belly buster

what is the deal in our country with restaurants offering gigantic sized portions as a challenge for customers to consume? i just read this article about a restaurant in PA that is now offering a 15 pound burger. yes, that's right, 15 pounds. actually, i think the burger is somewhere around 10 pounds. the other 5 pounds comes from the 25 slices of cheese and the whole head of lettuce. ew!

i just don't get the fascination. at a local bbq joint in town there's an offer called the squealer. for just $30 you get like half a chicken, a rack of ribs, a pound of pulled pork, a pint of beans, a pint of mashed potatoes, and maybe a loaf of cornbread? it's something insane like that. if you can single handedly eat the entire thing you are rewarded with your picture on the wall, a tee-shirt, and a gift certificate. i wonder if the prize is worth the pain, the puking, the bloat, the clogging of the arteries.

what kills me is that people get psyched for this stuff. i guess we as americans like to turn just about everything possible into a contest. we like to be the best and get the most for our money, even if it means consuming 15 pounds of food in one sitting. i just don't get it.