Trail Off Tuesdays: The Bizarre Life of Monsieur Mangetout

You might think you've heard every strange human feat possible, but the story of Michel Lotito will make you question everything you thought you knew about the human body's limitations. This isn't just about a man with an unusual appetite – it's about someone whose physiological makeup defied medical understanding.

Born in 1950s France, Michel discovered his peculiar ability to consume glass as a child. What started as a curious habit evolved into something extraordinary when doctors discovered his stomach lining was twice as thick as normal and his digestive acids potent enough to break down materials that would destroy an ordinary person's system. Far from being deterred by his condition, Michel embraced it, transforming his extreme case of pica into a career that would earn him worldwide recognition.

The centerpiece of Michel's legacy remains his consumption of an entire Cessna 150 airplane between 1978 and 1980. Methodically eating approximately two pounds of metal daily, he completed what remains one of the most outlandish records in history. Throughout his lifetime, he consumed everything from bicycles and televisions to chandeliers and shopping carts – yet bizarrely couldn't stomach bananas or hard-boiled eggs. As "Monsieur Mangetout" (Mr. Eat-All), he performed across three continents, astonishing audiences with his metal-munching abilities before passing away in 2007 from causes entirely unrelated to his metallic diet.

Next time you're facing something that seems impossible to digest – whether a difficult situation or challenging news – remember Michel Lotito, who turned what should have been a debilitating condition into his superpower. Follow Trail of Tuesdays for more mind-bending true stories that remind us just how strange and wonderful our world can be.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:14

Welcome to Trail of Tuesdays, your weekly bite of the bizarre, the unbelievable and the strangely true. Today's story belongs in the Believe it or Not files. It's not about a daredevil pilot or a spectacular crash landing. No, this is about a man who ate a literal airplane. You heard that right, bit by bit, bolts and all ate a literal airplane. You heard that right, bed by bed, bolts and all. And no, he wasn't in danger, he wasn't even forced, he just wanted to. So pull up a chair, maybe skip the snacks. And let's meet the man who put metal on the menu.

Speaker 1: 1:16

Michel Lotito was born in Grenoble, france, in the 1950s. At first glance he seemed like any other French kid. He liked playing outside, riding his bike and bothering his siblings. But there was one small difference Michel had a taste for the indigestible At first. It started small. Reports say he began chewing on glass as a child. But by the time he was in his early teens he was eating it, and not just glass. He ate metal, rubber, plastic, even gravel. When most people couldn't even handle swallowing a coin, michel was out there crunching through chandeliers. Of course, doctors were baffled and what they discovered was that Michel had a rare eating disorder called pica, which causes individuals to crave non-food objects. Pica can lead people to consume everything from dirt to chalk, but Michelle took it far beyond textbook examples. A team of doctors eventually discovered that Michel's internal makeup was different His esophagus and stomach lining were nearly twice the normal thickness, and his stomach acids were so potent they could break down materials that would have shred another persons' insides, where you and I have a digestive system. Michelle had a demolition crew, and once he discovered this unique superpower, well, michel didn't run from it. He actually embraced it and turned it into a lifestyle.

Speaker 1: 3:25

By the late 1970s, michel Lotito had eaten his way through bicycles, razor blades and shopping carts, but none of it had made quite the impact he wanted. He needed something bigger, more absurd, something that would make the world to stop and stare. So in 1978, michel made a decision that defies logic he would eat an entire airplane, not a toy one, not even a model one, a full-size, functional Cessna 150, a lightweight, two-seater aircraft that's often used for flight training and personal travel. Now, to be very clear, he didn't just decide to take a bite and call it a day. No, michel went all in. So the Cessna was carefully dismantled Wings, engine, propeller, seats, control panel, all cut into tiny ingestible fragments. He'd then consume about two pounds of airplane at a time, grinding down the metal, mixing it with mineral oil to ease down the passage and washing it down with water like the world's worst protein shake. It took him two years, from 1978 to 1980, but he finished it. He ate the entire airplane. It remains one of the most outlandish records in the Guinness Book of World Records and it's never been broken, because really who else would even try? And it's never been broken because really who else would even try?

Speaker 1: 5:19

The Cessna might be his most famous entree, but it was far from the only thing Michel put on his plate. Over the course of his lifetime, michel reportedly consumed 18 bicycles, 15 shopping carts, 7 television sets, 15 shopping carts, 7 television sets, 6 chandeliers, 2 beds, a coffin, a computer, a pair of skis and, of course, the aforementioned airplane. He even tried to eat a section of the Eiffel Tower once, but French officials politely declined to donate any metal. His ability to eat and digest these items became a global curiosity. He was dubbed Monsieur Manchete, which translates to Mr Eat All, and he lived up to his name. He even performed on stages across Europe, asia and the Americas eating bits of metal, live in front of astonished crowds. People would line up to watch him crunch through glass bite, screws in half and polish it all off with a bolt for dessert. But perhaps the strangest part of Michel's dietary history the one thing he couldn't digest Bananas or hard-boiled eggs Too soft, he said they upset his stomach. So let us think in the man who could down a bicycle without flinching couldn't handle an egg.

Speaker 1: 7:08

Now it's important to understand just how rare Michelle's case was. Pica is not uncommon, particularly among children or individuals with development disorders, but Michelle's version was unique. Most people with PICA suffer serious medical complications, suffer serious medical complications. Many require hospitalization, but Michel lived decades with no major side effects. In fact, he needed to eat glass and metal. His body adapted to it so completely that he reportedly felt ill if he stuck to conventional food for far too long. His doctors speculated that his stomach lining was up to twice as thick as the average person's, allowing it to withstand sharp edges and corrosive materials. He also had an exceptionally high tolerance to toxins, including trace chemicals from plastics and metals that would poison anyone else. Still, michel was regularly monitored by physicians and he never recommended others to try what he did. He often emphasized that he was a professional with a one-of-a-kind digestive system.

Speaker 1: 8:30

With a one-of-a-kind digestive system, michel Lotito passed away in 2007 at the age of 57. His death was from natural causes completely unrelated to his diet of door hinges and chandeliers. He left behind a legacy of pure absurdity, fascination and medical mystery, and his feasts still circulate in trivia books, guinness World Records lists and the kind of weird corner of the internet where Trail of Tuesdays tends to wander. No one has even come close to matching him, not because they haven't tried, but because they can't. Michelle was a scientific enigma and a very literal example of mind over matter. Thanks for crunching through that with me today. If you enjoyed this week's Wild Trail, don't forget to follow Clue Trail, leave a review and share Trail of Tuesday with someone who needs a laugh. We'll be back next Tuesday with another strange but true story you never saw coming, until next time you.