Menu Madness Season is stretching itself – like the tropical storm season in the Atlantic – to new lengths this year. You’ll remember the giant Taco we featured at the start of Madness Season coverage. Now, there’s an even bigger Burrito on the eating challenge horizon…
They call it the Anaconda and you can only get it at Taqueria Yarelis in Fresno, CA. It’s three feet of Beans, Beef and Cheese and weighs in, officially, at 5.5 lb / 2.5 kg. It’s all wrapped up in a cascade of six overlapping 12-in. / 30 cm Flour Tortillas. Here’s how it goes together:
And Pablo Martinez, ranked no. 18 in the world among competitive eaters, needed just over 13 minutes to gag it down. According to Foxsports.com (Yes, they consider competitive eating a legitimate sport!) no other comer has managed to finish the Anaconda solo in one sitting. Don’t fret! The mega-Burrito is a regular menu item at the Taqueria Yarelis. It’s $23 if you just want to share it with a dozen friends, or free if you successfully down it solo.
The Madness marches on…
The Menu Madness epidemic shows no signs of abating anytime soon. If anything, it seems to be spreading and gaining in magnitude. First, a 4-pound Taco, then a 5-pound Burrito. What next? A 6-pound Chimichanga? Perhaps a simple Bucket ‘O Chili. Or, maybe, a Giant Chicken Nugget… Who knows how desperate the nutty participants in the devilishly over-crowded Ethnic Eatery sector will get before someone busts under the strain?
I’ve said it before, and I’ll reiterate: A big shakeout is coming in the Burger Chain/Fast Food sector and the Ethnic Eateries sector. Want further evidence? The proprietor of our fave Shawarma place says there are more Shawarma Shops in my suburban community of 75,000 than there are in all of Beirut. Really. He’s not kidding. He just came here from there four years ago and he thought his eatery would be unique in our immediate neighbourhood. Three other guys beat him to it! His latest Menu adjustments suggest he’s planning to invade the neighbouring Falafel sector in an effort to maintain revenue levels and stabilize market share. Just like McDonald’s is invading the High-End Coffee niche, and for the same reasons…
~ Maggie J.