Norwegian artist ate his own hip, maybe

Norwegian conceptual artist Alexander Wengshoel claims that following a hip replacement operation four years ago, he was allowed to keep his removed hip. So he went home, boiled the bone to remove the meat, and then ate the meat accompanied by some wine and potato gratin. He said it tasted like "wild sheep, if you take a sheep that goes in the mountains and eats mushrooms. It was goaty."

Sensing that Wengshoel's story might be complete baloney, the reporter from The Local asked him if it was a hoax — apparently on the theory that, if asked, a hoaxer will readily admit he's lying. Wengshoel replied:

"You can either believe it or not, that's purely up to you. I am not here to convince anyone and say 'yes, yes, I really did this'. 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." 

Based on his appearance, Wengshoel certainly seems like a serious fellow who wouldn't dream of inventing an absurd story to get some media attention. So I guess we'll have to assume he's telling the truth.

Food

Posted on Mon May 26, 2014


Comments

Wengshoel said his hip tasted like, "...a sheep that goes in the mountains and eats mushrooms." I can believe it tasted like a man who goes in the mountains and eats mushrooms. Lots of mushrooms.
Posted by Pete Byrdie  on  Mon May 26, 2014  at  11:11 PM
Meat. In a hip bone. Yah. They only shove in a new hip joint, they don't chop off the muscle around the entire shaft. Even if we assume that he doesn't know the difference between bone marrow and meat - which seems likely - there wouldn't be a lot of it in a single human joint.

I believe it not.
Posted by Richard Bos  on  Tue May 27, 2014  at  05:33 AM
Sometimes hip replacement involves removing a chunk of the femur, as in my father's case, but even then the hospital is not going to give the patient a chunk of muscle, what most of us call "meat". They leave that in the patient to, you know, move the leg.
Posted by Carl Fink  on  Thu May 29, 2014  at  04:31 AM
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