In the odd news category, it was recently reported by United Press International that a successful British chef suffered a severe phobia of food. According to that story, Andrew Forster, head chef at Sale Pepe Italian Restaurant, developed his phobia at only 18 months of age. Since then, he has survived almost exclusively on cookies, supplemented with bits of toast, cereal and tea.

According to the story, Forster was able to work his way up in the culinary world without ever sampling his creations. Normally chefs are expected to taste their dishes before sending them out, but Forster was able to rely on kitchen staff to tell him if a dish was acceptable. It would seem that spending his life surrounded by the object of his phobia is an odd choice, but according to the story, Forster loves being around food as long as he doesn’t have to taste it.

Apparently the phobia has now been treated, thanks to the intervention of a girlfriend who was worried for his health. For the first time, the chef is able to enjoy a meal.

This leads to two important questions: One, if flooding himself with the restaurant environment wasn’t able to cure his phobia, what does Forster know about restaurant cooking that the rest of don’t? Two, what do you think about his career choice? Have you ever been drawn to the object of your phobia at the same time that you were repulsed by it? Feel free to send me your comments or discuss the topic in our forums.