“Broccoli Lady” (real name unknown) is a woman who currently resides in Manhattan, New York City. She gained fame by appearing in a Fox News segment about a burst water main on August 2nd, 2003 that caused a small sinkhole on 116th at Amsterdam Avenue. This is the entirety of the statement she made during the segment:
“Well I’m not surprised at all [gesturing]. Sure, they take care of the streets, but they don’t take care of the, you know [gesturing], underneath. Lots of old pipes around here [gesturing], I can’t even get my building plumber to come over anymore, he’s my ex-husband [gesturing]. I think we all need to get our pipes inspected around here.”
After her appearance, which lasted 14 seconds and aired only once at 8:15pm that day, many people came forward to claim that they’d seen her eating raw or barely-cooked broccoli at various restaurants in the area over a period of many years. Broccoli Lady is often referenced by amateur health enthusiasts who have suggested that there may be some benefit to her diet of large amounts of broccoli. She has inspired many people to experiment with variations of a broccoli diet, but her strange interview and behavior has also earned her somewhat of a cult following. It has been said that she is not approachable in public due to her bizarre appearance – particularly her ever-changing clothing styles – and seeming unwillingness to pay attention to other people. A self-described Broccoli Lady fan, using the username BrocLuver91, lamented in a dedicated internet forum:
“I looked for her for weeks, and I finally found her, and I was going to ask her why she eats so much broccoli, but when I went to talk to her, I stood at her table and she was doing the Sunday crossword (in green pen!) and she completely ignored me.”
Broccoli Lady is rumored to have been about 65 years old at the time of the sinkhole incident. She can be seen eating her meals at restaurants in the Upper West Side to this day. It is unclear if she is aware of her own fame.