Earlier this month, we were fortunate enough to learn the story of Burlington, North Carolina resident Alan Martin, who was very proud of the fact that he was getting the most of his Olive Garden Pasta Pass. The promotional card that has since expired allowed those who wielded it the ability to eat all of the Olive Garden they wanted for an entire month, all for the low price of $100. People were obviously furious that only 1,000 cards were made available – one woman even cried that her mom was going to die and never be able to eat at Olive Garden again – but Martin was one of the lucky ones, and because of that he vowed to eat at his favorite restaurant twice a day.
Martin’s story went viral on the local news and beyond, but like any Internet celebrity before him, he was guaranteed to watch that new fame disappear like a plate full of delicious breadsticks. Fortunately, Salon was able to catch up with Martin one more time to get his final Pasta Pass tally before he strolled off into the sunset. Perhaps the most amazing thing about Martin’s adventure is the fact that he’s not the World’s Fattest Man. Instead, he might deserve a blurb in Men’s Health.
Where did he eat for lunch on Monday? “Nowhere — I went to the gym.”
Was it worth it? “It was worth it for the first bite of spaghetti and meatball! But it was worth it in more ways than just having happy taste buds. I was encouraged to see that our country still has jolly, fun people who love a good story, that root for the underdog and cheer when the little man wins. Of the comments I read and received, 99 percent were positive! The other 1 percent was at least funny…
And I certainly am thankful for whoever invented chicken gnocchi soup!” (Via Salon)
Martin claims that he ate 115 meals with his Pasta Pass for an astounding $1,840 worth of food, all while he lost four pounds. Make all the jokes you want, but it’s no more ridiculous an idea than Subway claiming to be the preferred food of professional athletes.