# Super Sized Foods **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 4, 2007, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548 "2007-03-04T17:16:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kitchen\_Wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Kitchen\_Wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kitchen_Wench)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/41 "2007-03-06T13:46:07Z")
It’s all a conspiracy! As the food portions have gotten ginormous over the decades, the toilet paper rolls have shrunken to half their original size, at double the cost. The restaurants are in cahoots with TP manufacturers, I tells ya! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/42 "2007-03-06T15:16:34Z")
I’ve been in the US for almost nine years. There’s only one restaurant I can go to where the portion is small enough that I can finish it. Everywhere else, we have to bring home leftovers. I’ve never had room for dessert at any restaurant in all my time here. You are served a ridiculous amount of food, nearly everywhere. We have to do without the appetizer, which is the size of a “normal” meal itself, or we can only manage half of the entree. It’s stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/43 "2007-03-06T15:26:10Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] They had a TV report about Ruby Tuesday’s in light of some survey of the thousands of calories in their meals, and the reporter couldn’t fit the burger in her mouth. Maybe a third of the height fit in her mouth. [Here is a picture](http://www.supersizedmeals.com/food/article.php/20060228183244640), on a relevant website. [Colossal Burger, 1677 calories, 114 grams of fat.](http://www.thedailyplate.com/food-nutrition/food/ruby-tuesday/colossal-burger) [/QUOTE] Looks pretty good. I wouldn’t eat something like that regularly, but I’d give myself even odds of breaking that speed record. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/44 "2007-03-06T15:39:57Z")
[QUOTE=Anaamika] I like being with Oakie. And it’s because I like having lunch the next day! [/QUOTE] Aw, shucks, Ma’am. _blush_ ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/45 "2007-03-06T15:44:08Z")
[QUOTE=Who\_me?] Looks pretty good. [/QUOTE] That _looks pretty good_? If that looks good – just out of curiosity – could you say what amount of food might look unappetizing to you, or is there just no such thing? Look at the picture of the burger with the knife in it. The burger has similar dimensions to the person’s head. It’s too big, by at least a factor of 4 to bite into. It requires two hands to pick up, and two hands barely looks sufficient. There’s a picture of a guy on that page who looks like he’s going to vomit, and he’s barely half way through. The buns have become thin, and soaked with grease. If that looks good to someone, I simply can’t imagine what would not look good. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/46 "2007-03-06T15:51:15Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] The burger has similar dimensions to the person’s head. [/QUOTE] [_Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head_](http://www.pbase.com/csw62/image/47513555). ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/47 "2007-03-06T15:54:23Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] [_Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head_](http://www.pbase.com/csw62/image/47513555). [/QUOTE] That looks like a child-size at The Cheesecake Factory. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/48 "2007-03-06T16:01:45Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] That _looks pretty good_? If that looks good – just out of curiosity – could you say what amount of food might look unappetizing to you, or is there just no such thing? Look at the picture of the burger with the knife in it. The burger has similar dimensions to the person’s head. It’s too big, by at least a factor of 4 to bite into. It requires two hands to pick up, and two hands barely looks sufficient. There’s a picture of a guy on that page who looks like he’s going to vomit, and he’s barely half way through. The buns have become thin, and soaked with grease. If that looks good to someone, I simply can’t imagine what would not look good. [/QUOTE] Just because it isn’t healthy doesn’t mean it won’t taste good… as a matter of fact, the less healthy it is, the better it tastes. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/49 "2007-03-06T16:06:07Z")
> [@](#): > > Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour had one called ‘The Zoo’ That takes me back. Remember ‘The Trough’? It was a double banana split and if you finished it you got a ribbon and a bit of waitperson theater/public attention/humiliation. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/50 "2007-03-06T16:07:50Z")
[QUOTE=Who\_me?] Just because it isn’t healthy doesn’t mean it won’t taste good… as a matter of fact, the less healthy it is, the better it tastes. [/QUOTE] I agree. . .a cheeseburger with fries looks good. It’s not healthy. 2 large cheeseburgers stacked on top of each other with different kinds of cheese, a pickles-jar worth of pickles, and grease-soaked buns looks gluttonous, wasteful, and disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/51 "2007-03-06T16:14:32Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] I agree. . .a cheeseburger with fries looks good. It’s not healthy. 2 large cheeseburgers stacked on top of each other with different kinds of cheese, a pickles-jar worth of pickles, and grease-soaked buns looks gluttonous, wasteful, and disgusting. [/QUOTE] You say that like it was a _bad_ thing… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/52 "2007-03-06T16:20:55Z")
[QUOTE=Yllaria] That takes me back. Remember ‘The Trough’? It was a double banana split and if you finished it you got a ribbon and a bit of waitperson theater/public attention/humiliation. [/QUOTE] With you people talking about the Zoo and the Volcano and the Trough, [here’s](http://www.farrellsusa.com/Images/Farrells/80906_Menu1.pdf) (warning pdf) the Farrell’s menu and they’re all on it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/53 "2007-03-06T16:36:37Z")
How many Farrell’s are there, anyway? There was a DopeFest at the one in San Diego a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/54 "2007-03-06T16:52:13Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] How many Farrell’s are there, anyway? There was a DopeFest at the one in San Diego a few years ago. [/QUOTE] According to [this](http://www.happyitis.biz/)… two. Santa Clarita, California and Kaneohe, Hawaii. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/55 "2007-03-06T16:56:30Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] That looks like a child-size at The Cheesecake Factory. [/QUOTE] Honest to god. It’s an exercise in psychological terror to eat there! “Can I finish?” “Will I blow chunks if I try?” :o Even their drinks are gigantic. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/56 "2007-03-06T17:10:25Z")
I miss Farrell’s! We had one in Louisville, Kentucky, when I was growing up. The last time I was there was in college, c 1982. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/57 "2007-03-07T06:16:41Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] Then there’s the [Newport Creamery](http://www.quahog.org/cuisine/#awful) Awful Awful–awful big, awful good thick shake. Drink three, get one free. [/QUOTE] Woohoo! I finally know what’s in an Awful-Awful! Ruth Doan MacDougal’s [Snowy](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cheerleader-Ruth-Doan-Macdougall/dp/0966335201/ref=sr_1_4/026-7683051-0973230?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173247797&sr=1-4) series starts out with Snowy, a New Hampshire teenager, wanting to be the first girl in her town to drink three A-As. While she’s drinking them, her friend offhandedly says, “I wonder what they put in them to make them thicker than a shake or a malted?” And it was never stated! Now I know: syrup, milk and ice milk. Incidentally, Snowy hadn’t known that there was a free A-A as a reward; she’d thought just being commemorated would be enough. When presented with the coupon, she makes a comment to the effect of “As if I could ever face one of those again.” And later in life, she becomes an organic/whole/health foodie. Just as well: she probably barely escaped gout, between the A-As and her marshmallow fluff sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/58 "2007-03-07T06:56:36Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] If that looks good – just out of curiosity – could you say what amount of food might look unappetizing to you, or is there just no such thing? [/QUOTE] It’s all relative. > [@Frances & Joseph Gies "Life in a Medieval Village"](#): > > A twelf-century Irish poet describes a dream in which a coracle “built of lard/ Swam a sweet milk sea,” and out of a lake rose a castle reached by a bridge of butter and surrounded by a palisade of ban, with doorpost of whey curds, columns of aged cheese, and pillars of pork. Across a moat of spicy broth covered with fat, guards welcomed the dreamer to the castle with coils of fat sausages. I think that burger looks like it might be tasty, though it would undoubtably make me physically ill. Marc ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/59 "2007-03-07T16:22:31Z")
[QUOTE=Malienation] I’m looking at _you_, [Cheeburger Cheeburger](http://www.cheeburger.com/). [/QUOTE] A place called “Cheeburger Cheeburger” that serves fries & Pepsi and has no locations in Illinois? That’s just wrong! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548/60 "2007-03-07T16:33:46Z")
Looks like I need to correct the Wikipedia entry for the Billy Goat Tavern. Didn’t think that “No Pepsi. Coke!” line sounded right. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-sized-foods/394548.md?page=4)