New Yorker Eric Finkelstein planned his crazy project for more than a year. The 34-year-old had it in his head to eat in more starred restaurants within 24 hours than anyone before. But just before the binge was about to start, the Michelin Guide almost threw a spanner in the works for the New Yorker. The restaurant guide had downgraded four of the top restaurants in its latest edition.
Finkelstein told Guinness World Records that he enjoyed pranks in college. So he asked himself "what could I do as an adult to continue being a child". So it was that he became a record hunter in his late 20s and made his first attempts to get into the Guinness Book of Records. The IT consultant has already set two world records. He can claim to have thrown the longest table tennis serve in the world and to have participated in the world's largest table tennis ball mosaic.
Finkelstein first heard about the restaurant challenge in an online food group and was immediately hooked. Because this covered three things that he loves - good food, working through a checklist and working towards a goal. He fine-tuned his plan for 14 months, contacted more than 80 restaurants and didn't exactly run into open doors with his project. Only ten responded at all, and to make matters worse, four of them were downgraded just 20 days before the record attempt was scheduled to start.
"Planning made up more than half of the challenge," he told CNN. Not only did he have to persuade the restaurants to try it, he also had to work out a schedule that worked. Not an easy task with such renowned restaurants, which are usually fully booked months in advance. But the route was completed on October 26th, comprising 18 stops. He had to cover all distances on foot or by public transport. Even cycling was taboo.
As a child, Finkelstein was called the "finisher" (roughly: the finisher) because he also cleaned up the leftovers on the other people's plates. He ate avocado salad in one top New York restaurant, scallops with grapefruit in another, and dishes such as steak tartare and sea urchins were also on his exquisite menu. But just eating all day long became a problem even for him at some point. He fought against the feeling of satiety. "After two-thirds of the way, I got a little nervous," he told CNN. But the "finisher" went through with his plan. After eleven hours and an estimated 5000 calories in the stomach, the record was set. He had invested almost 500 dollars in the fun.
But the American is still far from enough. He is already working on his next record attempt. He's still keeping it a secret which one that will be. He has only revealed one thing: his girlfriend should take part.
Quelle: Guinness World Records, CNN
