Got Milk?

If any of you happen to be passing through Charleston, Illinois tomorrow evening and have a hankering for a big glass of milk, you might want to stop by the South Quad on the Eastern Illinois University campus. At 6:30pm, you can enjoy a glass of cold milk (a very big and tall glass) with competitors in the MilkGallon Challenge, a contest which involves drinking a gallon of milk in an hour and holding it down for the remainder of that hour.

While this may not sound too difficult, it's actually much harder than you might think. Despite the urban legends that claim impossibility of this feat, it has been done. Our very own Bay Area "foodie" Joey Chestnut has done it before, downing an entire gallon in 41 seconds.

As an incentive (really, as if you needed one), the contest organizers are offering cash prizes to the first three finishers. Even if you can't complete the challenge, you could still win $10 for the most dramatic "reversal of fortune". You'll need to pony up $3 to compete in the contest. You'll also need to bring your own gallon of milk. No cheating now - the milk needs to be at least 2% - no wimpy attempts using skim milk are allowed.

I'd actually like to see someone drink and hold down a half a gallon of half-and-half in half an hour. But that's just me.

The Food-Loving Comedian

I was recently introduced to the humor of Jim Gaffigan, a hilarious stand-up comedian who has made several appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman. Much of Gaffigan's humor involves food, including routines about eating out, cake, and bacon. His signature piece revolves around his fascination with the microwaveable sandwiches in a sleeve, Hot Pockets.

Bacony Goodness

Do you love bacon? Well, one of the folks over at the Good Eats Message Board found someone who might like bacon even a bit more than you do...

Starting with breakfast, this connoisseur of the cured porcine product has found heart-stopping ways to enjoy bacon in sandwiches and in burgers. I can't wait for his next bacony creation.

2900 Calories, 182g of Fat, and 240g of Carbs...

... is what you would consume if you ate the worst of the 20 worst foods in America.

A "Great" Start to the Day

Today, Hardee's announced their newest breakfast offering. The new Country Breakfast Burrito is composed of two bacon, sausage, and ham omelets, five hash rounds, shredded cheddar cheese, and country gravy wrapped in a flour tortilla. Ladened with 920 calories and 60 grams of fat, the breakfast burrito is a perfect complement to Hardee's 1420 calories, double quarter pound Monster Thickburger and its 83 grams-o-fat Southwest Chicken Salad. Hopefully, they will have AED units available at all locations.

Served Up on a Stick

Earlier this week, SF Gate food critic Michael Bauer attended the Association of Food Journalists conference in my home town, the Twin Cities. While he was there, he and the 60 or so conference attendees from around the country took the opportunity to visit the annual state get-together, the Minnesota State Fair. In his blog, Bauer writes about his visit to the festival, an homage to the state's agricultural heritage and a celebration marking the end of another summer past.

While the fair features a multitude of art and science exhibits, musical performances, and carnival rides, I would argue that it is the food that draws people to this event year after year. Indeed, for a brief twelve short days at the end of each summer, the state fairgrounds become the proverbial center of the culinary universe. You see, among the 4-H livestock judgings, the farm equipment displays, the roller coasters, the REO Speedwagon concerts, and the stock car races lies the true raison d'être of the State Fair: food-on-a-stick. As any true Minnesotan knows, it is not the molecular gastronomy nor the Slow Food movement that marks the leading edge of the culinary world today, but it is rather the answer to the simple question,

"What food can I serve on a wooden stick this year?"
As Bauer notes, the Minnesota State Fair is the home to all foods served on a wooden skewer. From walleye pike-on-a-stick to alligator-on-a-stick to spaghetti and meatballs-on-a-stick to Reuben Dog-on-a-stick to macaroni and cheese-on-a-stick to pork chop-on-a-stick to the classic Pronto Pup, the State Fair has it all. You can even get hotdish-on-a-stick, complete with cream of mushroom soup dipping sauce, though I'm not sure why it took until 2006 before someone revealed this secret to the entire world. Of course, you can find other culinary gems there such as deep fried cheese curds and cinnamon sugar lefse, but it's the food-on-a-stick that brings the people back year-in, year-out.

This food-on-a-stick phenomenon is not just restricted to the Upper Midwestern food scene. Folks visiting the Texas State Fair can now enjoy peach cobbler-on-a-stick. Sadly, the cobbler is the only entry for the Big Tex Choice Awards this year. Hopefully, if all goes well, you will be able to enjoy Fried Coke-on-a-stick at the next state fair.

The Best Thing Since Sliced...

...Spam! Yep, you heard that right. Your favorite canned luncheon meat now comes pre-sliced in a single-serving pack for your dining convenience.

What will those guys in Austin think of next??

Joey Brings the Mustard Belt Back Home

In a high noon showdown earlier today, Joey Chestnut took down six-time defending champion Takeru Kobayashi by downing 66 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes to win the 2007 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. Chestnut shattered his own world record of 59 1/2 dogs, which he set last month in the Southwest regional qualifier. Kobayashi was credited with eating 63 dogs in a losing effort, but there was a moment at the very end of the competition where it appeared that he suffered a "reversal of fortune". Karen and I were both surprised that he was not disqualified for this seemingly obvious breach of the contest rules.

Is It Over Before It Even Begins?

Reports from Japan suggest that hot dog eating champion Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi may skip the annual Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest this upcoming 4th of July. Apparently, Kobayashi has not trained in months, having taken a sabbatical from competitive eating after his mother passed away earlier this year. If this is the case, the contest organizers might as well just give the Mustard Belt to Joey Chestnut, who recently shattered the world record, set by Kobayashi in last year's contest.

Will the Mustard Belt Be Back in American Hands Soon?

In today's Southwest regional qualifiers for the 2007 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, the Bay Area's very own Joey Chestnut shattered the world record by eating 59 1/2 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes. The previous world record of 53 3/4 dogs was held by Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi, who set the mark during the 2006 event, held annually on the 4th of July on New York's Coney Island.

With his amazing performance, Chestnut is probably the odds-on favorite to take the title this year. He may be the best chance that the United States has had in years to bring the Mustard Belt back to American turf. The title has been claimed by Japanese contestants the past seven years, with Kobayashi winning the past six contests. Not since Steve Keiner won the event in 1999 with a measly 20 1/2 hot dogs has an American held the title for the crowning event of the International Federation of Competitive Eating.

Go Joey, go! Eat Joey, eat!

Bud Light Presents... Real Men of Genius

As I wrote about the James Beard Award winners, Karen made sure that I also gave props to some of the 2007 Clio Award winners. The Clio Awards are handed out annually by the Nielsen Company to recognize excellence and creativity in the advertising industry.

I'd like to mention some of the winners in the Radio category, specifically two winners from the Bud Light Real Men of Genius series: Mr. Hot Dog Eating Contest Contestant and Mr. Boneless Buffalo Wing Inventor, which won Gold and Silver awards, respectively.

Gentlemen, this Bud's for you.

The Angus Third Pounder

Yesterday was a bit of an unusual work day for me. I started the day at home, flew down to Irvine for an afternoon meeting, and then returned to the Bay Area on an evening flight. Unfortunately, the hour-long segments were not long enough for me to sample the airborne cuisine offered by American Airlines and compare it with the fare from United and Lufthansa.

However, as I was waiting for my return flight, I took the opportunity to try out an Angus Third Pounder, a new sandwich being test-marketed in Southern California by McDonald's. The burger, a premium offering rolled-out to compete with other high-end fast-food sandwiches like the "Six Dollar Burger" marketed by Carl's Jr., comes in three variations: the Angus Deluxe, the Angus Mushroom & Swiss, and the Angus Bacon & Cheese. I opted for the bacon version.

It was okay - par for the course for a fast food burger. Honestly, it wasn't all that different from the other burgers that I've had at Mickey D's, though the burger patty seemed a bit drier than their other offerings. Perhaps this was due to a leaner cut of Angus beef, but don't kid yourself - it has around the same number of calories as a Quarter Pounder, plus or minus a little depending in the version. Good thing that I did a lot of walking today. (I actually walked from the airport to the office and walked back after the meeting.) However, at $3.99 a pop for an Angus burger, I'll probably just stick to Quarter Pounders.

An Entree and Dessert in One

I'm not sure why I haven't come across this culinary creation before, but it combines an entree and 'dessert' into one wonderful, savory, mouthwatering package: Meat Cake!

For those of your with some cash to burn...

Introducing... the Caviar Pizza. Perhaps I should order one for delivery, using my Gold Vish "Le Million" cell phone, of course. I imagine that it would pair nicely with a Martini on the Rock. I just want to have something simple, like pizza, after that dinner the other night in Bangkok.

Mmmm... Bacon...

Keeping in line with our Thanksgiving theme, a fellow member of the Good Eats Message Board pointed out this video clip that shows us non-Texans a new way to enjoy bacon.

I bet that it would taste good with ranch dressing.

Pre-Thanksgiving Gluttony

Just in off the wire: In a show of pre-Thanksgiving eating prowess, Patrick Bertoletti put away 4.8 pounds of turkey in 12 minutes, beating Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas. Bertoletti, ranked #3 in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating, upset defending champion Thomas, who was disqualified in the waning moments of the competition held at Artie Deli in Manhattan.

I wonder how much gravy he needed to pack away all that turkey.

Pizza Crepe Taco Pancake Chili Bag

As we embark on our annual day of turkey overload and general gluttony, I saw an article on MSNBC which reminded me of a hilarious commercial spoof that I saw on SNL. The TV spot, which you can view for yourself on YouTube, features a cross-cultural concoction sure to satisfy even the biggest appetite.

Happy Thanksgiving!

More anti-diet

I read an article in the San Jose Mercury News about the growing problem (no pun intended) of the American waistline. The article attributes a large part of the blame on the supersized portion sizes in the typical American meal, citing as an example the fare at Romano's Macaroni Grill.

Suppose you head over to the Macaroni Grill tonight and order a simple three-course meal: the shrimp and artichoke dip appetizer, a spaghetti and meatball dinner (with meat sauce), and for dessert, the cheesecake with fudge sauce. Sure, that sounds like a pretty heavy meal but still somewhat reasonable, right? Well, if you licked your plates clean, you'd put away a Kobayashiesque 5090 calories. To put this in perspective, you'd consume fewer calories if you ate 17 Johnsonville brats for dinner. (Note that if you could have eaten said 17 brats in 10 minutes, you would have taken home $250 and 10th place in the Johnsonville brat eating contest!)

Best of the wurst (the bratwurst, that is)

A month after his efforts at Coney Island, Takeru Kobayashi downed a record setting 58 Johnsonville brats in 10 minutes. Unlike the Nathan's hot dog eating contest, it was all meat with no buns.

Checking out the nutritional information label and doing some quick mental calculations, that works out to 16820 calories and 1450 grams of fat, with enough sodium to form a salt lick.

As Homer Simpson would say: "Mmmmm... fattening..."

Fighting world hunger, BK style.

Every Tuesday, I receive a pile of ads and coupons in the mail. In today's stack of coupons, there was a 'buy one, get one free' offer for a quadruple BK Stacker. For those of you who are not familiar with this particular offering (as I was not prior to the receipt of this coupon), you get four beef patties, stacked in an alternating pattern with four slices of American cheese, topped with eight strips of bacon, smothered with 'BK Stackers' sauce, all on a sesame seed bun. That's a 1000 calories of meatnormous goodness for those of you counting at home. As the Burger King website says, "It's the flame-broiled meat lover's burger and it's here to stay -- no veggies allowed".

Now, with this coupon, you can get all of this delicious beefiness times two, for the mere price of one. It looks like BK is joining McDonalds in its fight against world hunger.