ROMANIA: A man who was vegetarian for more than a decade choked to death on steak after he was advised to change his diet by his doctor.
The family of Mr Costica Ionete (49), from Codlea in central Romania, said it was the first piece of meat he had eaten in 12 years, and that the very first mouthful had killed him.
The local daily newspaper, National, said Mr Ionete had given up meat because of his high cholesterol level more than a decade ago, but on a recent visit to his doctor had been told he no longer needed to stay on a meat-free diet, and was advised he could eat it "once or twice a week".
His brother, Dumitru, said: "He rang us and was really excited that he could start eating meat again, and we offered to make him a steak dinner. But after eating the first mouthful he started to choke, and then he turned blue and collapsed on the floor.
"We called an ambulance, but he was dead by the time they arrived. I think God played a very cruel joke on my brother."
- (Central European News)