The Man Who Ate An Actual Airplane Over 2 Years

Michel Lotito eating parts of Cessna 150 aircraft. Wikimedia Commons image

“Over the course of Monsieur Mangetout’s career, his diet included 18 bicycles, seven TV sets, two beds, 15 supermarket trolleys, a computer, a coffin (handles and all), a pair of skis and six chandeliers.”

Now THAT’s what I call an effective introduction. John Wick may be a badass when it comes to throwing knives, but how many bicycles has he actually eaten? Right, that’s what I thought.

Michel Lotito — the hero of this story — was born in 1950, and by age 16 he discovered an unusual condition: the ability and desire to consume non-nutritious objects.

Thanks to abnormally thick intestinal walls, Lotito’s digestive tract “could “safely” consume just about anything,” including metal objects. He could eat as much as 900 grams (2 lb) of metal per day without any side effects, while struggling to digest soft foods such as bananas. His body was also curiously immune to toxic substances such as lead.

Instead of hiding his abnormality from the society, Lotito decided to make a career out of it, becoming Monsiour Mangetout (Mr. Eat-All).

“Lotito’s performances involved the consumption of metal, glass, rubber and other materials. He disassembled, cut up, and consumed items such as…