Think twice before you open your mouth is what we got told often since our school days- as it could land us up in some pretty awkward situations. However, today was an occasion when doing exactly that could have landed you up in big trouble. And by “Big” I mean a kilogram kind of big. If you are still wondering what I am talking about, today was the much-awaited finals of the Big Burger Challenge being held at Rubi’s Grill, Gariahat, Kolkata.

The finalists, six in number, had fifteen minutes in which to finish the Chef’s special Challenger Burger– which weighed a monstrous 1KG. Yes! You read that right!

The chicken patty inside was half a kg, we were told! Add to that loads of salad dressings, jalapenos, mayonnaise, bread- and you have that thing which was going to put all the contestants’ appetites to test / taste !

Obviously all of the finalists had had to plod their way through many more such kilos before being here- as the competition had a total of three rounds. So these were the people left standing, after they had managed to devour through their competition.

And nobody was going to “leave a gram” tonight! French fries, jalapenos, olives- nothing could be left on the plate. The moment the burgers were served on the table in all their glory, the mouths were roaring to go. Of course, a gap of 5 minutes was given before the actual eating started, when the contestants waited with their plates in front, so that they could get the fluids inside their mouth ready and raring to go. The one who finished it in the shortest possible time would win.

It was a pretty messy thing once the bell sounded, as everyone started literally hacking though their burgers! No cutlery was allowed, and it was just the men and their food. In the end it was all about who was more hungry to win!

And it was down to the wire- err… last olive/fry rather, as the winner beat his closest competitor by a mere 5 seconds.  Debayan Purakayastha, a B.Com student, was crowned the ‘Burger King’, his time being a shocking 8 minutes and 57 seconds. Rahul Nath, the doc, came second, as he took those precious 5 seconds to have the last of his fries! Both were a record in themselves, as no one had so long managed to devour such gigantic masses in such a short time!

For those who want to test their own timings, the Challenger burger is available for a short time at Rubi’s Grill in Dover Lane, Kolkata. And if you manage it within 15 minutes, it’s on the house !

(Archya, in his own words, is the trying-to-be-global bangali babu, who is attempting to carve out a niche for himself in blogosphere, having had mixed results in Medicine Practice. In short, a struggling artist.

For his other articles on Blong…Shong, Click Here)