Japanese diners bid on feast of male genitalia over Twitter

A Japanese illustrator living in Tokyo recently offered to cook his own male genitalia for 100,000 yen (roughly $1,250) over Twitter. Yes, you read that sentence correctly.

Mao Sugiyama, a 22-year-old illustrator living in Tokyo who identifies with being asexual, had his male genitalia removed in early April. He reportedly considered eating the genitalia himself, before deciding to auction off meal consisting of his penis, testes, and scrotum over Twitter.

Sugiyama tweeted: “Please retweet. I am offering my male genitals (full penis, testes, scrotum) as a meal for 100,000 yen…. I will prepare and cook as the buyer requests, at his chosen location.”

Amazingly, six people replied to the tweet, each offering to pay around $250 each for the meal. On May 13, Sugiyama thawed the bag of male genitalia, which had been returned to him post-surgery, and publicly seasoned, braised, and cooked the human remains on a portable gas stove.

Only five of the six people showed up to Asagaya Loft A in the Suginami Ward of Tokyo to eat the meal, which Sugiyama called “Ham Cybele—Century Banquet”; however, around 70 other people showed up to watch. The crowd was entertained by a pianist, and then reportedly feasted on beef and crocodile dishes.

So who would want to eat another man’s genitals? The five people who paid for the meal included a 32-year-old male manga artist, a 22-year old woman, a 29-year-old event planner, and a couple in their 30s. All five diners were required to sign a waiver releasing Sugiyama liability for the risks associated with consuming human genitalia.

The event poster for "Ham Cybele—Century Banquet".

You can follow Michelle da Silva on Twitter at twitter.com/michdas.