, anything fatty. I really want that energy source. I think about melted cheese, and I'm thinking about pizza. So I often really daydream about just the best, thickest, cheesiest pizza I can come up with."
Les Stroud's favorite food when he's back at home
Of course, after Les Stroud is done filming "Survivorman," he always has the same request. "Generally speaking, I always would tell my crew: 'Hey, when I'm done with my week out there, beer and pizza. Make sure there's a beer and pizza waiting for me,'" he shared.
Stroud has spent enough time scraping by in the wild on whatever foodstuffs he can find by foraging, fishing, trapping, or hunting, so it's really no surprise that when he's safe in town, he wants foods that are essentially the polar opposite. Asked what his favorite cuisine was, Stroud answered like this: good food.
"I've become a food snob over the years. And my favorite cuisine is really nicely done food. ...But generally, I like good food. [It's] an 'I'm old enough to like jazz' kind of comment. I'm old enough to enjoy really nicely prepared meals. I don't want to say 'fine dining.' That's misleading. I just mean well-prepared, great food. So that's my cuisine, well-prepared, great food. As far as exactly what, doesn't matter."
"Maybe a more fun way to answer the question, I suppose if I was trying to be a little more healthy about it, probably fish. I really enjoy my fish," he added.
To hear more about Les Stroud's adventures, check out his new book, "Wild Outside: Around the World With Survivorman." Watch episodes of "Wild Harvest" on your local PBS station.