By Stephen Michalowicz

Photo of Ian Wright on stage at the Bloor Cinema by Stephen Michalowicz/Torontoist.

Last night, Ian Wright, the English star of the critically acclaimed travel shows Pilot Guides and America the Wright Way, delighted a full house at the Bloor Cinema with his unique blend of storytelling and lewd humour. The event, which was hosted by Intrepid Travel, Wellington Brewery, and Mountain Equipment Co-op, answered only the most pertinent travel questions, such as what it’s like to eat squeezed seal fat, where to buy clap-off lingerie in Syria, and why fart jokes are universal. In case you’re wondering, by Wright’s account, squeezed seal fat is a bit like sticking your finger up your ass, and then licking it.
Wright, who’s travelled to some of the most exotic places on the planet, is fully aware of the inherent awesomeness of his job. “I have the best job in the world,” yelled Wright at the start of his presentation. “It’s okay to hate me.” Out of all the places he’s travelled to, Wright has only had one really bad experience: getting robbed in Morocco. But he was still jovial about the incident, and revealed that haggling is a part of life in the country, which means that “even when you get robbed, you can haggle the price down.” While most of Wright’s presentation focused on his more outlandish adventures, he still found the time to talk about his travels around Canada and to make a few stereotypical jokes about our country’s frigid temperature. According to Wright, Canadians are all “barking mad” cold freaks, “who believe that there’s no such thing as bad weather; it’s just bad clothing.” We guess it was funnier when he said it with an English accent.
When it comes to Toronto, Wright’s no stranger. We asked him about his favourite parts of the city during the question and answer period, and he told us that he was quite fond of Queen Street West, Silver Snail Comics, shopping at the Eaton Centre, watching sports in Little Italy, and rummaging for secondhand clothing in Kensington Market. Wright also offered up a few words of caution: “I like Toronto, but if it gets bigger, it’s going to get swamped up….When a place gets bulldozed for Starbuckses, it loses all its character.”