Gourmand syndrome is a rare, benign eating disorder characterized by a sudden obsession with gourmet food, typically following right hemisphere brain injury.
Unlike typical eating disorders, it does not involve fear of weight gain or body image issues. The syndrome can include both a refined taste for food and obsessive behaviors around eating.
Meet Chris. Chris loves fine cuisine. He spends hours in a corner of the internet where like-minded foodies share their extraordinary culinary experiences. And then there’s Stevie, who doesn’t eat fish with souls, Beatrice and Jen just baked a flax loaf and Cindy might have salad, later.
As South Coast Repertory notes in its description of “Eat Me,” a world premiere play by Talene Monahon that runs through May 3 on the Argyros stage, everyone is longing for something that makes them feel full—and when the meal is over, maybe they’ll be transformed.
On social media, playwright Monahon stated that if audiences like Kafka or David Lynch, they’ll like this play.
“Eat Me” does have elements of Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” and more than a healthy dose of Lynch’s talent for eclectic and quirky narratives.
“Everyone has a complicated relationship with food. It’s impossible to be a human being and not have one,” Monahon said. “But I don’t think of it as a play about just eating disorders. I think of it as a play about desire, obsession, bodies and autonomy over our bodies.”
Indeed. Chris desires Stevie, but he desires gourmet experiences more, lured on by a somewhat mysterious figure known as The Gourmand, who shares lurid updates on his gastronomic encounters and conquests. Chris is addicted to the culinary descriptions and desires those experiences for himself at the expense of other relationships.
Monahon said “Eat Me” is taken from “Alice in Wonderland,” which she explains has nothing to do with Gourmand Syndrome but more with growing larger or smaller.
Chris does descend into a rabbit hole of desire, where reality gives way to fantasy.
“Eat Me” is an exploration of obsession and human connections, favorite themes of David Lynch. By the end of the play, when Chris has reached the pinnacle of culinary extasy, it’s easy to wonder if he’ll ever be satisfied.
“Eat Me” runs around 90 minutes with no intermission. For tickets, visit www.SCR.org.
And if you want to enjoy a gourmet meal before seeing “Eat Me,” Knife Pleat in South Coast Plaza has a special prix fixe dinner available, while Leatherby’s Café Rouge at Segerstrom Center just added new dishes to its menu.
