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Eating Chipotle for 40 days straight is impressive, but when the daily ritual approaches the half-year mark, you suddenly become an Internet obsession.
Andrew Hawryluk has been chowing down on Chipotle for the past 153 days, and the 23-year-old animator who lives in L.A. shows no signs of quitting. What first began as a joke with his brother that he would eat at the chain restaurant for the 40 days of Lent, continues as a daily culinary challenge to himself. Hawryluk documents his "culinary endurance art piece"—as he jokingly refers to the marathon feast—on his blog Chipotlife. For his daily updates, he includes a photo of the meal and a receipt. While not everyone might see eating at Chipotle daily as performance art, Hawryluk keeps a sense of humor about his project, "It's like Marina Abramović, but a little more fast food oriented."
Hawryluk's meal of choice? A burrito bowl with white rice, chicken, guacamole, and lettuce, topped with Tabasco chipotle sauce on top, with rare exceptions. He refers to his favorite Chipotle dish as "The Impeccabowl" and highly recommends the "undeniably delicious meal. It tastes kind of like Mexican sushi."
His Chipotlife commitment initially attracted the following of a few friends, but now his culinary endurance has gone viral with international media attention. Even his mom is sending him articles about him that he didn't know about. Responding to reactions that he's taken on some insane, gut-busting Super-Size-Me-like challenge, Hawryluk dismisses the hype, telling LAist,
It's not even an intense meal. It's a very lean dish and I think if I was cooking it at home, nobody would bat an eyelash. But the fact that I'm eating it at Chipotle, adds that bizarre twist that makes it interesting. I'm sure there are people out there who eat this exact same thing everyday and it's not a big deal.
To date, Hawryluk's Chipotle challenge has set him back $1,567, which he tells us is totally worth it. "Number one: the time that I'm saving preparing this meal is worth it alone. And number two: I would never be able to make something that tastes that good. I am the worst chef ever."
Prior to taking on the challenge, he admits to enjoying Chipotle 4 or 5 times a week on his own accord, so adding a few days hasn't really been too difficult. Though now that he's committed to continuing the challenge, he does find the "must-do aspect" of it much crazier and adds a little edge to his daily routine. Asked if he has any advice for aspiring Chipotlifers, he warns, "Clear your schedule. The schedule is the hardest aspect for me. I'll be working some days and there will be a crunch and I can't leave until 9:30 p.m. and Chipotle closes at 10, and I'm racing to get there. Also, don't plan on traveling." Hawryluk is currently planning his vacations around cities that have Chipotle locations.
For those worried that his Chipotle bender might be taking a serious toll on his physique. Hawryluk assures us that he works out several times a week and generally maintains "high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carb" diet. He's also had blood tests performed to check his cholesterol, which he says remains optimal. Oh yeah, and there's that photo of his six-pack that he shared on his blog. His weight may fluctuate slightly, but Hawryluk explains on his blog, "I figure my weight mostly depends on all the other stuff I'm eating/drinking (see: booze)."
And to the detractors, Hawryluk explains that he hasn't received any endorsement deals from Chipotle. Though they did send him some swag and a few gift cards for his birthday. But they were for burritos.
Hawryluk has yet to grow tired of The Impeccabowl, so how long will he continue eating it? A year maybe? "Maybe until my next birthday," he considers, "But that's like 450 days, that's a little daunting."
And what will happen when the media buzz dies down? "I imagine this will all fade out after a week or two, and I'll just continue eating Chipotle from there."
