XTreme Eating Awards 2014

When the XTreme Eating Awards began in 2007, 1,500 calorie entrees were the shockers. This year, some of them double that. These menu items at popular chain restaurants might explain why today we routinely see people walking around who are 75-100 (or more) pounds overweight. In fact, sometimes it’s hard to find anyone of “normal” weight in a crowd (my **personal **definition of “normal weight” is from slender up to about 15 lbs overweight).

Cheesecake Factory: "The chain is talking about its Bruléed French Toast, which—even with the optional bacon—sure doesn’t look like it’s got 2,780 calories, 93 grams of saturated fat (almost a full work week’s worth), 2,230 milligrams of sodium, and 24 teaspoons of sugar."

Red Robin: “If your 1,670-calorie “Monster” burger and unlimited 370-calorie servings of fries make you thirsty, Red Robin offers Classic milkshakes (for $3.99). And, of course, you can “make it a Monster Milkshake with a refill tin” for just a buck more. Maybe you’d like a Monster Salted Caramel Milkshake (“A salty, sweet and sinful blend of caramel and Red Hawaiian Sea Salt”). Ka-ching! Here comes 1,500 more calories…and two days’ more sodium.”

Joe’s Crab Shack: “Talk about stuffed. The friedfoodaganza comes to 3,280 calories (your fill for today and half of tomorrow), 50 grams of saturated fat, and 7,610 milligrams of sodium (no more for you for the next five days). To burn that many calories, you’d have to play golf (without a cart or a caddie) for 11 straight hours.”

Read the rest for yourself…and then better slug some bicarb and head out for a run.

I don’t know much about those restaurants, but is the food actually cooked there from ingredients, or is it more “assembled”? Yeah, it’s a snobbish quibble.

Anyway, the older I get, the more these huge, over-fatty, over-salty, over-sized portions make me lose my appetite. And I’m not a small person. I like food. I really like food. Food is yummy. I can eat a 2-lb lobster, no problem, with salad and a baked tater.

But giant portions of the stuff described in the OP? Eh…not so much. It just isn’t appealing. YMMV, of course.

It’s definitely not appealing.

“Bottomless fries” is the absurd next step after “supersize fries.” The next step after this will be to install reclining couches at the table and supply a feather for use after the meal.