Restaurant Owner Challenges Patrons With 5.5-Pound Fish And Chips Meal

People have been known to do interesting things in the name of fame, cash, and free food, and we're not just talking about the annual Nathan's 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. In its roundup of some of the most out-there examples, Munchpack listed, among other things, Seattle's "Pho Superbowl Challenge," which involves 3 lbs of noodles, 3 lbs of meat, and 3 liters of broth for a free meal and a $100 voucher. Then there's San Francisco's "Kitchen Sink Challenge" which features 8 ice cream flavors smothered in 8 toppings, with whipped cream, toasted almonds, and cherries to go around. If that doesn't sound like much, you'll need to scarf all that down by beating the record time or finishing inside of 30 minutes. If you manage all that, a year's supply of free ice cream can be yours – if you can still look at it, that is.

So we shouldn't be surprised that our cousins from across the pond have come up with an extreme way for people to get their fish and chip fix. The Anker Fish Bar in the U.K. has a challenge that entails eating three hefty pieces of battered cod, chunky fries (or 'chips'), and three slices of bread and butter. And before you say, "That's IT?" know that you also get a choice of four sides: beans, mushy peas, curry sauce, and gravy. This fish and chip monster is very appropriately named "The Colossus" (via LadBible).

Anker Fish Bar co-owner Elizabeth Forrester admits that The Colossus isn't for the faint of heart. "I could never imagine eating it myself. I don't think I could even attempt it," she says (via LadBible). But other folks apparently don't feel the same way because since the food challenge was issued, there have been takers. "We have had nine people take on the challenge so far since we started the fish and chip challenge last month and it has only been completed once," she says. That's not surprising since The Colossus, which weighs 5.5 pounds and packs 3,000 calories,  needs to be consumed within an hour. 

So what must it feel like to eat all that food? Forrester has an answer: "They end up looking like they're in a coma after attempting the 3,000-calorie meal. Their eyes are glazed over and they said that they felt like they couldn't even move after their attempt."

While fish and chips are overwhelming in and of themselves, it's apparently not the portion size of the fish and chips that causes people to throw up their hands in defeat. Forrester says, "I think that the slices of bread and butter make the challenge even more difficult. I say to all of the competitors that it'll be the bread that gets them." There is a prize for the person who gets to the end of this meal – a chance to eat the belly-buster for free.