#chipotlife

In case you haven’t noticed, I stopped eating Chipotle after 186 days in a row.

Exactly 10 months ago today, I texted my brother a mildly amusing idea which ended up becoming arguably (read: unfortunately) the most significant event in my life:

“I’m eating chipotle once a day for lent.” 

His response; a passive, singular “Ha” was enough motivation to lock myself into a 40-day gauntlet of gourmet Mexican cuisine, repetitive photos, and relentless documentation deemed #CHIPOTLENT.

I kept it up after the Lenten season because each post was somehow funnier to me than the last. When it came time to build the blog, I decided to ditch the religious connotation of Lent, but stick with something (admittedly less) catchy - Chipotlife.

In retrospect, I can singlehandedly point to the FAQ as the reason my story caught on. My brother remarked that the website appeared to be a press kit, and it was exactly that - complete with the who, what, why, and abs. 

Once Business Insider broke my story, I was able to witness the tremendous power of modern media firsthand. Before the article, Chipotlife would receive around 20 daily visits on average, most of which were probably me. 

One day after publication, it received over 20,000.

I was interviewed on live TV. Seth Meyers and Chris Hardwick made fun of me on their late night shows. I was on the news in Japan, and more excitingly, featured on multiple Snapchat Discover Stories. I met with talent agents, publicists, and lawyers. I was invited to a grand opening of ShopHouse to meet the founder. Friends and relatives would tell me how their coworkers and acquaintances from around the world were discussing my story.

However, none of it lasted - nothing this silly ever does. After the media whirlwind, there was almost no way for the joke to top itself, and I decided to stop eating Chipotle a month later. Nothing changed, and nobody really cared – including me. 

In the end, Chipotlife died just as thoughtlessly as it was created.

Day 186 in a row

My friend is visiting from out of town, so I brought him to my favorite local eatery. Guess where.

Day 185 in a row

Day 184 in a row

Forgot to take a picture of my meal before I ate it. Oh well.