Chapter 1

It had been literally years since Jason had taken a real vacation. He read avidly about travelling to exotic locales, seeing the scenery, meeting the local people – truly immersing himself in the culture especially the food.

Jason had always had a deep passion for food. He attended a well-respected culinary academy, straight out of high school. He worked hard to perfect his craft by taking jobs in establishments specializing in different cuisines. Experimentation with spices and food ingredient combinations made him a name within the culinary community. He was in high demand and frequently worked 16 hour days sampling each delectable creation. Other chefs respected his sensitive palette and would have him taste test their dishes to determine if it were the right texture, taste, and presentation of flavors.

After eating so much rich food, you’d think that Jason would be immense. Ironically, Jason maintained a 34 inch waist with firm abs, and wide muscular shoulders. Other chefs commented often on this abnormality, their bodies widened by years of overindulgence. Jason would just smile and joke that it was all on the account of good genetics.

Jason, always a very private person, never shared the details about the exhausting hours he spent at the gym before and/or after work. He ran laps, swam, sweated in sweltering steam rooms, and pumped iron like a madman to make sure he was able to squeeze into his work pants everyday. It wasn’t until after being laid up with a football injury that he began to grow fat.

His eating habits stayed the same – tasking everything, eating full meals at odd hours that gradually became large as he grew, the stress of working long hours, and lack of sleep – all took its toll. His weight ballooned from a trim 168 to 221 in 6 months. His flat belly transformed into a large, swollen orb spilling over his pants to the delight of his coworkers. They thought he was finally catching up with them.

Jason, once obsessed with keeping his weight down, gave in gratefully to the needs of his evolving body. He began to enjoy his softer, more pliable body and the freedom it implied. He could eat until he was truly satisfied and beyond, his belly bulging, belt buckle being taken down another notch, his zipper refusing to close. But, he ate with abandon, caressing his overstuffed belly as he overinflated it with his feasting.

Three and a half months later, he was fast approaching 300 pounds. It was around this time when he began to yearn to sample all the regional dishes of Europe and Asia. He booked his gastronomic tour. He began in France and planned to eat his way through to Turkey. He knew little about Turkey except that he was looking forward to fully experiencing their culinary expertise of their chefs. He grew rounder as he toured. Jason often cursed his lack of foresight to buy larger clothing to take along to leave room for his expanding flesh. So, he had to make his clothing fit, squeezing himself into shirts and jeans, at least a size too small now.