Meet the Chicagoan Attempting to Eat Food from Nearly Every Country in the World Without Leaving the City

by Meredith Francis / WTTW Chicago / September 13, 2023

Cam Brenson begins his popular TikTok videos with some variation of this phrase: “I am eating the food of every country in the world all near Chicago.”

It’s a fairly simple phrase, and a pretty big goal. The United Nations recognizes 193 sovereign states, plus two observer states in Vatican City and Palestine, and two non-member states in the Cook Islands and Niue. That means Brenson is aiming to taste the cuisine of 197 countries in Chicago.

Not all nations are represented here, but Brenson, a 30-year-old Chicagoan who works in sales for a tech company, is using his spare time to travel the world through the city’s restaurant scene. It all started back in 2019, when Brenson was, frankly, bored.

“I knew I was in this awesome city. I knew there were a ton of awesome things to do here, but then I couldn’t easily find it,” he says.

Most of his online searches yielded results designed more for tourists. So he started a website, as well as Instagram and TikTok accounts called Bored in Chicago, where he compiled a list of interesting things to do in the city geared more towards locals. Brenson also stumbled upon a YouTube series in which a creator is trying the national dish from every country in the world, and that inspired him to start his own journey. Read more HERE