The British inventor Edward Ian Age (1852-1907) is credited with creating the traditional Nasty British Lunch. What is not as well known is that he went quite mad in his later years and was often seen ingesting anything within his reach. In the summertime he was often seen in Russell Square chewing on an ivory hand fan. American tourists often approached him in hopes obtaining advice on where to dine.

Source : Chip O'Lata. Boil It! : A History of British Cooking, 1988.