Burgers, Timed!

Let's get this out of the way first: I'm a big guy. I like food. And not just the things that are good for me.

But even I don't think I could've knocked back a Farmer Burger in 2 minutes and 5 seconds.

Was out at the Farmer Boys grand re-opening event Saturday afternoon for lunch and to watch the burger eating contest they were having as part of the festivities.

The burger in question was the aforementioned Farmer Burger: two quarter-pound patties, cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles and avocodos with thousand island dressing. I may have gained three pounds just writing that. It's a big burger.

The people watching the 15 or so competitors were family and friends, mostly. There were a few customers in the restaurant that probably didn't know what they were walking into, but watched in amazement just the same.

The winner, Fred Chavez of Redlands, joked afterword that he'd probably be up for another after finishing in the aforementioned 2:05, mostly so he would have a chance to enjoy it.

And he wouldn't have been the first. Ken Clark, the restaurant corporation's president, and a companion in attendance (it may have been his wife or another member of the corporate staff, I missed her name -- bad journalist) recounted the quickest anyone had finished the burger: 52 seconds.

Jaws dropped to the floor hearing that number.

Then came the topper. The record holder (a younger male) went back to the counter, ordered and paid for another, and sat down and ate it.

Ah, to be young.

For the record, the Farmer Burger weighs in at nearly 1,200 calories, 73 grams of fat and 2,591 milligrams of sodium.

I have had my own experience with the Farmer Burger. Got it one day as my dinner before going to the drive-in theater in Rubidoux. Couldn't finish the whole thing, but it was pretty tasty.

Now, I'm not here to bash the thing. The people who competed in Saturday's burger eating contest were in it for fun. There were people of all ages and sizes. Young boys, teen girls and plenty of adults. I might've even joined them, but I had gone early and had my meal (fish sandwich, 848 calories).

Most were just sitting there trying to enjoy the burger, maybe faster than usual. Only a couple of people were using strategies. The second place winner, Dave Zeller of Riverside, shed the bun from the start, eating the protien and fillings first, before soaking the bun in water.

No one was going to be heading off from here to Coney Island for the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest on July 4. It was just some folks from the area having a really big burger really quickly.

Besides, most of the people were there to win the Taylor Swift tickets K-FROG was giving away.