Who's The Most Serious Eater In Your Life?
This is Faye. I know a lot of serious eaters—hell, I work in an office of serious eaters—but this girl could eat all of them under the table. She may look small, but don’t be fooled.
Pictured at right is Faye with her daily frozen yogurt regimen (yes, that’s a quart of soft-serve). At an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant, she once put back so much sashimi that the owner came out, incredulous, to take her picture. She spends a significant portion of her days reading restaurant menus online. When on her recent trip to New York, I suggested that she visit Shopsin’s, she replied: “Their menu was my desktop image for quite some time a few months ago.” (Now, it's a high-res image of sticky toffee pudding.) And her favorite pastime—second only to eating, I presume—is photograzing.
I count a huge number of foodies, restaurant obsessives, and bottomless pits among my acquaintances, but Faye is in a league of her own. Who’s the most serious eater in your life? And what have they proven themselves capable of?
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
35 Comments:
Fess up--that's Tasti-D-Lite she is eating, isn't it ;)
HeartofGlass at 8:31PM on 06/12/09
And I thought I was in love with the Death Star Grill...
wotstaters at 8:34PM on 06/12/09
My husband - he had 3 older brothers growing up, and was therefore trained to eat whatever was in front of him, and as much of it as possible, as quickly as possible. Now I'm trying to convince him that I won't try to eat his food off his plate, so he can slow down and enjoy stuff. It hasn't worked all that well yet, haha.
TheKitchenette at 9:21PM on 06/12/09
I once brought a whole roasted duck to my friends Pete & Nat. It was mostly Pete - he demolished it. He had this maniacal glint in his eye - a look that said, don't get between me and this duck. Also, Nat says that Pete can out-burrito anyone. (He really does seem to inhale them.) Pete and Faye should have an eating contest.
marchpane at 9:22PM on 06/12/09
The girl in that pic reminds me of Gal-sone, Japan's eating queen.
Eating 20lbs of curry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1Q1Jeh8dxY
Scaramanga at 9:35PM on 06/12/09
There is a legitimate seafood all-you-can eat joint in my neighborhood. I will not name the establishment or city out of plain selfishness, as I do not want to ruin a good thing. Anyway, this place has really good fried scallops (like 8 out of 10): nice tempura-style batter, light but with character covering fresh sweet and tender scallops that drip sea juice when you bite. About twice a month I pay my feeding fee. I face the stares of the hostess and the cooks, the smiles of the other regulars and I post up. I can eat maybe 45 scallops in one sitting. I nap in the booth for like half an hour. I awake and polish off another round. No joke. I have could drop a million other examples, but fried scallops is my current thang.
Also Casey Jones, hook a brother up with Faye. Dream girl *sigh*
omnivore805 at 10:56PM on 06/12/09
Oh boy, I hate to say it but i'm the serious eater in my mix. 105 pounds, 5'6" and all stomach. It was even worse when I was pregnant. I love to photograze as well and can't get enough of food blogs, recipe sites and the like. Hubby is 2 and a half times my weight(and 1 and a half times my height) and still is shocked when we go out to eat. My military buddies love to take me to buffets and see how many plates I can knock back. And yes, I always get dessert just to add insult to injury. Even though I can knock back a good amount, I still have a discerning palate, which my foodie friends love. Thanks to this site, we are planning a wonderful trip to eat through Chicago sometime this year.
Man, I'm hungry again.....
amiyrah18 at 10:57PM on 06/12/09
People have no idea how the Asian girls can throw down.
Pupster at 11:40PM on 06/12/09
I'm not among those lucky enough to be teeny tiny (oh, how I wish), but I'm certainly the serious eater in my group. The last time we went to the all-you-can-eat sushi place, the waiter begged me to stop ordering the special sushi rolls. (Paying $15 for $75 worth of sushi was so satisfying!) It's strange though, I can only put away certain foods (such as carbs); others, I fill up almost immediately.
gringuitica at 11:40PM on 06/12/09
I would have to say my wife. When I was matriculating in New York she came to visit and I took her to the Manhattan Deli in Brooklyn for one of my favorite Philly Cheese Steaks. After pounding down one she wanted a second. I was full so I grabbed her a Philly and a beer for me. After polishing of number two she said,"I could eat another." I wasn't sure she was serious, but after a third trip to Manhattan Deli she completed the Philly trifecta.
Montana Eats at 11:52PM on 06/12/09
My husband. 32 oz steaks, a pound of pasta, large pizzas, multiple burritos...'nuf said.
liverwurstontoast at 12:59AM on 06/13/09
I know a bottomless pit; that's actually his nickname, that or "Iron Stomach". But he's not really much of a serious eater (doesn't like to try new things).
hungryhungryhippo at 2:51AM on 06/13/09
My manager can literally eat five tmes the amount I eat. When going to a mussel buffet, I can finish two 1kg pots... He can do ten and wasn't entirely full (the buffet was limited by time).
Sericanus at 8:35AM on 06/13/09
My best friend -- a gorgeous, tiny woman -- is a seriously serious eater. One night, we were walking home from a Polish restaurant (she'd had a kielbasa platter with extra pierogies and dessert), and we'd barely made it two blocks before she detoured to a Chinese restaurant for "a snack" that turned into a second meal.
On a side note, I recently discovered she munches on chunks of butter, usually while cooking lavish meals with her equally foodie -- and equally trim -- significant other.
piccola at 8:56AM on 06/13/09
So unfair :-( :-( :-(
I just gained a pound looking at the frozen yogurt in her pic! Maybe that's how she does it, she has the power to transfer calories to other people.
finewinendine at 9:08AM on 06/13/09
Does she also enjoy long walks on the beach? Cause I'm pretty sure she's my soul mate =P.
Most serious eater I've known is a former co-worker:
One night we went out to dinner and he and 2 apps (for himself), a slab of ribs with fries, a large ribeye with baked potato, 2 desserts (for himself) and 4 double gin and tonics. He's also been known to eat three chipotle burritos in one sitting. Crazy stuff.
misterhee at 9:25AM on 06/13/09
once in high school i went out with my then-boyfriend & his buddy to eat. they were both wrestlers and football players. at first it was amusing watching them swallow plates whole and keep ordering more, but once it got past 3 hours with no end in sight i started to get really grossed out. it was completely unlike anything i've ever seen. i don't know how their mothers kept the pantry stocked? insane.
gastronomeg at 10:30AM on 06/13/09
My cousin's husband and his friend used to go to IHOP and order 3 different menu items each after a night of hitting the clubs. There were big guys, solid and over 6 foot tall. They used to go to the gym and pump serious iron. They could eat 2 dozen hard boiled eggs. 3 whole chickens and pounds of bacon. I had never seen people eat like this before.
When I was in college one of the guys we hung out with we used to call "wimpy" (popeyes friend who ate burgers) he could go down to the caf and eat burgers like there was no tomorrow. Usually he would order 2 or 3, then get back in line and get 2 or 3 more. No fries just cheeseburgers.
Young fellow I knew wrestled used to power eat before matches. Whole bunches of bananas. 10 Baked potatoes.
When I worked in philly there was a guy (skinny guy) used to go to the hotdog vendor and get 4 hot dogs, 2 sausage sandwiches, meatball sub and some pretzels. I had never seen anyone spend 10 bucks at the hot dog vendor before. He was so damn skinny we had to watch him eat it.
There was a guy at one of my favorite bars we used to call wings. He would eat wings all night. We would yell at him. "Hey wings how many you eat tonight?" He would yell out a number.
JerzeeTomato at 11:08AM on 06/13/09
How can I learn to eat like that? Does she give classes?
Jikuu at 11:38AM on 06/13/09
my skinny-as-a-rail roommate turns all you can eat sushi into a marathon
cdcdcd at 12:32PM on 06/13/09
Hands down the most serious eater I know is my wife, whom some of you may know as mangabanga. I'm barely tearing off my first chicken leg to eat and she's stripped a half chicken like a horde of beetles. Except the beetles don't crack open the bones with their teeth, suck out the marrow, and go back for more. Then try to take away what I haven't finished yet.Nearly every meal we have, she's three bites in and talking about what she wants for 'second dinner' or lunch tomorrow.
And it's not that she's voracious--she has such a passion for food in every stage. She's extremely knowledgeable about the growth, production, processing, preperation, history, and uses of pretty much everything humans can eat. Last night she counted nearly a hundred spices in our kithchen cabinets, and that doesn't count her salt collection. She browses foodie sites for great places nearby, when they're opening, what they have new, etc. Our day trips and travels normally center around 'omg we have to try the food at this place.' Our place is filled with wonderful smells of great foods cooking. Few things are as sexy as a beautiful woman who can throw down at the dinner table and then tell you why they got the sauce wrong on the order the waiter just carried past to another table.
Baby, let's go eat!
Hercules Rockefeller at 2:51PM on 06/13/09
Probably my cat Ozzy. :)
GrubGrade at 8:26PM on 06/13/09
my boyfriend. we have both worked in restaurants for several years and he works at one of the best in town (thought so before we were together...). when we go out we always just ask the server/kitchen to bring whatever they would want or whatever is the best. since we know many chefs here they usually treat us well. but we also like to go to food carts and eat the things that other people squirm at. i've definitely expanded my palate since being with him.
oregonpinot at 12:56AM on 06/14/09
My son, when playing high school football, used to come home after practise to eat a pound (that's a whole package) of hot dogs with buns, BEFORE dinner. His coach sent a letter home with the boys during the two-a-days explaining the kids needed about 10,000 calories a day.
Once, after a huge Thanksgiving dinner, he ran down the corner to get a snack of White Castle burgers. Ate 23...on top of the turkey.
SueZee at 8:27AM on 06/14/09
@SueZee--Jeez, that's like feeding Michael Phelps--WHILE he is still growing!
HeartofGlass at 9:06AM on 06/14/09
I think that a serious eater should be someone who has a discerning palate, knowledge of flavors and ingredients, and to be genuinely curious in all things food related. A glutton is someone who eats too much per seating. I'd like to consider my self the former.
henryfan at 11:48AM on 06/14/09
Serious eater in terms of quantity...that'd probably be me in my group. I once ate the equivalent of 4 pizzas plus an entire dessert pizza at like a $6 pizza buffet. It was a bad idea...I was thirsty for days. And several times in college, I've finished eating contests by eating more than the rest of the competition combined. Yes, I ate more than 50% of the food consumed at an eating contest.
However, I usually refrain from the massive inhaling of food these days. Unlike TheKitchenette's brother, I've gone more from quantity to quality.
wunami at 4:47PM on 06/14/09
My brother--who has 4% body fat, by the way--can load up a full plate of food at Thanksgiving or Christmas, and then eat all of it in less than 10 minutes. True story.
missmanders at 8:08PM on 06/14/09
Quote from Henryfan above: "I think that a serious eater should be someone who has a discerning palate, knowledge of flavors and ingredients, and to be genuinely curious in all things food related. A glutton is someone who eats too much per seating."
Nicely put. I also think a serious eater is someone who is willing to go out of their way to try something that sounds interesting, good and/or different, without whining before or after the experience about whether it was worth the trip. If you dig eating, it's always worth the trip.
P.
Polecat at 8:21PM on 06/14/09
11 year old son. 4'6", 67 pounds. Eats more than his father (37 years old, 6'1", 250? pounds) who likes to eat, himself.
Did you know cereal was a food group? =)
akk328 at 2:11PM on 06/15/09
my 5'5", 95 lb cousin. if you look into her balenciaga bag, she'll probably have a dozen bagel or a box of entenmanns chocolate chip cookies in there for her snack. when we were younger, we'd go to the movies and she would eat 2 large tubs of popcorn after getting fried chicken from roy rogers for dinner. she's in her 40's now so i think she's slowed down a bit but she basically eats all day and i've never known her to weigh more than 100lbs.
pixshim at 1:21AM on 06/16/09
Common answer, but myself. I am too poor to eat out much, and I have no foodie friends(anyone live in Arlington TX?), so I usually pace myself. The first time I ever went to a pizza buffet, I ate 2 1/2 pizzas, 10 cheese breadsticks, 2 salads, a brownie and 3 sodas in an hour and a half. Every picture of me as a boy is of me eating! I'm lean and normal height, but I have a huge stomach, fast blood and an over active thyroid. Add to that my palatial discernment and constant desire for quality eats, plus my poverty and you've got one inventive cook.
johndoughy at 5:44PM on 06/20/09
Also when I was in Thailand I was the only one to eat from street carts, new produce, hole in the wall restaurants, or things considered disgusting. And boy did it pay off--Durian Chips are some of the best chips in the world.
johndoughy at 5:49PM on 06/20/09
I'm lucky in that I'm immersed in a sea of serious eaters. BF loves my cooking (and can definitely hold his own at grill and stove). Bro was a charter member of my gourmet group back in Brooklyn - so I'd have to count those two as top of my list. I have a whole bunch of foodie friends - some from here - who encourage me to expand my cooking horizons and present me with challenges.
I also love my not-so-serious-eaters who ask me for recipes and how-to advice. Shepherding someone in the kitchen gives me about as much reward as watching someone relish my food.
therealchiffonade at 9:09AM on 06/22/09
MY FATHER!!!! Holy Moly is that man COMPLETELY 100% obsessed with ALL THINGS FOOD!!!!!!!!!! The second I wake up in the morning when I am home he asks me what I want to eat for dinner... Whenever we don't have anything to talk about he talks to me about food... When he calls me when I am away he always asks me what I am having for dinner... He is not afraid to spend WADS AND WADS of $$ going out to restaurants or Whole Foods... He is where I get my food obsessions from - I guess I can thank him and get angry with him... ha ha!
Giasbash6260 at 11:18PM on 06/22/09