This dad is such a messy eater that he is forced to wear a dedicated curry-eating top after his fed-up missus got sick of battling his stained clothes - even donning it for romantic dinners out.
Mucky pup Derek Strange regularly drops food down him as he eats leaving exasperated fiancée Lindsey Hatton forced to tackle yellow marks when doing laundry. The 'curry fiend' music teacher who eats the spicy dishes at least twice a week is forced to regularly bin clothes that, despite Lindsey's best efforts, can't be saved.
In a bid to save on laundry time, and cash on new outfits, CASS analyst Lindsey 'decided to take action' and suggested her hubby wear a dedicated curry-eating top that he could splash down to his heart's content. Derek not only wears the messy shirt at home, but also out on date nights with his 43-year-old partner, who claims his decision to wear it has made their relationship 'a lot calmer'.
The 43-year-old has now even penned a tongue-in-cheek song dedicated to his spicy 'tie-dye' top. The song, called Curry Top, shows the dad-of-three proudly donning his stained tee in a restaurant as baffled staff and customers watch on.
Derek, from Edinburgh, Scotland, said: "We're a two-curry a week kind of family, we love Indian food. I'm quite a messy eater, I don't mean to be, I've ruined a few tops.
"I was brought up eating quickly, maybe that's the problem. My curry top started life as a plain white t-shirt that I spilled on randomly when I had it on.
"Lindsey said 'thank God it's just that old t-shirt, maybe you should wear that all the time'. I first spilled food on it about six weeks ago and now it's my dedicated eating top, I've been putting it on every time we eat curry.
"When I'm wearing it I don't care [about making mess], I even enjoy wiping my hands on it."
After taking snaps of his messy top and sharing them on Facebook it's gone viral racking up more than 5,000 likes, shares and comments.
Derek said: "I shared my curry top on Facebook and it's gone down a storm. It's obviously struck a chord with a lot of people. I'm not alone [being a messy eater].
"We like to go to nice Indian restaurants, they might not let us through the door if I have it on. I'll have to sneak it in."
Self-professed 'tidy' eater Lindsey said she suggested him wearing the t-shirt to save her trying to save his clothes from the bin - and ensure their relationship is 'calmer'. Lindsey said: "We're both curry fiends. Derek's always been a bit of a messy eater, he's messier than our three-year-old.
"For the eight years we've been together I've always had a personal battle with it. Usually it's sorted with a 90-degree wash and some Vanish Oxi Action and probably a second wash but when the tumble dryer died on us it became that little bit more difficult.
"When the autumn started to creep in it was time to reduce the amount of washing I had to do. When that white t-shirt of his appeared in the corner of the hallway where all his washing seems to gravitate to rather than the basket, I decided to take action.
"I was pretty fed up cleaning that same t-shirt time and time again. Instead of berating him or laying out some dark clothes when it was curry day, neither of which has worked in the past, I suggested he had a dedicated curry top one that he could wear for every curry and get as messy as he liked.
"When I suggested it, his eyes lit up. I said 'you can get as many stains on it as you like. I'll wash it but I won't have to bother getting the stains out'. He was quite excited at the prospect. He began to get really proud of every stain, he even pointed out a couple of them and explained to me which curry it was."
Lindsey said she'd recommend the idea to anyone else struggling with a messy eater - as it saves any upset and stops any squabbles about it. Lindsey said: "I'm a tidy eater, I don't need a matching top.
"My advice to other women is to have a dedicated eating top for any messy eaters. It's made me happy, it's made him happy. I still wash it but I don't have to worry about the stains and he can eat and he doesn't have to worry about upsetting me.
"It's made our relationship a lot calmer."
