There were individuals in the world whose achievements fit in their big wallets and bottomless stomachs, global bellies. For some reason, gluttons enjoyed the attention of the circus audience, which gathered at the arena to gawk at the meals of such masters of the gastronomic show.
James Buchanan Brady was an American billionaire living in the late 19th century. Brady had a bottomless stomach. Before breakfast he liked to have a light snack. In the morning, he ate two dozen pancakes with raspberry jam, a large raisin muffin, a couple dozen oysters with fresh bread, a dozen hard-boiled eggs, four beef patties, a steak with blood and chips, all of which he washed down with a large decanter of orange juice.
And only then he proceeded to a banal breakfast with his wife, so as not to injure her with his gluttony. Immediately after noon, the tycoon began lunch. It consisted of: a few dozen oysters, a dozen lobsters, crabs (whatever your heart desires), followed by a pound of beef chop, soup and dessert of a kilo of chocolates, coffee and two trays of the freshest pastries.
Returning home in the evening, he repeated this procedure. And closer to night, the millionaire went with his wife to a restaurant, where he ate without a break, while his wife drank a couple of cups of coffee. There he had his own table, and his favorite dishes were prepared for his arrival.
Elvis Presley established himself as a desperate glutton at the end of his life. Moreover, he cannot be called a gourmet. His favorite menu included fatty and “unhealthy” foods. Elvis loved peanut butter sandwiches with banana slices, which were fried in butter to add flavor. In Denver restaurants, they called these burgers "Elvis" because he ate dozens of them. They also made a special burger that used a whole Italian loaf with peanut butter, jam and bacon. This dish was called "Fool's Gold".
King Henry VIII of England was distinguished by an incredible gluttony. He did not take a break for lunch, but from a meal only to look over state affairs and marry a new wife. But it is worth noting that Henry VIII was intensely engaged in a dispute about how often he went hunting, participated in wrestling fights, in all knightly tournaments, danced every day, and therefore was always in good shape, even if he got fat.
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But once at a knightly tournament he was seriously injured in his leg. He began to limp, abandoning sports, but did not lose his appetite. And soon Heinrich became very rounded, at the waist his volume was 1 m 40 cm.
And yet he should be given his due. When the king was eating, he made him sit down at the table and eat his entire court. He loved to host feasts at Hampton Court Palace, where he assigned 55 rooms and utility rooms for the kitchen. His kitchen staff included 200 people. A typical lunch consisted of 14 courses!
Italian citizen Francis Batalia lived in the 18th century and would not have attracted your attention if he did not know how to devour and digest stones. His rocky appetite surprised the doctors. The audience in the circus filled the room with a jam in order to look at the man who ate the coastal stones. After the meal, Francis allowed people to cuddle up to his belly and listen to the stones rumble in his stomach.
He acquired a love for stones in childhood, his nurse was forced to pour a little rubble into his oatmeal. To test Francis' honesty, a doctor named Bulwer took on the task. He spent 24 hours with the circus artist, never leaving him for a minute, and confirmed that Bataliya actually ate, and most importantly, absorbed the stones.
England had its famous eater from the county of Kent. He lived in the town of Nicholas Wood in the 16th century and his last name was Wood. The English poet John Taylor dedicated to him a whole poem "The Great Eater of Kent". Once the eater was received at Leeds Castle by Sir Warham Ledger himself. For him, the glutton consumed 24 rabbits in one sitting. John Taylor persuaded Wood to travel to London to entertain the public there for large fees. But in London the glutton was received coldly, the public laughed at Wood and made fun of him, throwing rotten vegetables at him, offering him to eat them. Wood took offense at such a reception and disappeared from the sight of the noble public.
Frenchman Antoine Langulet lived in 19th century Paris. He was an abnormal person who, for his delusional tastes and habits, was hidden in a madhouse, but for some reason he was allowed to leave the hospital at night. And what did he do on the night streets of Paris? He sought out animal carcasses and devoured them. He was especially interested in the half-rotten insides (intestines and offal) of animals. The clinic treated this condescendingly, because at first he did not touch people.
It is interesting that Antoine did not get sick from such a dangerous menu, did not suffer from poisoning and did not even get tired of the monotony. Over time, he became friends with the buyers of old pets, who gave him offal for free. Langulet ate his portion daily and wrapped it neatly for the afternoon lunch.
The historical gallery of gluttons is concluded by the ancient Greek hero Ovid from his masterpiece "Metamorphoses". The mythologized king of Thessaly, Erisichthon, also had an inhuman appetite. The Greek was hungry around the clock and was ready to eat a whole wild boar, which he demonstrated in front of people.
In the end, the gods sent a famine to his country, which made the king mad. He even sold his own daughter into slavery, but this did not help either. From hunger, Erisichton tore off his legs and began to devour them raw, from which he died.
Victor Zharov