"How you guys feelin'"
"Numb. I wish I could taste it. I just keep swallowing."
"Outrageous Food" on the Food Network has become more of a forum for amateur eating contests. Showing food that seemed outrageous doesn't seem enough for the program.
The rules appear arbitrary: here's a huge item and a time period picked at random. Sometimes you don't even know how long they have until the middle of the contest.
The contest in the last episode revolved around a 7-lb. burrito. One guy in the contest wasn't doing so well, hence the exchange above.
What is the point of eating if you aren't really tasting?
True, there are competitive eating contests, but those people train for the events. They have some idea what they are doing to their stomachs.
And yes, people do take up challenges as restaurants offer these opportunities. But it feels like the Food Network and the show's producers are placing too much emphasis on the eating contests, making them out to be cooler than they really are.
The ongoing weekly — often more than one per episode — amateur eating contests have become sad. And the quote at the top of the page says it all.
Food is meant to be enjoyed, appreciated, savored.
The burrito in question has 3 pounds of carne asada, 2 pounds of refried beans, about 2 pounds of cheese on 4 14-inch tortillas topped with enchilada sauce and queso along with guacamole, sour cream, and red tortilla chips.
That amount would be plenty of dinner for 5-6 people, not always just one person. And in the competitive eating contest, 4 of the 5 people didn't finish.
Perhaps there is a silver lining, a secret agenda. Showcasing the absurdness of the huge amount of these food items. But the Food Network should tone it down just a bit.
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