Buzz
Food has always been deeply intertwined with human existence. It's no surprise that many of history's most prominent and influential individuals have held peculiar beliefs about their diets and eating practices.
10. Zuckerberg Consumes Only What He Hunts
In an email to Fortune magazine, Zuckerberg shared, “This idea struck me last year during a pig roast at my home. Many guests admitted that while they enjoyed pork, they preferred not to think about the animal’s life. I found this mindset troubling. I respect everyone’s dietary choices, but I believe it’s essential to acknowledge and appreciate the origins of our food rather than disregarding its source.”
Jesse Cool, a Silicon Valley chef, mentored Zuckerberg, introducing him to local farmers and guiding him through the process of slaughtering his first chicken, pig, and goat. “He used a knife to humanely cut the goat’s throat,” Cool explained to Fortune. Zuckerberg’s initial experience with killing involved boiling a live lobster. Though it was emotionally challenging at first, he found solace in consuming it. Reflecting on the experience, he told Fortune, “What struck me most was the unique satisfaction of eating meat after abstaining from seafood and meat for some time.”
9. Beethoven’s Obsession with Soup
Ludwig van Beethoven, the legendary composer, had an unusual fixation on soup. He believed that only a housekeeper or cook with a virtuous heart could create a truly pure soup. His secretary, Anton Schindler, often bore the brunt of Beethoven’s strong opinions. If Beethoven deemed a soup unsatisfactory and Schindler disagreed, Beethoven would send him a blunt note: “Your opinion on the soup means nothing to me; it is terrible.”
Beethoven’s preferred meal was a thick bread soup, which he enjoyed every Thursday with 10 large eggs mixed in. He meticulously inspected each egg by holding it up to the light and cracking it open by hand. If any egg was less than perfectly fresh, the housekeeper faced his wrath. She would be summoned for a reprimand, but she remained on edge, ready to dodge the eggs Beethoven would hurl at her as punishment.
Ignaz von Seyfried, an opera conductor contemporary to Beethoven, recounted: “[Beethoven’s housekeeper] always stayed alert, ready to make a swift escape before the inevitable barrage began. It was customary for Beethoven to unleash a torrent of eggs, their yolks and whites cascading over her like molten lava.”
8. Gerald Ford’s Peculiar Lunch Habit
A well-known tidbit is that President Richard Nixon enjoyed a daily lunch of cottage cheese smothered in ketchup. After his election, the Washingtonian humorously noted that the refined White House dinners had given way to this peculiar combination. Even on the day he announced his resignation, Nixon dined on cottage cheese paired with pineapple slices.
Fewer people are aware that President Gerald Ford also shared a fondness for this unusual yet oddly satisfying dish. He consumed it daily while reading or working. As revealed in the book Inside the White House by an Air Force One staffer:
President Ford typically paired his cottage cheese with A-1 sauce and ketchup, favoring A-1 sauce more often. The dish was always accompanied by a vegetable garnish, including spring onions, celery sticks, and radishes. Both ketchup and A-1 sauce were served on the side, though he usually mixed in the A-1 sauce. [ . . . ] Before landing, he would use mouthwash to counteract the strong onion flavor.
Ford also enjoyed alcoholic beverages, though he usually managed his intake well. On one occasion, he overindulged in martinis aboard Air Force One after a meeting with the Soviet premier. A staffer recalled, “We helped him to bed. Mid-flight, he emerged in his underwear, asking, ‘Where is the restroom?’ Normally, he knew its location. He could walk, but his speech was slurred. It was the only time he drank to the point of being visibly tipsy.”
7. Nicolas Cage’s Preference for Dignified Animal Diets
Nicolas Cage, renowned for his eclectic mix of acclaimed and criticized performances, has an equally unusual dietary habit. He restricts his diet to animals he deems to mate in a manner he considers dignified.
In an interview with The Sun, Cage explained his dietary choices, stating, “I’m deeply intrigued by fish, birds, whales—sentient beings—insects, and reptiles. My eating habits are influenced by how animals mate. I find fish and birds to be dignified in their mating behaviors, unlike pigs. As a result, I avoid pork and similar meats, opting instead for fish and poultry.”
While he avoids indulgent meats like pork, Cage has consumed unusual items for his craft. In the 1988 film Vampire’s Kiss, he was required to eat a live cockroach, a task he found challenging. “Every fiber of my being resisted,” Cage told The Telegraph. “Yet, I went through with it.”
6. Henry Ford’s Unusual Diet of Weeds
Henry Ford was a selective eater who often carried nuts or raisins in his pocket. As a young man, he showed little interest in food, often just pushing it around his plate to feign eating. This changed when he began viewing his body as a machine and his stomach as a boiler that required the proper fuel to function efficiently.
For Ford, eating was a functional activity rather than a pleasurable one, and he often experimented with wild weeds as a nutritional source. His unconventional dietary habits caused discomfort among his business associates, though they resonated more with his friend George Washington Carver, who shared similar interests.
Despite earning nearly $1 million annually, Ford favored a diet of “roadside greens,” essentially edible weeds he collected from his garden or the outdoors. As biographer Sidney Olson noted: “Nothing quite prepares a man for an afternoon’s work like a bowl of stewed burdock followed by a sandwich made of soybean bread stuffed with milkweeds.”
Ford’s gathered weeds were typically lightly boiled or stewed, then incorporated into salads or sandwiches. This unusual diet appeared to benefit him, as he rarely fell ill and lived a long, healthy life until the age of 83.
5. Evo Morales’s Controversial Chicken
In 2001, Bolivian President Evo Morales sparked controversy by asserting that consuming hormone-injected chicken contributed to homosexuality. During the World People’s Summit on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba, his remarks stunned the progressive audience. “Chickens are injected with female hormones,” he stated, “and when men consume them, they deviate from their masculinity.”
He also connected poultry consumption to male pattern baldness. Within hours, his comments gained international media attention.
Morales’s administration swiftly defended his statements, clarifying that he was referring solely to physical abnormalities. The Foreign Relations Ministry issued a statement: “[Morales] did not discuss sexuality. He emphasized that consuming hormone-laden chicken alters our bodies. This perspective is supported by scientists, and the European Union has banned certain hormones in food production.”
Many LGBTQ+ activists dismissed the explanation. Cesar Cigliutti, president of the Argentina Homosexual Community, remarked, “It’s ridiculous to suggest that eating hormone-treated chicken can alter someone’s sexual orientation. By that logic, feeding a homosexual male hormone-infused chicken would turn them heterosexual.”
Morales also criticized Coca-Cola, stating, “If a plumber fails to fix your clogged toilet with his tools, pour Coca-Cola down the blocked drain, and it will work.” This comment was better received, as many Bolivians believe the US company exploits Bolivia’s coca resources. Additionally, a local firm had recently introduced a competing beverage named “Coca-Colla,” referencing the indigenous Andean highland community.
Morales has consistently criticized unhealthy American food, voicing his concerns at the UN in 2013 by stating, “Western fast food poses a significant threat to humanity.” He blamed fast food corporations for contributing to cancer and alleged they conspired to hinder the popularity of quinoa as a nutritious alternative.
4. Howard Hughes’s Peculiar Food Obsessions
Howard Hughes, the renowned film producer, industrialist, and entrepreneur, struggled with obsessive-compulsive disorder, which heavily influenced his eating habits. He issued strange instructions to his staff regarding food preparation, such as wrapping spoon handles in tissue paper, sealing them with cellophane, and adding a second layer of tissue. He would only touch the wrapped handles due to his intense fear of germs.
His staff also had to follow a meticulous process for opening food cans. First, they held the can under warm running water, then used a brush and special soap to clean the label area 5 centimeters (2 inches) from the top. The can was soaked to eliminate dust and germs, and the bottom was cleaned similarly. Every indentation on the can had to be scrubbed and rinsed, and the servant was forbidden from releasing the can during the entire process.
Hughes experienced constipation due to his refusal to consume leafy greens. His diet was highly repetitive, following a strict menu that he updated every few months. A typical meal included a medium-rare butterfly steak accompanied by 12 perfectly sized peas. If any pea was too large, Hughes would demand it be replaced. He dined alone nearly every time, even skipping holiday meals like Thanksgiving and Christmas with his wife, according to his chef.
However, Hughes had a fondness for fudge. In his later years, he became a recluse, surviving almost entirely on chocolate bars and milk. He secluded himself in a studio near his home, surrounded by empty milk bottles and containers he used as makeshift toilets. This isolated lifestyle severely impacted his health. Upon his death, his physical condition was likened to that of a Japanese POW.
3. Kim Jong Il’s Culinary Extravagance
Thanks to Kenji Fujimoto, Kim Jong Il’s former personal chef, we have detailed insights into the eating habits of the late North Korean dictator. While much of the nation faced starvation, Kim indulged in luxurious and extravagant meals. He maintained a wine cellar stocked with over 10,000 bottles and a library filled with thousands of cookbooks.
Kim was dedicated to sourcing the finest foods, frequently dispatching Fujimoto on international trips to procure delicacies: caviar from Iran and Uzbekistan, cognac from France, pork from Denmark, grapes from western China, papayas and mangoes from Thailand, and McDonald’s fast food from Beijing. Former North Korean diplomats also contributed by sending exotic items like camel’s feet from their postings abroad.
Kim assembled a team of top doctors and scientists to create a diet aimed at extending his life. This was necessary due to his unhealthy eating habits, which had caused the 158-centimeter (5’2″) dictator to balloon to nearly 90 kilograms (200 lbs). The team meticulously examined each grain of his rice by hand, ensuring it was flawless and free of imperfections. Kim demanded that the rice be cooked over a wood fire using timber from Mount Paektu, a revered mountain on the Chinese border.
Fujimoto also disclosed Kim’s passion for sushi. When Fujimoto wanted to leave North Korea (after being restricted from traveling abroad), he devised a clever plan. He showed Kim an episode of the cooking show Iron Chef, featuring sea urchin roe, or uni, as the secret ingredient.
He casually noted that the best place to obtain this ingredient was Rishiri Island near Hokkaido. Unable to resist, Kim sent Fujimoto, who slipped away from his minders at a Tokyo fish market and vanished into the crowd. Fujimoto did not return to North Korea until after Kim Jong Il’s death.
2. Mussolini’s Obsession with Milk
Benito Mussolini also struggled with digestive issues and had peculiar eating habits, such as avoiding food at banquets. He believed that eating required full concentration and that dining with others would lead to improper eating habits.
In 1925, Mussolini vomited blood at his Rome residence, forcing him to take a break from public duties. Speculation arose that he might be replaced as the leader of the National Fascist Party. Doctors diagnosed him with a stomach ulcer and advised a strict diet change after he declined surgery. His new regimen consisted mostly of fruit and up to 3 liters (1 gallon) of milk daily. However, this did not prevent another ulcer in 1929.
After the Allies invaded Italy and the Fascists retreated to the Salo Republic, Mussolini consulted Dr. Zachariae. The doctor was appalled by Mussolini’s condition, describing him as a broken man nearing death. Mussolini suffered from ulcers, anemia, constipation, insomnia, and low blood pressure. His skin was dry and lacked elasticity, and his liver area was swollen.
Zachariae attributed Mussolini’s poor health to his excessive milk consumption and reduced his intake to 0.25 liters (0.5 pints) daily for a week before eliminating it entirely. The doctor introduced small doses of vitamins and hormones, which quickly improved Mussolini’s condition. Once his liver returned to normal size, Mussolini exclaimed, “I feel free now. My stomach pains are gone, and I no longer dread the night.”
The doctor urged Mussolini to incorporate light vegetables like carrots and potatoes into his diet, which he had previously avoided, and to drink his tea without milk. Although Mussolini favored vegetarianism, the doctor insisted he consume small portions of boiled chicken and fish to boost his protein levels. Combined with vitamin B and C injections, this new diet increased his red blood cell count and improved his overall health. Despite occasionally refusing food while Italians faced starvation, Zachariae later claimed he had restored Mussolini’s health to that of a 40-year-old.
1. Hitler’s Gassy Vegetarian Lifestyle
Many meat enthusiasts often remind their vegetarian friends that Adolf Hitler was a vegetarian, a claim vegetarians frequently dispute. The reality is more complex. Until the early 1930s, Hitler enjoyed certain meat dishes, especially liver dumplings and sausages. He reportedly embraced Wagner’s theory that “[the] craving [for flesh and blood] . . . can never be satisfied, driving its victims into a frenzied madness, not true bravery.”
However, he did not fully reject meat until his niece and possible lover, Geli Raubal, committed suicide in 1931. After that, he refused to eat breakfast ham, exclaiming, “It’s like consuming a dead body!”
Hitler avoided meat, believing it led to chronic constipation and excessive gas. He preferred his vegetables either raw or mashed into a pulp. Among his favored dishes were oatmeal mixed with linseed oil, cauliflower, cottage cheese, boiled apples, artichoke hearts, and asparagus tips served in white sauce.
Ironically, his high-fiber diet exacerbated his digestive issues. After consuming a large portion of vegetables, his physician, Theo Morell, noted in his diary that Hitler suffered from “severe constipation and extreme flatulence . . . on a level rarely seen before.”
This was not solely due to his vegetarian diet but also the bizarre treatments prescribed by his doctor, which included chamomile enemas and an excessive intake of supplements. These supplements ranged from vitamins and testosterone to liver extracts, laxatives, sedatives, glucose, opiates, and even toxic strychnine tablets to combat gas.
The debate over Hitler’s vegetarianism is somewhat misleading. While he occasionally consumed animal products, this is true for many self-proclaimed vegetarians. Regardless, Hitler’s dietary choices do not undermine the ethical principles that vegetarians advocate against meat consumption.
