An American man has admitted to being so hooked on smelling, consuming and sipping cans of tuna that he consumes as many as 15 cans every week.
‘Tuna’ Tyler, from Lawrence, Kansas, appeared on an episode of My Strange Addiction: Still Addicted? on TLC to speak about his fixation on the canned fish.
A clip, uploaded to TLCs YouTube channel, explored Tyler’s dependancy and documented how and why he prioritizes canned meals in his day by day life.
According to the tuna lover, he has most popular fish to different meals since childhood – he even requested for cans of tuna as Easter and Christmas presents as an alternative of toys and chocolate.
To describe why he has a particular love for tuna, he talked about its “smell, texture, sweetness, wetness and dryness.”
Tyler takes a small can of tuna fish out of his pocket, opens it, and inhales the contents deeply whereas visiting a espresso store in his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas
The three minute video begins with a montage of farm pictures from Tyler’s hometown of Lawrence earlier than introducing himself.
My title is Tyler, I’m from Lawrence, Kansas, which is the center of nowhere. It’s farms and nation issues. It’s very, very quiet – life in Lawrence could be very boring,” he says.
The scene then cuts to Tyler sitting in a quiet espresso store, with a waitress serving him a sizzling drink.
But as an alternative of taking a sip of his freshly made drink, Tyler pulls a small can of tuna from his pocket, opens it, and inhales deeply whereas closing his eyes.
The waitress stands awkwardly to the aspect and appears at him confused, till he opens his eyes and nods in satisfaction and says, ‘Yes. Nice way to start the day.’
During his piece-to-camera, Tyler describes himself as a “big fish in a small can.”
He continues, “They call me Tuna Tyler and I’m addicted to smelling tuna. When people see me sniffing tuna in public, they might know it’s a little different.
“It might look weird to other people, but it’s fine with me.”
Tyler has been hooked on smelling and sipping canned tuna for 5 years – he’s gone by means of about 4,000 cans in that point
Alluding to his 24-hour behavior, Tyler says, “I love smelling tuna every day, all the time, all night, every day, every day.”
The tuna fanatic then admits that there’s one other stunning factor to his dependancy that may flip even the strongest of stomachs.
He says, “Not only do I like the smell of tuna, but I definitely like to drink a little bit of the juice from the can.
‘What I love about the smell of tuna is definitely the fish, the light aroma with a little bit of sweetness. But what I love about the taste is the texture of it. I don’t think it’s too wet, but not too, too dry either.’
The program reports that Tyler has been addicted to sniffing and sipping canned tuna for five years.
He uses 15 cans a week, which equates to about 780 a year, with an estimated 4,000 cans consumed during the period of his addiction.
Tyler rummages through his kitchen to reveal exactly how much tuna he has in the cupboards. He makes dozens of cans of different brands and flavors.
Describing his collection, he says, “I have a piece of light. I don’t really like albacore tuna, but I have seared tuna. All tuna will never, ever be created equal.’
Tyler then admits that he prefers canned tuna with oil standing on top of the water, as it allows the fish to “stay in between” dry and mushy.
He then goes on to explain why he likes to eat tuna together with his naked fingers – regardless of it getting messy.
According to Tyler, “I don’t mind the juices running down my chin. I really like it myself, because it makes me feel dirty.’
Tyler’s mother, Ursula, also appears, explaining to her how son’s fondness for fish became an outright addiction over the years.
She says, “When he was little, and most kids wanted chocolate in their basket for Easter, we put tuna and sardines because he liked it.
Tyler tells the show how he loved fish even as a kid – he even asked for tuna as a birthday, Christmas and Easter gift instead of traditional presents
“But I didn’t think it would turn into where he smelled it and was addicted to tuna.”
Tyler confirms his mom’s model of occasions: “Some kids get candy canes and I’d get cans of tuna.” It was an expensive kibble to tuck right into a stocking.’
Tyler’s fascination with fish might not hurt anybody else, however consultants say he could possibly be harming himself by consuming 15 cans of tuna every week.
Tuna comprises Omega-3, iodine and different useful vitamins, however additionally it is excessive in mercury.
ABC program Catalyst revealed in 2022 that consuming greater than 25 to 35 cans of tuna every week might pose a threat of mercury poisoning.