Content area
Full Text
The Life and Cuisine of Elvis Presley. David Adler. New York: Crown, 1993. Illustrated, 160 pp. Paperback $15.00.
Mr. Adler, in this humorous yet ultimately tragic tale, contends that Elvis Presley's death was due in large measure to overeating. While drugs undoubtedly crippled the King, the author asserts, it was an overabundance of food that "destroyed" Presley (8). Adler depicts Elvis as a ravenous glutton who stuffed himself with heaping helpings of chicken fried steak, crowder peas, mashed potatoes, greasy cheeseburgers, burned bacon, buttered biscuits, salty omelets, fried banana and peanut butter sandwiches, barbecue pizza, and rich banana pudding. Moreover, Adler maintains, Presley snacked constantly. The King eagerly devoured package after package of Jujubes, Bit-o-Honeys, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, Girl Scout cookies, Fudgesicles, and Nutty Buddies. "Just as some people chain-smoke," Adler declares, "Elvis chain-snacked.... Like a smoker, he...