Man Eats Broken Glass

Man eats broken glass like he was eating popcorn, Wow! That was my first expression upon witnessing this rare and dangerous feat. Just the thought of going near broken glass makes most people cringe and back away fearing the possibility of getting their hands or feet sliced open and having to rush to the doctor to get stitched up. This guy not only breaks and handles broken glass bottles with his bare hands, he also bites, chews, and swallows large chunks of the razor sharp glass shards like he was eating a tasty snack.

Once I viewed him in action and got a bit desensitized the next phase of my awareness kicked in. That phase is my reasoning as I tried to rationalize what he is actually doing and asked myself how he is able to do what he is doing. I don’t think there are many who can explain how he is actually able to eat broken glass so without the knowledge to explain for certain how he is doing it I can only speculate.

The first explanation that came to my mind was that it had to be a very clever illusion. After all, there are many great magicians who perform all sorts of clever tricks that fool the eyes and when the eyes are fooled the mind is next in line. However, this guy has no tools other than a plastic bucket and some discarded beer bottles. It has to be more than magic. Perhaps another explanation is that his body is impervious to sharp objects.

I remember as a child growing up in the West Indies I used to run around outside bare footed. In those days out in the countryside I only had one pair of good shoes which I only wore for special things like going to church and weddings. My friends and I ran carelessly over broken glass, sharp stones, and spiked shrubs. We rarely got injured because the soles our feet had gotten tough like leather. Today I would never dare step outside without shoes to protect my feet. If this man is able to eat broken glass then his body has obviously built up a defense against tissue penetration, but how?

The answer maybe found in how the human digestive system works. Digestion starts in the mouth with Saliva and the mechanical crushing of food by our teeth. Muscles along the digestive tract also act the break down food on its way to the stomach. Once in the stomach powerful hydrochloric acid and pepsin are secreted onto it which breaks it down chemically into molecules.

Hydrochloric acid, in our stomach? Yes, one of the most powerful chemicals in the world is in our stomachs. But why does it not eat the hell out of our stomach tissue? Stomach acids do not harm us because mucus is secreted by the stomach, providing a slimy layer that acts as a shield against the damaging effects of the chemicals. Ever had a stomach ache? Well what is happening is your stomach has secreted too much acid for the mucus to manage so the acid is eating at your stomach walls. This usually occurs when we either don’t chew our food long enough or we ate a type of food that our stomach acids have trouble breaking down.

Where am I going with this? Well, I suspect that this glass eating guy did not start eating glass yesterday. He has probably been eating glass and sand for a very long time. Glass and sand is the same, as glass is made from sand. His stomach chemicals have been strengthened 1000%. His internal tissue therefore had to get stronger to withstand the chemicals and the physical stress of sharp objects. This explanation may seem a bit out there but aside from him not being human this is the best I could come up with.