Last summer, on a staggeringly hot day, I sat down with four young men and attempted to eat a 3.5 pound burrito in five minutes. I failed. Miserably. But three of the other competitors surrounding me finished the massive concoction of tortilla, meats, cheese, chilies, sauce, rice, beans and who knows what else before time expired.
Known as the Boswell Challenge, the event is the Taco Stand's eating challenge that fewer than 10 people have completed (one of whom is the Source's own James Williams), and takes its name from local road cyclist Ian Boswell, who first completed the feat. Since then, many have answered the challenge, only to leave the legendary Bend lunch spot defeated, bloated and swearing off Mexican food for the rest of that month.
How anyone can do this is beyond me. After I consumed two-thirds of the Boswell, I didn't eat for almost 24 hours. My stomach had unilaterally decided that it could fuel my body exclusively with burrito for a day or so. I quickly realized that I'm not the big eater I'd once thought I was.
But if you're going to try this (and what the hell, you might as well), I suggest getting a group of eaters together, calling ahead to the Taco Stand with your order and then doing some simple preparation. Drink tons of water in the morning with a small breakfast. Exercise that morning, if possible. Then, don't plan on doing anything that afternoon; you're not going to be able to move.
