I first heard of “The Big Texan” when I first arrived in the US and was working for Blue Cross\/ Blue Shield in Chicago. I was 25 years old and one of the “old-timers” told me of a restaurant in Texas which served a humongous steak – and the best part of it was that it was FREE if one could eat it in an hour with the usual trimmings! At the time I had an appetite which was impressive by almost any standard and I was confident I could accomplish it – but Texas seemed a long way to go for a free steak no matter what the size!<\/p>\n
I know that I could not do it today – age and other factors have taken its toll on my capacity to eat. Today I share an entree and appetizer with Mini and it satisfies both our appetites! So you young ‘uns take full advantage of your capacity to eat because I assure you, it will not last!<\/p>\n
But I digress – the steak is still being served at “The Big Texan” in Amarillo, Texas. If you can eat a 72 ounce steak, plus a shrimp cocktail, baked potato, salad and dinner roll in an hour, it is free! You have to pay for the meal in advance – $70 – and it is refunded to you if you can actually accomplish the feat. When the restaurant first opened in the 60s’ the steak was less than $10! “The oldest person to eat the steak was a 69 year-old grandmother. The youngest person to eat the steak was an 11 year-old boy. A couple from Henderson, NV, have eaten the steak dinner at least 10 times since their first attempt 1995. Both of them usually complete the meal in less than 30 minutes.<\/p>\n Frank Pastore, who was a professional pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, ate the complete steak dinner in 9 and 1\/2 minutes (May 3, 1987). Pastore actually has eaten the steak dinner seven times. The record was broken by Joey Chestnut on March 24, 2008. He ate the entire meal in 8 minutes and 52 seconds.”<\/em><\/p>\n So what does all this have to do with Britain? Enter the “Scooby Burger” – Britain’s latest attempt to emulate the good old American burger and American portion sizes! Here is what it looks like:<\/p>\n
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\nAccording to the “The Big Texan” website<\/a>:<\/p>\n