Think you've eaten a lot of Chinese food in your day? Well, maybe you have, but chances are hight that you've not eaten at nearly as many places as David Chan. He claims to have eat at a whopping 6297 different Chinese restaurants in his life.

The L.A. Times first published an article about Chan on April 22, and the Los Angeles resident's experience with Chinese food certainly seems to put him in a class of his own. He has documented every Chinese restaurant he has ever been to for almost 60 years.

Hard to believe, but Chan did not always like Chinese food. In fact, as a child he actually hated it. He is a third-generation Asian-American but says his parents tried their best to expose him to traditional American culture as opposed to his Chinese roots.

"I think my parents wanted to protect me," Chan said. "I was pretty much raised as an American."

Chan recalls always being something of a collector, and so perhaps it is not so surprising that he would make a habit out of collecting an endless amount of Chinese culinary experiences. His son has one theory as to why:

"If you collect enough of something, you can capture its essence," Eric Chan said. "Maybe that's what he's trying to do with food."

Chan gives no concrete answers of his own as to why he has continued this massive undertaking. In fact, he is said to rarely talk about his Chinese food adventures, holding a silent vigil over his almost daily ritual.

So what's the best place he's ever eaten, you may wonder? For many years, it was ABC Seafood in Los Angeles. He admits that it's not the same since it changed management, but still returns there constantly to pay homage to the meals of his past.

"For a good portion of when they were open, they were the best Chinese restaurant in the country," Chan said.

If you do see Chan sitting in one of the booths of ABC Seafood though, don't be surprised if you don't see him using chopsticks. Chan has never been able to get a handle on how to use them, and believes Western utensils are far more practical.