OFFICIAL IEM RULES AND GLOSSARY

RULES:

• To complete a session, I must eat at least eight of a single food item at a minimum of eight establishments within a single day. (For the purposes of IEM, legal counsel has advised me to state that a “day” is defined as the period from when I wake in the morning until the time that I retire for the evening, not to exceed 24 hours.)
• Maximum expenditure for each food item shall not exceed $10 per establishment.
• Large nationwide chain restaurants will not be included in the sessions, but I may visit local and regional chains. (Exception: If conducting a special “traveling session” of IEM, I may consider eating at a larger chain if it is unavailable in the Bay Area.)

GLOSSARY:

ALI BABA- (noun/verb)

• (Noun) While eating with impunity during a session, a massive food item sometimes appears unexpectedly. Its presence makes the remainder of the session nearly impossible. This item is named an “Ali Baba,” after the behemoth falafel I was served at Ali Baba on Haight Street.
• (Verb) The act of receiving an Ali Baba during a session. (e.g. "I was tearing through burritos all day until I was Ali Baba’d by the carnitas burrito at Ojo De Agua.")