Posted on 12/16/2005 9:30:21 AM PST by LA Woman3
Never mind that gorillas tend to be vegetarians. Burger King hopes to cash in on a certain blockbuster movie with a megaburger that boasts some of the most monstrous numbers in the fast-food jungle.
The King Kong-themed Triple Whopper checks in at 1,320 calories and 88 grams of fat – and that's without the fries and special King Kong chocolate-banana milkshakes.
You can almost picture the Triple Whopper atop the Empire State Building, swatting away the slings and arrows of the food police.
"That is a pretty big hamburger for lunch," said Robin Plotkin, a Dallas dietitian and nutrition consultant. "That's almost as many calories as many people need in one day, and well over the number of fat grams people need in one day."
The warning isn't new. It's one of the rituals that usually accompanies the release of a new big food product: bragging by the producer, finger-wagging by nutrition advocates, fretting about the nation's obesity problem, and munching by happy customers.
In a news release, Burger King Vice President Brian Gies said the new King Kong movie "was a natural fit for the Burger King brand. Now we have a Whopper sandwich that's sure to satisfy even Kong-size cravings."
The company did not make an official available for interviews Thursday.
Dr. Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the new burger "confirms Burger King's position among the big chains as the worst from a health point of view."
"They have no concern whatsoever for their customers' health," said Dr. Jacobson, a longtime campaigner against junk food and for making nutritional information more easily available. "I think it's pretty pathetic that they have to do this to attract customers."
Those kind of denunciations make the Center for Consumer Freedom bite back with declarations that nothing should trump free will.
"The real debate is between people who think these options should be available to those who want them, and those who think they shouldn't be available," said Dan Mindus, a senior analyst with the organization, which is backed by restaurant and food companies.
Whenever a restaurant introduces an "indulgent menu item," Mr. Mindus says, "the food cops attack."
"People will eat what they want to eat," he said. "The entire movement to regulate and restrict our ability to eat a big cheeseburger assumes Americans are too stupid to make food decisions. If Americans are that stupid, we have a lot more problems than obesity."
If nobody likes the Triple Whopper, he said, "It will go away very fast. The consumer is in the driver's seat, and that's the way it should be."
Despite her dismay at what she considers yet another bad food choice, Ms. Plotkin doesn't disagree.
"Do what you want," the nutritionist says. "Just know the damage that you're doing."
In her corner of the food fight, she said, "The key is awareness. Our job is to educate.
"People are quick to blame the fast-food restaurants," Ms. Plotkin said. "But everywhere we go, we know these things are going to be out there tempting people.
"It's really up to the individual to take personal responsibility and find out what they're putting into their bodies."
The last megaburger controversy erupted last year when Hardee's, which has no stores in Texas, introduced the Monster Thickburger. It has two-thirds of a pound of beef, four strips of bacon, three slices of cheese and mayonnaise on a buttered bun. That adds up to 1,420 calories and 107 fat grams, which is still apparently the artery-hardening champion of the fast-food division.
"We're offering a niche product that some people like, and I don't think we need to apologize for it," said Jeff Mochal, Hardee's public relations manager. "If you don't want it, you don't have to order it. There are other products on our menu."
Has it occurred to anyone that free willed people could have five Whoppers at one sitting if they so chose? How do you police that????
Make everyone show ID and sign a form before purchasing Whoppers. Limit all customers to no more than one, and establish a tracking system to catch people who try to buy at multiple Burger Kings. Hey, it "works" for cold medicine.
Is that something to do with gluton?
Gluton Free Diet
The Gluton Free Diet is but one of the hundreds of different dietary options you will come across when looking for a way to improve your way of life through altering your diet.
Dieting has become big business due to the alarming rise in cases of obesity occurring (mainly in the western world) today, along with the Gluton Free Diet there are many new diets from new companies popping up round every corner trying to jump on the diet bandwagon with a new spin on an old formula for weighty loss or even just some untested regime for you to stick to, in the knowledge that people will buy into it.
Or were you going for "gluttony"?
A Triple Whopper!? It's about d@mned time.
GLUTTONY
Yeah,
GLUTTONY
Glutony is my third favorite deadly sin, right after lust and avarice.
Gotta get me one of these burgers.
What in the world do they call that massive burger??
It's got vegetables on it, just how unhealthy can it be?
The first person to eat one in less than 3 hours (for which it's a freebie) was Kate Stelnick, a 115 pound (52.3 kg) freshman at the The College of New Jersey in 2:54. http://katestelnick.com/
Denny's now also has a 15-pound burger.
See #30
Just thinking about that burger gives me heartburn.
I gotta see a 15 pound hamburger, that must be awesome to behold. I can see cutting up the 3 pounder and basically treating it like a pizza, just gotta use the big lever cutter not a wheel.
4 hours, 2 people (see the link above for more info)
Thanks for telling me what I need, Robin. You gonna eat your fries?
So many comments, so little time.........
Wonder how she learned that ????
Hardee's has been out of business here for quite a few years now and with good reason. Carl's must be of different quality.
LOL! Man is that ever terrifying...
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