If you think you love your food above all else, you aren't alone. There are some people out there who adore grub so much, they’ve actually managed to turn it into a passion, and then set world records to boot.
Following the news of Big Mac lover Donald Gorske consuming more than 32,000 burgers, we take a walk down foodie lane to look at some of the weirdest, wackiest food-related Guinness World Records ever broken.
Most McDonald’s Big Macs ever consumed
The Guinness World Record team recently paid tribute to Wisconsin resident Donald Gorske for consuming more than 32,000 Big Macs in his lifetime. Gorske already set the Guinness World Record in 1999, but recently bested it 22 years later.
He has consumed a grand total of 32,340 Big Macs, an average of two a day since 1972. Gorske has kept track of every single burger (he has the containers and receipts, organised in boxes and pouches by the year). And if you’re wondering what shape he’s in, after the rather unusual diet, Gorske apparently has “great blood sugar levels, exceptionally good cholesterol and walks six miles per day to maintain his health”.
Another secret to good health? He holds back the fries.
Most M&M’s stacked
In June this year, the world of candy was taken to new heights when Will Cutbill, 23, won a Guinness World Record for creating the tallest stack of M&Ms. The grand total of M&Ms he managed to place on top of each other? Five, proving that this is one of those challenges that is much harder than it sounds.
Ironically, Cutbill, who said he was ecstatic about the achievement, confessed he doesn’t actually have much of a talent for balancing. “I can barely stand on one leg – but I have a talent for chocolate.”
World’s biggest mouth
When talking about food, it’s well worth mentioning Samantha Ramsdell’s ability to consume it. Ramsdell is a TikTok star who recently broke a Guinness World Record for having “the world’s biggest mouth gape”. Ramsdell shot to fame for her unusual facial feature after she started doing things such as stuffing food in her mouth and taking requests to eat dishes two at a time for the social media platform.
Her gape measures 6.52 centimetres, or two-and-a-half inches, which means she can fit an entire green apple in her mouth, bite through four single-stacked cheeseburgers, and even get an entire large-sized portion of French fries in there.
World’s most expensive fries
It’s often relegated to a side dish or snack, but New York City’s Serendipity3 revolutionised French fries earlier this year when the restaurant launched a Guinness World Record-breaking dish with premium ingredients – from cage-free goose fat from France to 23-karat edible gold dust – all with a heavy dose of truffle. The price tag for this exclusive dish? It's $200.
Most varieties of ice cream on display
This cool Guinness World Record was broken in Abu Dhabi. In July 2021, Abu Dhabi Culinary teamed up with UK’s Pan-n-Ice to make ice cream history with the “most varieties of ice cream on display”, in Yas Mall’s Pearl Court, where a whopping 1,001 unique flavours were present.
Some truly unique flavours created for and on display at the event included: apple and chocolate wafer; banana and pistachio; blueberries and Kitkat; cherry and Nutella; granola; chocolate Nesquik and Lotus biscoff; and strawberry shortbread and Flake.
Fastest time to eat a burrito
You might think that you’re the humble burrito's biggest fan. But that accolade actually belongs to Leah Shutkever. Hailing from the UK, Shutkever has proved she’s able to wolf down the popular Mexican wrap in an incredible 35.26 seconds.
Largest bubblegum bubble blown
In 2004, Chad Fell of Alabama, US, blew up a bubblegum bubble with a diameter of 20 inches (50.8 cm). The feat was achieved without him using his hands to steady to stretch of the bubble, and was done with the combined strength of three pieces of Dubble Bubble gum.
Most Ikea meatballs consumed in one minute
For many, tucking into Ikea’s meatballs is a must when heading to the Swedish furniture store. But Japanese competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi took his love for the dish to a whole new level when he broke the record for most meatballs consumed in one minute. Kobayashi ate a total of 29 meatballs in 60 seconds – one every two seconds.
Most ice cream scoops balanced on a cone
There’s no such thing as too much ice cream, and Dimitri Panciera undoubtedly agrees. The Italian set the record for most number of ice cream scoops balanced on a single cone in 2018. The total number was 125. Strawberry was the flavour of choice for this feat.
World’s longest noodle
If you’re in the habit of slurping up a noodle whole, here’s one that will probably boggle the mind. In 2017, Chinese food company, Xiangnian Food Co Ltd, set a world record for the longest noodle. The creation was made using 40kg of bread flour, 26.8 litres of water and 0.6kg of salt, and measured a whopping 3,084 kilometres. After the hard work of creating said giant noodle, it was cooked in garlic, egg and tomato sauce, and served to about 400 employees and guests in attendance.
Read more
Dubai amputee athlete breaks Guinness World Record for longest wall sit
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20M3%2C%208-core%20CPU%2C%20up%20to%2010-core%20CPU%2C%2016-core%20Neural%20Engine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2013.6-inch%20Liquid%20Retina%2C%202560%20x%201664%2C%20224ppi%2C%20500%20nits%2C%20True%20Tone%2C%20wide%20colour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F16%2F24GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStorage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20256%2F512GB%20%2F%201%2F2TB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Thunderbolt%203%2FUSB-4%20(2)%2C%203.5mm%20audio%2C%20Touch%20ID%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%206E%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2052.6Wh%20lithium-polymer%2C%20up%20to%2018%20hours%2C%20MagSafe%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECamera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201080p%20FaceTime%20HD%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Support%20for%20Apple%20ProRes%2C%20HDR%20with%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%20HDR10%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAudio%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204-speaker%20system%2C%20wide%20stereo%2C%20support%20for%20Dolby%20Atmos%2C%20Spatial%20Audio%20and%20dynamic%20head%20tracking%20(with%20AirPods)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Midnight%2C%20silver%2C%20space%20grey%2C%20starlight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MacBook%20Air%2C%2030W%2F35W%20dual-port%2F70w%20power%20adapter%2C%20USB-C-to-MagSafe%20cable%2C%202%20Apple%20stickers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh4%2C599%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
PROFILE BOX:
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Rami Salman, Rishav Jalan, Ayush Chordia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Technology, Sales, Voice, Artificial Intelligence
Size: (employees/revenue) 10/ 100,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($800,000)
Investors: Eight first-round investors including, Beco Capital, 500 Startups, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Hala Fadel, Odin Financial Services, Dubai Angel Investors, Womena, Arzan VC
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cyl%20turbo%20%2B%20mild%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E204hp%20at%205%2C800rpm%20%2B23hp%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C800rpm%20%2B205Nm%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.3L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2FDecember%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh205%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
