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Non-Road Boards => Off-Topic => Topic started by: OCGuy81 on February 05, 2021, 10:15:23 AM

Title: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: OCGuy81 on February 05, 2021, 10:15:23 AM
The Big Texan steakhouse in Amarillo is probably familiar to any road enthusiasts, as the home of a 72 Oz steak that's free if you can eat it in an hour or less.

Have you ever taken on something like this?

I've never wanted to punish myself that much, but there's one I've attempted.

- in Portland, OR there's a restaurant called Salvador Molly's. They have a Great Balls of Fire challenge. If you can eat 5 habanero fritters, you get your picture on a wall. I made it through just 2.   :-/
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: Scott5114 on February 06, 2021, 12:39:04 PM
Never actually done it, but there was a pizza place in Purcell, Oklahoma that featured something similar to the Big Texan, but with an enormous pizza. It was so big they allowed two people to eat it as part of the challenge. We were going to get a couple of guys together to make the attempt, but never managed to do it before the place shut down.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: Big John on February 06, 2021, 12:53:53 PM
In college, I won a Jello eating contest.  Each got a full extra big plate full of Jello cubes and I finished my plate first.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: Roadgeekteen on February 06, 2021, 03:03:40 PM
I could do it, I eat a ton.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: OCGuy81 on February 06, 2021, 03:52:44 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 06, 2021, 12:39:04 PM
Never actually done it, but there was a pizza place in Purcell, Oklahoma that featured something similar to the Big Texan, but with an enormous pizza. It was so big they allowed two people to eat it as part of the challenge. We were going to get a couple of guys together to make the attempt, but never managed to do it before the place shut down.

That's nice they let you have help with it! I did something similar the morning after a friend's bachelor party in Seattle. I can't recall the place but it's a 12 egg omelette. Between 6 of us it was very manageable
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: hbelkins on February 06, 2021, 10:10:24 PM
No, but I got into a bit of a contest with some friends at a Pizza Hut buffet when I was in college. I had to quit at 21 pieces of pizza. I think the winner ate 23. Now, I'd be lucky to get three or four pieces down.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: OCGuy81 on February 06, 2021, 10:30:55 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on February 06, 2021, 10:10:24 PM
No, but I got into a bit of a contest with some friends at a Pizza Hut buffet when I was in college. I had to quit at 21 pieces of pizza. I think the winner ate 23. Now, I'd be lucky to get three or four pieces down.

Oh man! I miss when Pizza Hut had buffets! I think there's some that still might.....
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: SkyPesos on February 06, 2021, 10:31:33 PM
Not myself, but I remember like 2 years when eating challenges were popular on Youtube for some reason and I found a couple of people doing the giant dumpling challenge in some restaurant in Japan.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: hbelkins on February 07, 2021, 04:42:49 PM
Quote from: OCGuy81 on February 06, 2021, 10:30:55 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on February 06, 2021, 10:10:24 PM
No, but I got into a bit of a contest with some friends at a Pizza Hut buffet when I was in college. I had to quit at 21 pieces of pizza. I think the winner ate 23. Now, I'd be lucky to get three or four pieces down.

Oh man! I miss when Pizza Hut had buffets! I think there's some that still might.....

The one that used to be in the town where I work had the lunch buffet, but unfortunately they closed last year (they were one of the NPC-owned franchises that got shut down. The closure came as a complete surprise to local management, as they had been doing well financially.

The one in Morehead that I referenced had a dinner buffet; not sure that it was nightly but possibly once or twice a week. There's no way I could have eaten that big of a lunch and been worth a dime that afternoon. I had trouble staying awake in some of my PM classes as it was, and that was with either no lunch, or a light lunch back in my dorm room.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: kphoger on February 07, 2021, 04:48:11 PM
I went out with co-workers to a Pizza Hut buffet once for lunch break.  I snarfed a bunch of pizza, hardly had anything to drink and no salad, then had to go home from work a little while later and curl up in a fetal position with gall pain.

When I was in high school on a field trip of some sort, our bus stopped at Pizza Hut on the way back.  A bunch of us had a slice-eating competition.  I think the winner ate 11 slices, but I wasn't far behind.  Then I sat right behind the rear axle of the school bus for about 100 miles or so.  Ugh!
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: CtrlAltDel on February 07, 2021, 06:39:17 PM
An eating challenge like the Big Texan? No.

An eating challenge like the Nathan's Hot-Dog Eating Contest? No.

An eating challenge like Fear Factor? Also, no.


The most I've done was a spontaneous bet on whether or not I could eat an large pizza by myself during a pizza party in high school. I did, and regretted it for the rest of the day. For better or worse, I did keep it down, though.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: index on February 07, 2021, 06:56:43 PM
If not eating for two and a half ish days on some sort of special prep medication because you have to get some invasive internal imaging procedure is an eating challenge, then yes, I've attempted one.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: wanderer2575 on February 07, 2021, 07:14:41 PM
About a dozen years ago, I did a two-pound corned beef sandwich challenge at a local deli (which has since gone out of business, though I'm sure that's coincidental).  For my successful effort I won the sandwich free of charge, a cheap t-shirt, and a bad cellphone photo of myself posted by the front door.  The whole experience was quite anticlimactic:  The waitress was all "meh" when I said I wanted to do the challenge, and certainly there was no crowd of staff and customers cheering me on like you see all the time on Man vs. Food.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: webny99 on February 07, 2021, 09:12:55 PM
Quote from: wanderer2575 on February 07, 2021, 07:14:41 PM
About a dozen years ago, I did a two-pound corned beef sandwich challenge at a local deli (which has since gone out of business, though I'm sure that's coincidental). 

Actually, even before your post, I was thinking that maybe it isn't coincidental. Food challenges have a lot negative connotations, and I've never heard of a place that does a food challenge thriving for decades and being a popular destination. It seems more like a desperate publicity stunt to get people in the door. If you've got a very successful restaurant going, why bother offering something that many potential customers would find off-putting?
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: wanderer2575 on February 07, 2021, 09:49:02 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 07, 2021, 09:12:55 PM
Quote from: wanderer2575 on February 07, 2021, 07:14:41 PM
About a dozen years ago, I did a two-pound corned beef sandwich challenge at a local deli (which has since gone out of business, though I'm sure that's coincidental). 

Actually, even before your post, I was thinking that maybe it isn't coincidental. Food challenges have a lot negative connotations, and I've never heard of a place that does a food challenge thriving for decades and being a popular destination. It seems more like a desperate publicity stunt to get people in the door. If you've got a very successful restaurant going, why bother offering something that many potential customers would find off-putting?

I get your point, but I dunno in this case.  The challenge was barely promoted (I knew about it only because it was shown on the menu) and the staff was anything but enthusiastic about it.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: webny99 on February 07, 2021, 09:55:46 PM
Quote from: wanderer2575 on February 07, 2021, 09:49:02 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 07, 2021, 09:12:55 PM
Actually, even before your post, I was thinking that maybe it isn't coincidental. ...

I get your point, but I dunno in this case.  The challenge was barely promoted (I knew about it only because it was shown on the menu) and the staff was anything but enthusiastic about it.

Yeah, I was referring more to in general, obviously I can't say for sure about that case specifically.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: GCrites on February 07, 2021, 10:05:01 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 07, 2021, 09:12:55 PM
Quote from: wanderer2575 on February 07, 2021, 07:14:41 PM
About a dozen years ago, I did a two-pound corned beef sandwich challenge at a local deli (which has since gone out of business, though I'm sure that's coincidental). 

Actually, even before your post, I was thinking that maybe it isn't coincidental. Food challenges have a lot negative connotations, and I've never heard of a place that does a food challenge thriving for decades and being a popular destination. It seems more like a desperate publicity stunt to get people in the door. If you've got a very successful restaurant going, why bother offering something that many potential customers would find off-putting?

The Thurman Cafe in Columbus Ohio has been open since 1942 and has the Thurminator Challenge for a burger with two 12oz patties and toppings. Key distinction here is that if you finish the sandwich it is still full price. They do put your picture on the wall.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: GaryV on February 08, 2021, 08:26:27 AM
How is it that this post was not started by bandit, and has not even attracted bandit to post?
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: kphoger on February 08, 2021, 10:23:14 AM
With bandit's health issues, I can only that, if he had participated in an eating challenge, he'd have keeled over by now.  Since he's presumably still alive, I must assume he hasn't participated in one.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: zachary_amaryllis on February 08, 2021, 11:27:00 AM
never tried one, but i think i'm up to it were the challenge presented to me. i am a great ocean liner of a man, and can really pack it in should i decide to.

not a big steak eater, but i do have a penchant for spicy/hot food so i think that would be my personal butter zone.

there used to be a place here called 'cluck-u' chicken, a 'wings' kinda place that had this sauce you could get that would melt the paint off your car i imagine, that had a challenge like that.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: kurumi on February 08, 2021, 12:18:57 PM
Five of us went to Iguana's and three of them split two 5-pound Burritozilla (18-inch burrito) for (doing the math) 3.33333333 pounds each. I enjoyed the front-seat view as I savored my small meat-only pollo asado with jalapeños and orange sauce. Sometimes the only way to win is not to play (and those 3 guys were age 25 or so and the other 2 of us were not)
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: triplemultiplex on February 08, 2021, 02:58:36 PM
(https://frinkiac.com/video/S04E08/J0XzYsvj867kYiKDy_-OEa6BlJs=.gif)
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: webny99 on February 08, 2021, 03:29:59 PM
Quote from: zachary_amaryllis on February 08, 2021, 11:27:00 AM
i am a great ocean liner of a man

I've used a great variety of expressions to describe myself, but this might be my new all-time favorite!  :-D
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: CapeCodder on February 10, 2021, 02:53:48 PM
There was a pizza place here on the cape called Scotty's that had the Fatthew Challenge. You won $100 if you could eat it in an hour. The Fatthew was a calzone that was stuffed with french fries, chicken fingers, and mozzarella sticks. The finished product weighed a hefty five pounds iirc.

I did it twice.

And won twice.

The key was to smoke some weed first, then wait for the munchies to hit.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: Scott5114 on February 10, 2021, 02:57:42 PM
Quote from: CapeCodder on February 10, 2021, 02:53:48 PM
The key was to smoke some weed first, then wait for the munchies to hit.

Performance-enhancing drugs, huh?
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: CapeCodder on February 10, 2021, 03:06:28 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 10, 2021, 02:57:42 PM
Quote from: CapeCodder on February 10, 2021, 02:53:48 PM
The key was to smoke some weed first, then wait for the munchies to hit.

Performance-enhancing drugs, huh?

You could call it that. Scotty's is long gone. They got busted in a fentanyl sting and were forced to close as the owner went to prison.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: kphoger on February 10, 2021, 03:10:50 PM
Quote from: CapeCodder on February 10, 2021, 03:06:28 PM

Quote from: Scott5114 on February 10, 2021, 02:57:42 PM

Quote from: CapeCodder on February 10, 2021, 02:53:48 PM
The key was to smoke some weed first, then wait for the munchies to hit.

Performance-enhancing drugs, huh?

You could call it that. Scotty's is long gone. They got busted in a fentanyl sting and were forced to close as the owner went to prison.

Well, that explains where you obtained the weed.  It probably came in a little to-go cup on the tray.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: formulanone on February 10, 2021, 03:27:11 PM
Quote from: triplemultiplex on February 08, 2021, 02:58:36 PM
(https://frinkiac.com/video/S04E08/J0XzYsvj867kYiKDy_-OEa6BlJs=.gif)

...and two plastic lobsters!
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: Scott5114 on February 10, 2021, 03:30:05 PM
Quote from: kphoger on February 10, 2021, 03:10:50 PM
Quote from: CapeCodder on February 10, 2021, 03:06:28 PM

Quote from: Scott5114 on February 10, 2021, 02:57:42 PM

Quote from: CapeCodder on February 10, 2021, 02:53:48 PM
The key was to smoke some weed first, then wait for the munchies to hit.

Performance-enhancing drugs, huh?

You could call it that. Scotty's is long gone. They got busted in a fentanyl sting and were forced to close as the owner went to prison.

Well, that explains where you obtained the weed.  It probably came in a little to-go cup on the tray.

While the visual's funny...fentanyl is a way different animal than weed. From what I know of cannabis cultivation, a weed operation and a fentanyl operation would be different enough that there wouldn't be much overlap between the two, even back in the bad old days when you couldn't get licensed to cultivate weed. Unless it was just a Drugs R Us one-stop-shop distribution ring.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: kphoger on February 10, 2021, 03:33:15 PM
Oh.  Well I guess I was wrong, then.   :spin:
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: CapeCodder on February 10, 2021, 03:51:09 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 10, 2021, 03:30:05 PM
Quote from: kphoger on February 10, 2021, 03:10:50 PM
Quote from: CapeCodder on February 10, 2021, 03:06:28 PM

Quote from: Scott5114 on February 10, 2021, 02:57:42 PM

Quote from: CapeCodder on February 10, 2021, 02:53:48 PM
The key was to smoke some weed first, then wait for the munchies to hit.

Performance-enhancing drugs, huh?

You could call it that. Scotty's is long gone. They got busted in a fentanyl sting and were forced to close as the owner went to prison.

Well, that explains where you obtained the weed.  It probably came in a little to-go cup on the tray.

While the visual's funny...fentanyl is a way different animal than weed. From what I know of cannabis cultivation, a weed operation and a fentanyl operation would be different enough that there wouldn't be much overlap between the two, even back in the bad old days when you couldn't get licensed to cultivate weed. Unless it was just a Drugs R Us one-stop-shop distribution ring.

Before it was Scotty's it was this nasty Chinese restaurant called Shanghai, which was busted for you guessed it: Heroin and Fentanyl.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: zachary_amaryllis on February 10, 2021, 04:07:45 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 10, 2021, 02:57:42 PM
Quote from: CapeCodder on February 10, 2021, 02:53:48 PM
The key was to smoke some weed first, then wait for the munchies to hit.

Performance-enhancing drugs, huh?

this is why i am 86'd out of two buffets in this area.
Title: Re: Has anybody ever attempted an eating challenge?
Post by: sparker on February 15, 2021, 05:35:46 AM
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 06, 2021, 12:39:04 PM
Never actually done it, but there was a pizza place in Purcell, Oklahoma that featured something similar to the Big Texan, but with an enormous pizza. It was so big they allowed two people to eat it as part of the challenge. We were going to get a couple of guys together to make the attempt, but never managed to do it before the place shut down.

Back in the early '80's there was a pizza place in Santa Clara, CA (on El Camino Real/CA 82) just east of Lawrence Expressway called Peppino's, and they featured a 30" diameter "super-large" pie -- along with a challenge for one person to eat a whole 3-topping version solo in a half hour.  I had a friend (and former co-worker) who stood 6'7" and weighed in at about 315 pounds and had the reputation for consuming heroic amounts of food.  We put him up to it, since the prize was 2 months of unlimited food for the winner.  Took him all of 12 minutes to complete the task -- with sausage, mushrooms, and extra garlic!  Thus we feasted free for a couple of months back in the spring of '82!  The place lasted until 2013, when the block where it was located was redeveloped into condos.  My "food vacuum" friend moved back to his original home in Janesville, Wisconsin in the early '90's and I lost track of him -- hopefully for his own sake he didn't engage in too much competitive eating once back home.

My only venture into the field was in college.  I was considerably thinner back then; 5-7 and just under 150 pounds -- but one of the other dorm halls (something of a "jock" hall) had a standing challenge -- drink a 40 ounce bottle of "Old English 800" malt liquor in ten minutes and everyone in that hall (about 50 guys) would chip in two bucks as a prize.  I took the challenge -- but stuck my bottle in the dorm lounge freezer until it was below 35 degrees, which took away much of the "skunky" character typical of that shit and made it tolerable.  Came out about 80 bucks to the good on that one; a couple of guys thought that I cheated with the bottle-chilling (the contest was subsequently modified to room-temperature) and wouldn't pony up the money -- and I had no intention of pressing the issue.