Pizza

You can’t believe everything that you see on TV, and sure, an advert might be somewhat convincing, but at the end of the day, it’s just a corporation lying to you in a bid to get your money. If you don’t believe me, then let me tell you that in 1995, Ringo Starr did an advert for Pizza Hut, despite the fact that he’s never actually eaten a pizza.

“I’ve never had pizza,” said Starr during an interview, a mere con artist, caught up in a corporate capitalist lie, “I’m allergic to several items […] With pizza, you don’t know what you’re putting in it half the time.” Not wanting to eat pizza is one thing, but his rationale that you don’t know what’s in it is strange, for pizza is arguably one of the most straightforward foods there is: it’s essentially a BLT without the B or the L, and laid flat, so we ask, are you sure about this, Ringo?

Curry

I cut around that first quote a little, so here’s the full thing: “I’ve never had pizza, or a curry […] I’m allergic to several items […] with pizza, you don’t know what you’re putting in it half the time. Or the curry. So I’m strict with myself since it makes me ill immediately.”

Good for Ringo looking after himself, but his curry reluctance leaves us with more questions than answers, the main being, when the band went to India, what did he eat? The Beatles revolutionised music when they explored India, seamlessly blending the sounds of different cultures in a way that promoted sonic unity, which is impressive enough, but it’s even more impressive when you learn that Ringo was doing all of that on an empty stomach.

Dairy products (no, he’s not lactose intolerant)

I can say from experience, interviewing musicians is an unpredictable affair, because when I spoke to Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull, what was supposed to be a chat about the band’s upcoming tour turned into a haphazard mess of twists and turns. This interview wasn’t filmed, so I can’t show you my face when a question about his favourite places to tour turned into a rant about immigration, but luckily, I’m not the only person who has had an interviewing experience like this.

When someone has made a career out of creativity, it’s impossible to know what they might come out with, and this happened to Stephen Colbert when he was doing some quickfire questions with The Beatles’ drummer. “Favourite sandwich?” Asks the talk show host, “I love cheese,” replies Ringo. Fair enough, a bit basic, but a solid sandwich all the same.

Colbert is ready to move on, but Starr follows his answer up with, “Of course, it has to be goat’s cheese now”. Now, this is why Colbert is on the big money, as any other interviewer would smile politely and agree, but you’re not dealing with an amateur here. This man has spent decades chatting to the biggest names on the planet, and he’s not afraid to ask the hard-hitting questions when required to do so, hence he followed up with, “Why does it have to be goat’s cheese?”

I’ll leave the rest to Ringo: “Because I don’t eat anything from the cow because the molecules are so big. Have you seen a cow? The molecules are so big, and that’s why if you drink a glass of milk, you’re full. The goat is a good size for our bodies […] Look at the size of a big cow, and you wanna take that food from it that it gives to the poor baby of his to make him grow to three tonnes within a week.”

Garlic and onions

Ringo might have been lying when he did the Pizza Hut advert, but he wasn’t when he said he had a lot of allergies. He is limited when it comes to food because of how much he’s allergic to, and two of the most prominent ingredients that are contained in a huge amount of foods are garlic and onion.

These restrictions can be difficult for people who are cooking for him, which Mary McCartney found out when she had him round for dinner one night. “Ringo famously is allergic to onions and garlic,” she said, “So, as a food-obsessed person […] I made this big, I love family-style, so I made this big pasta dish”, which was simply a no-go for the Starr.

Chinese food

How good is the feeling when, after a long day, you pop yourself down on the sofa, look at the oven, dismiss it, and decide to order yourself a Chinese? There’s nothing quite like it, and while Ringo Starr might have been in the biggest band of all time and experienced more or less everything that life has to offer, this is one thing that you have over him.

There’s no direct quote for this, it’s just a comment from an online forum, and so there is a slight bit of speculation on my end, I will admit. However, when you’re cautious about the size of molecules, don’t trust food when you don’t know what’s in it, and are allergic to garlic and onion, there really isn’t a lot that you can eat, and so I find it pretty likely Starr strays from Chinese food.