Warning: May contain trace elements of hard-boiled eggs.

Michel Lotito (aka Monsieur Mangetout) from Grenoble, France, has been eating metal and glass since 1959. Gastroenterologists have described his ability to consume 900g (2 lb) of metal per day as "unique". Mangetout - Michel's nickname - literally translates as "eats everything". Michel says bananas and hard-boiled eggs make him sick. [Source: Guinness Book Of World Records]

How does one decide to do stuff like this? How does somebody like Monsieur Mangetout end up polishing off the hub-cabs on his car? Was he sitting around at home one day with a bowl of Doritos, and bored out of his skull thought ‘Wait a minute, should I try eating my key-chain?’ and then having consumed it in one satisfying gulp, figured he ought to have ball-bearings for breakfast every day. Even if you do have the unique ability (and the teeth) to chew through metal, you do it a couple of times to maybe impress a friend (although one must question what kind of friend gets impressed by this) and if you’re famous enough for this, you get to perform it on tv. For money. That’s a total of ten-twenty times. This guy eats from the scrap yard every day! 2 pounds a day. He’s doing it because he likes it. Am I alone in questioning God’s judgement when creating Mangetout? More importantly, is he alone out there? Are there more like him? Is there a secret society of belt-buckle fanatics in your neighbourhood? I won’t be surprised considering there are people who like ritual beatings and David Hasselhoff’s music. And in these days of niche marketing, they might even have a bi-weekly magazine and special airline advertising targeting them. (Would you like your on-flight meal tray to be steel or aluminium?) There’d be special websites…

Monsieur Mangetout’s Restaurant Reviews

Lebanese Lounge
51, Rue de Chevaix, Grenoble, France

Ambience **
Service **
Starters ***
Main Course ***
Dessert **
Cutlery **********************

…special food categories…

Warning: This product may contain trace elements of hard-boiled eggs. Consume at your own risk.

…special clothes…

Introducing new Levi’s, with detachable zippers. 'Cause you never know when hunger strikes.

Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t denounce Mangetout. Or The Guinness Book Of World Records. There are some real whackos out there. At least, to you and me, they would seem so. But are they really the freakshows we make them out to be?

It’s like in Scandinavia, they have a lot of salt with their food. If I ate their food, I’d throw up, because I’m not accustomed to the salt content. But that doesn’t mean Scandinavians are freaks. They are an aberration from my set of fixed notions about food. Or take hippies for example. In the 40’s, if they saw an unwashed bearded man wearing beads, smoking pot, they’d jail him for vagrancy. In the 60’s he was a cultural icon.

Decade by decade, the world is more open to diverse sets of communities. The handicapped, the vertically-challenged, the gay have now found acceptance. People don’t think them freaks anymore. And the world is richer by it. Going by the same rule, with the advancement of civilization, I think the next decade should bring in greater openness to diversity. With certain caveats to keep the criminal element out, we are going to have to accept some serious whackos in the future. For all you know, your kid could be eating refrigerator magnets in between meals tomorrow. And there’s bugger-all you can do about it. Except find out if there’s an online community and a special section in the supermarket.