….at least, on one man’s menu. The source of the meat? Himself. Now there’s a fine example of self sufficiency for you. According to an article in the New York Daily News, a 25-year-old artist in Norway, Alexander Selvik Wengshoel, managed to acquire an unusual keepsake; his deformed hip after a replacement surgery. Of course, the best ideas come to us spontaneously, and as he was boiling a once integral portion of his skeletal system to remove the flesh surrounding it, he concocted just such a bright idea. Though initially planning to remove and discard the meat so he could use the bone in an art exhibit, he must have figured “hey, how many times does one get to experience the quality of their own meat? Am I fatty? Am I lean? Would I pair better with a nice Merlot or a Chardonnay?”
Well, Wengshoel got to answer the aforementioned questions that only burn in the minds of very unique types of meat enthusiasts. After prepping his own meat, decided the best side dish would be potatoes au gratin. The side dish was needed to complete the meal, as Wengshoel noted that the amount of meat obtained did not equate to an entree, but more of an appetizer. He lifted his first fork full, and I imagine the suspense was as thick as the strange odors that were likely wafting throughout his kitchen. He eventually claimed, according to an article in USAToday, that it tasted like “wild lamb.”
It had this flavor of wild sheep, if you take a sheep that goes in the mountains and eats mushrooms. It was goaty.
-Alexander Slevik Wengshoel
With his new ability to delve into the flavor of his innards, Alexander will now have a way to stand out amongst job candidates during interviews. The initial question, “describe yourself” holds myriad possibilities for the young artist.
He made himself into dinner while his girlfriend was away, sparing her the chance (or robbing her of it) to get to know her man in a way that most lovers never do. At least she will be able to see his complete art project chronicling the removal of his deformed hip which caused him years of pain. His project is currently on display at the Tromso Academy of Contemporary Art in an exhibition called “No Guts, No Galaxy.” The project includes the removed bone as well as a video of the replacement operation, which took him a year to convince doctors to allow him to use. To Wengshoel, morphing his innards into art was the obvious thing to do.
It had been so hard to have it in my body, and when I took it out, it turned into something else, something romantic. It was a natural process I felt I had to do to move on.
-Alexander Slevik Wengshoel
I generally wouldn’t consider bones to be romantic, but then again I don’t call myself an artist. At least the fact that he ate himself as opposed to someone else is slightly reassuring in an odd way. Perhaps he isn’t that strange, simply spearheading a new generation of foodies. “Shockingly,” Wengshoel’s statements have been met with much skepticism.
The story is the story. Either you believe it and we can start a discussion and talk about it, or you do not believe. It’s not up to me to make people believe it. I’m just saying it.
-Alexander Selvik Wengshoel
Well, he certainly started a discussion…
[USAToday]
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Marisa Mostek (@MarisaJ44) loves globetrotting and writing, so she is living the dream by writing while living abroad in Japan and working as an English teacher. Marisa received her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado in Boulder and a certificate in journalism from UCLA. Contact Marisa at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.
Featured Image Courtesy of [Joel Mills via Wikimedia Commons]
