Are there any documented cases of a man actually eating his hat?

[Cisco]

It seems like it’s been a pretty popular bet for quite a long time. Surely at least one guy with more stubborn integrity than luck has made it. How would someone go about this? Would it be a health concern?

[Larry_Mudd]

Werner Herzog ate his shoe once after a casual declaration.

If I remember correctly, the prop was made out of licorice – unless I’m confusing it with the shoe that Charlie Chaplin ate.

[Jeff_Lichtman]

@Larry Mudd

Werner Herzog ate his shoe once after a casual declaration.

If I remember correctly, the prop was made out of licorice – unless I’m confusing it with the shoe that Charlie Chaplin ate.

Herzog told Errol Morris that if Morris made a successful movie about a pet cemetery, he (Herzog) would eat his shoe. Morris released Gates of Heaven to critical acclaim, and Herzog made good on his challenge by consuming a real shoe (not a licorice one) on the stage of the U.C. Theater in Berkeley. The leather shoe had been cooked at Chez Panisse, the famous restaurant that was about a half a mile up Shattuck Avenue from the theater. The event was filmed by Les Blank, the documentarian who also made Burden of Dreams (about the making of Herzog’s movie Fitzcarraldo).

[Inigo_Montoya]

From Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things:

A person who punctuates a perdiction with, “If I’m wrong, I’ll eat my hat” should know that at one time, he or she might well have had to do just that–eat hat. Of course, “hat” did not refer to a Panama or Stetson but to something more palatable–though only slightly. The cullinary curiosity known as a “hatte” appears in one of the earliest extant European cookbooks, though its ingredients and means of preparation are somewhat vague. “Hattes are made of eggs, veal, dates, saffron, salt and so forth,” states the recipe–but they could also include tongue, honey, rosemary, kidney, fat and cinnamon. The book makes it clear that the concoction was not particularly popular and that in the hands of an amateur cook it was essentially uneatable. So much so that a braggart who backed a bet by offering to “eat hatte” had either a strong stomach or confidence in winning.

Great book, that one.

[pravnik]

Well, f%$# a duck!

[Inigo_Montoya]

…nope. No mention of that in the book. I’m sure you can find something for that online though.

[Cisco]

@Inigo Montoya

From Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things:

That sounds incredibly contrived. Maybe there is or was an actual dish named hatte but I’d bet that it has nothing to do with the origin of the wager. Of course, if I’m wrong, I’ll eat my hat ;).

[Shagnasty]

Michel Lotito has eaten just about everything including bicycles, televisions, a Cessna 150 airplane, and smaller items. It doesn’t specifically say that he ate a hat but that seems like it would cake for him.

[The_Scrivener]

You might have to be a bit mad to make such a bet, but losing it probably wouldn’t make you any madder.

[waterj2]

@The Scrivener

You might have to be a bit mad to make such a bet, but losing it probably wouldn’t make you any madder.

I must also refer you to the excellent discussion on the board about that article (mainly just to show off): http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=63738