We’ve covered attempts to get into the Guinness Book of World Records in the past. The most notable being a series of one-upmanship claims by folks with the intention making the largest-ever Pizza. Now, a different Book of Records category grabs the spotlight: World’s Longest Kebab!
Except it was no record
Sorry, guys. Dearborne, Mich., may have the largest Arab-American community in the US, but its 90 ft. kebab was no record breaker. Not by a long shot. The community group that mounted the monster kebab stunt came in short of the record by a mere… 643 feet.
Turns out the record holder was, and continues to be, Aitas KZ Group of companies’ Makinsk Poultry Farm LLP in Kazakhstan. They made and grilled a 733 ft. 9.11 in. kebab back in 2018.
In my humble opinion, I suspect it will be quite a while before someone breaks that record.
A triumph, nonetheless
But the Dearborn entrepreneur behind the 90-footter achieved the goal he set himself: Publicity.
Among comments to the video post covering the stunt on the official Dearborn Instagram page, the following triumphal outbursts:
“Only in Dearborn!”
“I love Dearborn. People come together in the best ways!”
“Not something you see everyday!”
“Target audience reached!”
So what, now?
Whether the ‘target audience’ was the local community or food lovers who might be enticed to visit from elsewwhere, we aren’t sure.
The monster kebab was designed to feed the whole neighbourhood in which the promoter, identified only as a Mr. Almoslemawi, lives. And that it did.
My take
I was most interested in Mr. Almoslemawi’s 90 ft. charcoal grill. Wow! I wonder where it will show up next? The whole stunt could be the basis for a new annual festival during which the organizers would attempt to out-do themselves each year by a few more feet of Kebabs. With the proper Instagram promotion, they might get draw visitors from all over the place.
Even better would be an answer to the implied challenge by other feisty Arab-American communities to out-do Dearborn! What a great idea! The phenomenon could eventually lead to the introduction of millions of people to the wonders of Middle Eastern and North African food!
~ Maggie J.