Image taken from Burger King's web site.Updated: October 24 with YouTube video of people eating it added.
Some things are so bizarre that you think they have to be a Photoshop mash-up or part of the Onion. When I learned about this, I thought it simply had to be a joke. Why would Burger King push Windows 7? Why would Microsoft want to ally itself with a fast food place to promote software?
Well, it turns out that it is no joke. From October 22 to 28, Burger King is selling a monster burger with 7 patties (each about 4 oz./113 grams) on an "American size" (13 cm/5 in.) bun. The catch is that they are only selling 30 of these burgers each day at the price of 777 yen ($8.50), but this is no surprise. They couldn't possibly make any money off of these if they sold an unlimited quantity of them at that price. After the first 30 people, the price is the usual price one would pay for having extra patties added to the burger (1450 yen/$15.88).
The burger comes in a paper wrapper with a Windows logo on the top and is about 10 cm/4 in. in height and 11 cm/4.3 in. in diameter. Word is that it has over 2000 calories. One person who sampled it said that it felt like eating a small animal in terms of the feel of the quantity of meat. It was also impossible for the writer (a Japanese person) to open his mouth wide enough to wrap it around the burger. Obviously, I won't be tracking down one of these as I don't even like hamburgers, let alone ones that are likely to lock my jaw if I try and eat one.
If this sort of food were offered in the U.S., everyone would be crashing down on both Microsoft and Burger King and talking about how this sort of excess contributes to the obesity epidemic. At the very least, it'd show up on This is why you're fat (I spoke too soon, it's already there!). In Japan, it's just something people chortle at, shake their heads at and about which they say, "those kooky Japanese".
A little update: The Shinjuku iLand Tower Burger King said they ran out of these (that is, sold the first 30 at 770 yen) by 9:00 am when they open at 7:00 am. They also said that some people then paid the full price (1450 yen) for them thereafter. I guess that once they got the idea in the idea in their heads that they wanted it, they just had to have it.
hello clogged artery! I fill quilty just eating red meat once a week (twice a most-- although I do love it) the regular and Jr. Whopper are just fine by me, and good enough...
ReplyDeleteWho would eat this crap? The Mr. showed this to me yesterday.. and I was craving a Jr. Whooper ... shit none here in sight at Nagoya...
EAT IT! EAT IT! EAT IT!
ReplyDeleteOR AT LEAST A BITE OF IT! OR AT LEAST A BITE OF IT! OR AT LEAST A BITE OF IT!
I've been thinking about buying a couple of triple whoppers and a regular whopper to build my own.
April Marie: Since I don't like hamburger (or any sort of beef), seeing this just sort of makes me queasy. I'm glad it doesn't set off cravings. ;-)
ReplyDeleteMarvo: You're like the Dr. Frankenstein of burgers - after you finish making one, you have to video yourself saying, "IT'S ALIVE!" Of course, then it'd be cool if the burger lurched off the table and made strange guttural noises and went on its merry way and befriended a blind man and a little girl. But that might be too much to ask even of a monster burger. ;-)
Ok, that's just weird, random and gross. Bleh. It might be good if you needed to feed five people though, or if you're a frat boy...
ReplyDeleteI find such excess pretty troubling in light of the limited resources of the planet and the cost (environmentally) of raising livestock. It's a lot like competitive eating in my opinion. It speaks to our spoiled and privileged nature that such concoctions are on offer and consumed.
ReplyDeleteI don't think many people can actually eat this alone or all at once, but that almost makes it worse because that means it's wasted.
I would buy one, just because it's quirky and different. :)
ReplyDeletePersonally I get sick of the campaigns of people saying "this is why you're fat", "too many obese people blah blah".
I would eat it just to spite them I reckon! :)
I actually really like the mcdonalds hamburger patties, the taste, and I enjoy the triple cheeseburgers, so 4 more is not too bad. Plus if you're a family of 5 and you don't have much money you could go buy this burger and share. :)
Kelly: It's an awful lot of money to throw away on novelty though. If there was something special about it, maybe, but it's just a pile of burger patties in a paper wrapper with a Windows sticker on it. You could build one any time by asking the people to give you 6 extra patties on your Whopper. It's not even unique, or I'd consider buying one even though I'd have go get my husband to eat it! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment and for reading!
Yeah, I guess you're right. :)
ReplyDelete