12 Egg Omelet - Biggest in California?

The picture speaks for itself. There's a lot of egg there. Lots of chili, cheese, onions, mushrooms, potatoes, and biscuit too. Anyone who watches Man V Food will recognize this as the "Ironman Challenge" from the Broken Yolk Café. They take their food challenge very seriously over there.

How seriously? They keep a "Wall of Fame" for winners in the dining area, and a "Wall of Shame" for losers near the bathrooms. The location of the "Shame" wall is fitting, because more than a few of them have probably ended up in the bathroom before leaving the establishment entirely. Take a look:

That's the infamous Wall of Shame. Some got a lot closer than others. I feel for people who attempt food challenges and can't complete them. It's like climbing a mountain and stumbling right as you reach the peak. I've stumbled more than a few times myself.

And here's the happier, hallowed "Wall of Fame." This is the one you want to be on. Diners get to see this one as they peruse the menu and decide what they want to eat. Molly Schuyler is featured prominently, because she is a world-class eater who can demolish one of the challenge platters in mere minutes. She holds the restaurant's time record (across all locations, if I'm not wrong) and is the only person to eat two - TWO - in one sitting.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention which location I visited. I was in Bakersfield, on my way up north to visit the Fresno Zoo and tackle a couple of giant burritos in central California. It was a warm December morning. The staff was incredibly friendly and cordial. The manager was accommodating, even helping me relocate to a table that would allow for better lighting and filming.

I'm proud of this video. The production was fun, my DSLR camera got some decent close-up shots, and I was able to put together something that is a step above most of my work. If you aren't too worried about the number of eggs, go ahead and check it out!

A Cheesy Introduction

The real question is: would you eat that?

Broken Yolk Cafe

thebrokenyolkcafe.com

3300 Buena Vista Rd, Bakersfield, CA 93311

(661) 695-9655

Big Candy - Here to Stay?

Over the past few years, there has definitely been a trend of giant candy bars. They seem to roll out at Christmas and a couple other major holidays. Consumers tend to be suckers then.

Reese's makes giant peanut butter cups. York has giant peppermint patties. Snickers makes an epic 1 lb chocolate bar. Heck, Hershey's rolls out their classic candy bar in both 1 and 5 lb sizes.

And, if you're lucky, you'll find a 1 lb peanut butter and chocolate rabbit at Easter. The companies have figured out they can get away with selling them at $10 a pop, which is a bit overpriced if you compare it to buying the same volume of candy in smaller increments.

I get it - it's a novelty. Who wouldn't be impressed or disturbed at the sight of a half-pound peanut butter cup? But that's where the ploy runs its course... oversizing these candies tends to ruin the consistency of the candy and the ratio of the parts that make up the candy itself. Giant Snickers have too much nougat and the epic PB cups have too much damn peanut butter.

Don't get me wrong... I'm as happy to buy them and eat them as the next consumer. I guess it's a little food for thought as we head into the holidays. Merry Christmas and Season's Eatings!

20 Burger Beatdown - Remembering a Big Accidental Day

Some things happen with no planning whatsoever. That's the case when it came to my 20 hamburger challenge, which is currently one of my most popular YouTube videos.

I was bored one night... it was summer of 2014, and I needed something to do. A schoolteacher in the summer is a bit like a car without a driver, so for some reason I thought it would be cool to film a food challenge at 11PM.

The rest, as they say, is history. I had no plans to make a speed challenge out of it and mostly ate the burgers in a manner that mocked the way competitive eaters look when they try to eat quickly. I wonder if anyone got the joke.

I didn't even bother with a joke when I did the McDonald's family pack solo. Right in the video, I tell you that I'm going to eat this thing leisurely. Not sure if that was the best approach. The last few bites were a bit agonizing. You gotta see for yourself though :)

At least I actually planned on eating the family pack. The burgers were just plain crazy.

Epic Fail Time

20,000 calories may be possible in one meal, but you aren't going to get there by eating 8 lbs of trail mix. I learned that the "hard" way last Friday. Everything in the bag required laborious chewing. Nothing softened, even doused in pumpkin ice cream.

The concept was still a success. It was arranged as a school-community event in Yucca Valley, my students were invited to watch and complete observational assignments, and everyone else who came to watch loved it. The Hi Desert Star actually mentioned the event in last Saturday's paper. Channel 2 News in nearby Palm Springs requested event photographs and a write-up.

One of these days, I'll find an effective way to concoct an edible 20k calorie meal. Trail mix seemed smart: it's calorie dense, so you get high calorie counts without adding on a ton of weight. Maybe I'll take a cue from Johnnie Excel and load up on mayonnaise next time out.

I stopped after eating for 80 minutes... wasn't so full as much as I was tired and disgusted. Even turning the leftover portions into thick, blended smoothies didn't help. You'd be surprised, but they tasted pretty good.

In an epic encounter, food won. There's a large amount of video footage from this stunt, and it will be making its way onto YouTube shortly.

Sumo Roll, One and Done

Nothing lasts forever, especially when it comes to food. Nori Sushi Bar & Grill, located in eastern San Diego County, demonstrated that in the recent months.

This restaurant is a considerable trek off the beaten path. You'll find it in the city of Alpine, some 40 miles east of San Diego proper, in a large shopping center across the way from Viejas Casino.

The item of interest (for me, at least) at Nori Sushi was the barely advertised Sumo Roll. There's no mention of it on the menu. It's not referenced anywhere inside the restaurant. If you happened to stumble upon their website you might have noticed it, advertised as the "Sumo Roll Challenge." 

You get 45 minutes to consume a nearly 5 pound deep-fried monster sushi roll. Succeed, and it's free with a t-shirt. Fail to conquer the beast and you'll pay $36 plus tax. 

Since there was little information about this challenge, I decided to inquire about it with the sushi chef on hand that evening in June 2010. Apparently the owner of the restaurant came up with the idea for the challenge. That was simple enough. 4 people had attempted it before me, and they all failed by a wide margin.

Because the Sumo Roll was still unbeaten, I was given the option of ordered it deep-fried or normal style. I went with the normal roll just because I don't particularly enjoy deep-fried anything. Besides, this way it would weigh a bit less and pack fewer calories. Why not make things a bit easier?

It took awhile to prepare the roll, but once it was brought out I proceeded to throttle the entire platter in 22 minutes. The sushi chef refused to believe I had actually eaten it (come on, I wasn't even that fast), insisting instead that I must have fiddled with the timer or hidden some of the product. Restaurant patrons who were watching me came to my defense. My success was recorded at 25 minutes.

They were amazed that someone finally finished their challenge roll. I was told that I could come back and attempt the deep-fried version on another visit. However, future challengers would no longer be allowed to order the standard roll.

How the times change... as of March 2011, I discovered through a friend interested in tackling the Sumo Roll that the restaurant had canceled the challenge. Dreams of a future deep-fried challenge went up in smoke.

Maybe they'll bring it back. And, hopefully, they'll advertise it more aggressively next time around.