Category: Big Food

  • World’s Second-Largest Watermelon Slice, Green River, Utah

    The World's Second-Largest Watermelon Slice, Green River, Utah

    Being known as The World’s Second-Largest Watermelon Slice is a juicy claim to fame – but this sweet treat is served with a side dish of fraudulence.

    It is with a touch of melon-choly that I can reveal The World’s Second-Largest Watermelon Slice isn’t the world’s second-largest watermelon slice at all.

    Despite measuring 25 feet (7.62 metres) from end to chubby end, the pride of Green River, Utah may not even be in the top three.

    Muscatine, Iowa is home to the biggest variety of watermelon in the world. Installed in 2023, The World’s Largest Watermelon Slice is a mouth-watering 40 feet (12 metres) long.

    The outback town of Chinchilla in Queensland, Australia, is famous for its scrum-diddly-umptious Big Melon. At 30 feet (9 metres) in length, you don’t want to miss this thriller in Chinchilla!

    There’s also a delicious watermelon slice in Bushy Park, Australia that, whilst slightly shorter than the Green River version, is more voluminous. It is my humble opinion that its perky plumposity places it higher on this epoch-making list.

    Seedless to say, I’ve sent a strongly-worded email to the Green River Tourism Board, demanding they change the name – but so far it’s been a fruitless endeavour.

    I suppose ‘The World’s Third or Fourth-Largest Watermelon Slice’ just isn’t as snappy.

    Whilst her salad days are over, this gorgeous gourd is still the biggest watermelon sculpture in Green River, Utah. So trundle along to see her and have a slice day!

    He’s one in a melon!

    None of that changes the fact that, for almost 70 years, she was the very largest watermelon slice the world had ever known. The Melon was built sometime in the 1950s, as the centrepiece for the annual Watermelon Days festival.

    Brightly painted and whimsically detailed, she originally had an engine and could be driven around town. I bet other motorists were green (and red) with envy!

    Sadly, the motor conked out some time ago. Now the The World’s Second-Largest Watermelon is wheeled around the streets on a custom-made trailer every September, when the freshly-renamed Melon Days bonanza takes over the region.

    Apart from admiring the town’s beloved Big Thing, melon-muchers can join the melon carving party or have a unicorn ride. There’s also a range of yummy watermelon relishes and chutneys on offer, and a free concert.

    Unfortunately, mid-90s alt-rockers Blind Melon are yet to make an appearance – which really rinds my gears!

    The rest of the year The Watermelon can be found behind the John Wesley Powell River History Museum. She’s lovingly maintained and even lives under a cute shelter, so she isn’t damaged by the harsh Utah sun.

    What she lacks in size compared to modern slices, The Watermelon more than makes up for in small-town wholesomeness. She’s kitschy, quirky, and the perfect place to stop while driving between Utah and Colorado.

    If it’s wrong to fall in love with a red-and-green wooden roadside attraction, then I must be a convicted melon!

  • The Snelgrove Ice Cream Cone, Salt Lake City, Utah

    The Snelgrove Ice Cream Cone, Salt lake City, Utah

    For a double scoop of fun, trundle over to the Sugar House neighbourhood of Salt Lake City, where you’ll find an ice cream cone of scrumptious proportions!

    The Snelgrove Ice Cream Cone was created by the YESCO sign company and erected outside the famous Snelgrove ice cream parlor and factory, at 850 East 2100 South, in 1962. The frozen treat spun tantalisingly, whispering sweet nothings about the mouthwatering flavours found inside.

    Carmel Cashew. Canadian Vanilla. And my personal favourite, the decadent Burnt Almond Fudge.

    Snelgrove became an SLC institution. Stores opened up across the city and their tempting treats became synonymous with the Beehive State. It was the perfect place to chill out – especially on Sundaes!

    But, like a dollop of Peppermint Chocolate Spray on a hot Utahn afternoon, the good times soon melted away, leaving nothing but a sticky, sanguine mess…

    Snels Like Teen Spirit

    The Snelgrove chain was sold to the Dreyer’s group in the early-90s, and hearts broke from St George to Logan when the brand was discontinued in 2008. The shell of their flagship ice-creamatorium, once the soul of SLC, was demolished in 2021.

    I don’t want to waffle-cone on, but they were grim times.

    Thankfully, the giant gelato remains – and it’s not going anywhere. Having been deemed historic, the cone can’t be torn down, and will be here surprise and delight visitors for generations to come.

    It was a cream come true when I visited, but the dilapidated condition of the statue left me cold. A homeless guy from a nearby soup kitchen did blow me a kiss, however, which was a real cone-fidence boost.

    There’s a similar monument above the Jimmy John’s sandwich emporium at 400 South. But is has, sacrilegiously, been painted jet-black. Don’t worry, I’ve left the restaurant a one-star review on Yelp, so I’m sure they’ll repaint it any day now.

    But there is light at the end of the tunnel. A handful of new Snelgrove shops have opened up across Utah in the last few years, and there’s word that their signature statue may even be moved to a new location.

    And that, my frozen friends, is the scoop on The Snelgrove Ice Cream Cone!

    The Emperor of The Snelgrove Ice Cream

    Call the roller of big cigars,
    The muscular one who is fascinated by roadside attractions, and bid him whip
    In big blenders concupiscent curds
    Let the beavers boogie in their ballgowns
    As they are used to wear, and let the oversized cowboys
    Bring flowers in last month’s newspapers
    Let The Gonzo be seen
    The only emperor is the emperor of The Snelgrove Ice Cream.

    Munch on a taco with an iguana
    Or pose for three photos with a major miner
    Then rock out with a big guitar
    A smile shall spread across your face
    If Mike the Chicken‘s little feet protrude, you’ll come
    To know how cool Big Things are, and fun!
    Let the lamp affix its beam.
    The only emperor is the emperor of The Snelgrove Ice Cream.

  • Egg Sheeran, Warral, NSW

    Egg Sheeran the Big Egg, Warral, New South Wales, Australia

    There’s an egg-straordinary Big Thing to see in the village of Warral, just outside of Tamworth. Dear readers, please ome-let me introduce you to the imaginatively-titled Egg Sheeran.

    Y’know, like Ed Sheeran, the singing sensation. Pallid and globular with bright orange highlights, it’s no wonder the locals named this egg-normous statue after the carrot-crowned English rock god.

    Unlike Ed, who is known for his bad boy swagger, The Big Egg has an over-easygoing personality. The great big goog sits out the front of the picturesque Kelso Park Farm and has, sadly, seen better days. But I’m not going to bene-dictate whether the owners should clean him up or not.

    Whilst Ed has millions of groupies who swarm after him wherever he goes, it’s rare for Egg to have more than 30 or 40 devotees hanging around him at any one time. But it’s hard to get an eggs-act number.

    Not much is known about this big, concrete ovum – I came up with a duck’s egg when I tried to find out who made it and when. The question of ‘why’ doesn’t even need to be asked. As Ed would say, his namesake Egg is absolutely Perfect.

    Altogether now:I found an egg for me
    Oh, darling, just drive along Werris Creek Road and it will be seen
    Well, I found an egg, beautiful and sweet
    Oh, I’d like to eat him with some bacon and beans!

    I’m in love with the taste of you

    With Ed Sheeran and Egg Sheeran having so much in common, there was room for confusion when I hatched a plan to take Bigella – a lifelong ‘Sheerio’ – out to Warral to meet ‘Mr Sheeran’.

    “He’s playing out here in the middle of nowhere?” a wide-eyed Bigella asked as we a-poached The Big Egg.
    “Yes, Bigella,” I tittered. “I’m just as shell-shocked as you.”

    After pulling the Bigsmobile over by the side of the road, Bigella’s shoulders slumped. Tentatively, she circled Egg Sheeran.

    “He’s not all he’s cracked up to be,” she blubbered. “It’s just a rotten egg sculpture.”
    “Oh well,” I shrugged, feeling very pleased with myself indeed. “Different strokes for different yolks, I suppose.”
    “Shoosh Bigs, you’re scrambling on and on.”

    I had one final, hilarious, surprise in store for Bigella. As she reconsidered her life choices, I stepped behind the egg, pulled on a rubber chicken mask, and emerged as my alter-ego Jeremy Cluckson. I’d barely started gyrating around when Bigella started choking the chicken.

    “Bigella, it’s me, just silly old me!” I bagawked. “I was playing a childish prank!”

    “Of course I know it’s you – I’m eggs-asperated because you brought me all the way out here to the worst Big Thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” she spat. “It’s rusty, it doesn’t look very much like an egg, and it’s in a really shady place.”
    “Yes, there are a few trees around.”
    “No, it looks like someone’s going to come out of that house and stab us.”

    “I think you’re eggs-aggerating,” I replied. “But I’m sorry I fried to you about meeting Ed Sheeran.”
    “You left me with egg all over my face.”
    “To make it up to you, I’ll take you to meet Lizzo.”
    “The vivacious, curvaceous Lizzo? It’s not some dilapidated lizard sculpture you’ve named Lizzo?”
    “Um, no,” I smirked, ushering Bigella into the car for the 15-hour drive to see a dilapidated lizard sculpture I’d named Lizzo.

  • Randy’s Donut, Inglewood, California

    Randy's Donut, Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, United States of America

    For a HOLE lotta fun, pop along to Randy’s Donuts in Inglewood, Los Angeles. A pastiche of 1950s counter-culture, Randy’s is one of the most beloved restaurants in America, offering a plethora of pungent pastries. And bake sure to save room for the main course – the iconic, 32.6ft-wide donut on the roof!

    Randy’s enormous donut is the first thing many people see as they descend upon the City of Angels. It’s only a few minutes drive from LAX – and the perfect place to carb load after a long flight. Dominating the landscape, the donut is as synonymous with the city as the Hollywood sign, botox, and homeless encampments.

    What could be more typical of LA than a Korean tourist and a doo-rag-sporting gangbanger squatting next to each other, eyes agog, cream smeared across faces, after an encounter with Randy’s Donut?

    You might recognise Randy’s Donuts from movies like Get Shorty, Iron Man 2, Mars Attacks! and the critically-divisive Earth Girls Are Easy. Don’t worry if you haven’t heard about that last one – it didn’t make much dough at the box-office!

    The Donut, sadly, is often draped with advertising banners that completely obscure it. Thankfully, it was naked when I visited. I would’ve hated to be on the wrong end of some good old fashioned police brutality for tearing the signage off Randy’s Donut in order to take these extraordinary photos!

    The Everlasting Glaze

    The story of Randy’s Donuts is even more scrumptious than the treats they sell (although the fruity pebbles-sheathed donuts come pretty dang close!). Back in the late-’40s, an entrepreneurial chap named Russell C. Wendell launched a chain of takeaway restaurants known as The Big Do-Nut Drive-In.

    Needing something to help stand out in the dog-eat-dog world of light refreshments, ‘Wendy’ approached eccentric structural engineer Richard Bradshaw with an outlandish idea. Each shop would be crested by a donut of obscene proportions.

    Using rolled steel bars to create the rotund shape, and covering them with concrete, each Big Donut weighed an impressive 15,000 pounds. Which is about how much I’d weigh if I ate there every day, tee-hee!

    The second shop opened in 1953, in the blossoming suburb of Inglewood – but I donut know why he chose that location. The restaurant, much like the donuts, was always jam-packed!

    The grand opening was like nothing the good folk of LA had ever seen. Chevy Bel-Airs and Ford T-Birds were lined up round the corner. Greasers and socs put their differences to one side to share an apple fritter.

    World peace, it seemed, was within our cinnamon-dusted grasp. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, but at this point the tale becomes a little bit stale.

    Tired of standing in the shadow of his own big donut, ‘Wendy’ sold the restaurants in the 1970s. Robert Eskow bought the Inglewood location, renaming it Randy’s Donuts after his son. Tragically, most of the other shops closed, their Big Donuts scraped into the bin like yesterday’s leftovers.

    In recent years, new Randy’s franchises have sprung up in Las Vegas, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and the Philippines. But none have a huge donut on the roof, so who cares?

    Feeling Randy

    As a strict adherent to the Atkins diet, I was only able to enjoy a few sumptuous bites from an Oreo-crowned frosted donut before rushing to the nearest restroom to purge myself of the dreaded calories. The creamy, dreamy flavours that swelled around in my mouth, however, were enough to cause my eyes to glaze over.

    From bacon maple Long Johns to cinnamon-encrusted bear claws, sea salt caramel lattes to those super cute pink donuts with the itsy-bitsy sprinkles on the top – for any trip to LA, Randy’s is the icing on the cake… uh, donut!

    Wiping the decadent chocolate from my lips, I noticed a familiar figure, clad in a sheepskin cloak that left little to the imagination, hobbling towards the donut shop. It was my good pal, beloved character actor Randy Quaid, who I befriended on the set of the Yuletide classic National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie’s Island Adventure.

    (As an aside, whilst I portrayed Clark – the son of Randy’s character, Eddie – in the film, Randy has come to see me as a father figure over the years, often approaching me for advice during his many times of need)

    “Hi Randy,” I chuckled, before pointing towards the oversized donut. “Your order’s ready, and they’ve already written your name on it.”

    Randy’s face dropped, and he peered anxiously around the busy car park.

    “How do they know my name?” he yelped. His eyes darting from side to side. His tongue flicked across his lips. “And how do they know what I wanted? They’re watchin’ me, Bigs. The guv’ment is watchin’ me!”

    With that, Randy – poor, sweet, misguided Randy – stripped off his cloak and then ran, naked, into the unflinching Los Angeles traffic.

    Oh well, it’s not every day you get to see Randy’s Nuts!

  • EddieWorld, Yermo, California

    EddieWorld, Yermo, California, United States

    Heading to Las Vegas to gamble away your life savings and admire a few Big Things? Then make sure you swing by California’s SWEETEST holiday destination – EddieWorld! You can’t miss it, just look out for the 65-foot ice cream out the front.

    Rising like a lurid mirage just outside Yermo, The Big Sundae’s euphoric hues – pink and blue and canary yellow – lure in excited roadtrippers and frazzled encyclopaedia salesmen with the promise of treasures innumerable. And the cherry on top is, well, the cherry on top.

    Proudly advertised as California’s largest gas station, EddieWorld boasts 26 pumps (I counted them!) and 27,000ft of retail space (I measured it with my trundle wheel – thanks, José, for rearranging the jerky shelves and Frazil ice drink machines so I could get an accurate reading).

    There are three world-class restaurants, plenty of souvenirs, and even a shrine to popular local netball team the LA Lakers. EddieWorld also offers more soda flavours than you could shake an insulin syringe at at. Prickly pear, pumpkin crème, and gherkin are personal faves. Yes, EddieWorld’s the perfect place to scoop up a bargain!

    EddieWorld also has dozens of charging sor-bays for electronic vehicles. Cool!

    The men’s toilets, usually a tribute to the grotesque, prove to be another highlight. It’s not unusual to enter to the celebratory sounds of hoots and high-fives, as each urinal is fitted out with a high-tech electrical game controlled through a carefully-aimed stream.

    Sadly, I didn’t partake. I simply didn’t need Bigella getting on my case about having fun in public toilets with strange men again.

    On the Sundae of Life

    With its retro charm, EddieWorld’s giant gelado is a mouthwatering tribute simpler time. It may surprise you, then, that this wintery wonderland is but a few, delicious years old.

    Enigmatic entrepreneur Eddie Ringle opened the first EddieWorld gas station in Nevada in 2001. It was a moderate success, but lacked a certain je ne sais quoi. That missing ingredient turned out to be a six-storey ice cream, which became the focal point of his second gas station, served up to a famished public one warm day in 2018.

    Proving that anything is popsicle, EddieWorld quickly became California’s pre-eminent tourist attraction. It was a rocky road to success, but they made it. And don’t worry, this sundae is open seven days a week!

    When the Land of the Bigs crew turned up, Bigella wasted little time maxing out the company AmEx on lollies, soda, plushies, commemorative t-shirts and a big ol’ bucket of butter pecan ice cream.

    Not wanting to dirupt my strict paleo diet, I bypassed the sundaes in favour of a small bag of gluten free bacon and cheese flavoured crickets. They were every bit as disgusting as you’d expect, and I became ever-so-slightly ravenous as I watched Bigella guzzling her sumptuous frozen delicacies, the decadent snack dripping down her fingers in the waning Californian sun.

    Succumbing to my lust for the sugary treat, I lunged towards my comrade’s food in a desperate attempt to ladle it into my gaping maw. I instantly learned that one should never get in between Bigella and a tub of ice cream, because she responded by delivering a severe beating and dumping me, semi-conscious and bleeding heavily, at the base of The Big Sundae.

    I suppose I got my just desserts!

  • Breakfast, Grand Junction, Colorado

    Breakfast, Grand Junction, Colorado, United States

    Feeling famished after a long morning spent searching for Colorado’s Big Things? Then pop into one of Grand Junction’s world-class cafés for a sumptuous plate of jalapeño eggs benedict!

    But if you’re hungry for a thought-provoking art piece that will touch your soul, head to the corner of Main and 7th. There you’ll find Breakfast, a delicious effigy of an apple that shall satiate any appetite.

    Created by local artiste Terry Burnett, who lives in (where else?) Fruita, this scrumptious morsel is a comical homage to the local fresh produce industry. With its garish colours and surreal juxtaposition against the buzzing traffic, it’s no wonder Breakfast has become the apple of many a Coloradan eye.

    At the core of it, however, Breakfast provides a scathing critique of overconsumption. Pear – oops, I mean peer! – towards the base of the attraction to find an ant, eyes bugging out of his head, fresh from gorging himself on an apple many times his own size.

    Known to his admirers as António (not to be confused with the Portuguese scallywag I bumped into in North Queensland – boy, was he a bad apple!) this critter has become the unofficial mascot of Grand Junction. Whilst not as large as other creepy crawlies such as The Big Spider and The Black Ant, António’s unabashed enthusiasm for binge eating should be an inspiration to us all.

    After all, it’s just as American as apple pie!

    A Big Apple A Day…

    I was so aroused by António’s gastrological antics, in fact, that I headed into the nearest greasy spoon and ordered everything on the menu. As plate after plate of apple crumble and apple turnovers landed before me, I regaled the other diners with my vast knowledge of oversized apples.

    “There are many other Big Apples spread across the United State – although none, curiously, located in New York,” I told anyone within earshot, before ladling more apple strudel down my gullet. “You may also want to trot over to Australia, where you’ll have a fruitful experience tracking down Big Apples in Batlow, Balhannah, Acacia Ridge, Darkes Forest, Yerrinbool and Tallong. I could go on and on, but I’d hate to upset the apple cart.

    “By the way, are you going to finish that apple fritter?”

    I’m now dealing with a fairly serious eating disorder and life-altering cholesterol, but that’s a small price to pay to experience Coloradan hospitality.

    Well, they do say breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

  • The Big Strawberry, Elimbah, QLD

    The Big Strawberry, Elimbah, Queensland

    Roll up, roll up to the ravishing Rolin Farm, where you’ll find a truss-see attraction – The Big Strawberry! This plump, juicy fruit stands four metres tall from rambunctious receptacle to perky peduncle, and is sure to in-stem-tly find a place in your heart.

    The Strawberry was crafted to draw attention to the farm’s pulp-ular store, which is open from June to October each and every year. It’s certainly been a fruitful venture, with throngs of Biggies lining up to have their photo snapped with this Big, before heading inside to stock up on jams, marmalades, ice creams and other goodies.

    For those who can pluck up the courage to get their hands dirty, it’s possible to pick your own strawberries. From just $6 a bucket, it’s hardly daylight strobbery. Don’t punnets yourself by missing out!

    It was a pit-y, however, that the Strawberry wasn’t looking particularly fresh when I visited in early-2023. With cracking calyx and peeling paint, she was a pale imitation of the bright ‘n’ beautiful Strawberry in Koonoomoo. Thankfully she hasn’t deteriorated to the extent of the Luddenham Strawberry, but I remain berry concerned for her welfare.

    There has been word that the owners will repaint the Strawberry when they get a break from picking fruit, so I’ll try my harvest to remain positive.

    Keep Rolin, Rolin, Rolin, Rolin!

    Who’s in the strawberry patch with Bigsy? Bigella’s at the Strawberry with me! Gordon and Gordina are also here. ‘Neath the shade of the old apple tree!

    My apologies for bursting into song, but my inner Tony Orlando always swaggers forth whenever I’m confronted by a truly straw-inspiring Big. The four of us had the Strawberry to ourselves, as we visited out of season, and so were able to soak in the spectacle of this Queensland icon.

    Our encounter with The Big Strawberry, as she hung like a blood-red dew-drop in the autumnal twilight, was a provocative, solemn, incongruous and super juicy experience that was every bit as scrumptious as the fruit she’s based upon.

    Gordina, the on-again-off-again lady friend of Gordon, was berry impressed by this Big’s ex-seed-ingly large size, and was more than happy to fill the role as our very own strawberry shortcake for these fascinating photos.

    So enraptured by The Big Strawberry were Bigella and I that we made the snap decision to become strawberry farmers. Rolin Farms is a working plantation and always on the lookout for eager employees, so our gaggle trotted up to the front door, caps in hands. Gordon, in his most deferential voice, pitched our value to the farm.

    Unfortunately the only jobs on offer involved actually picking the strawberries, rather than taking cute photos of them for Insta. I’d just had my nails done, so we piled back into the Bus of the Bigs and set off for greener pastures.

    “Well,” Gordon said with a world-weary sigh as we drove into the night, “there goes my chance of being on the next season of Farmer Wants a Wife.”

  • The Big Pie, Hamilton, VIC

    The Big Pie, King's Bakery & Cafe, Hamilton, Victoria, AUstralia

    Got a BIG appetite after a BIG day tracking down BIG Things? Then head to the shop with the pie on top! King’s Bakery & Cafe has been an institution in Hamilton since 1913, feeding the masses with a splendid selection of cakes, pasties, sausages rolls, slices and sandwiches.

    It’s the square meat pies, however, that truly tickle the tastebuds. Steak and kidney, chicken and veggie, even the vaunted egg and bacon – each sumptuous parcel of golden, flaky pastry is full to the brim with juicy, tender meat and a heady mix of herbs and spices that will make you think you’ve pied and gone to heaven.

    So revered are these pies by the good people of the Grampians that the owners had no choice but to install a massive meat pie on the roof of the bakery. The eerily-realistic representation of the beloved snack serves as a beacon for the throngs of pie-lovers making their pilgrimage to this sacred site, and can be seen from all corners of Hamilton. After arriving, it’s all gravy!

    The Big Pie is at once both robust and saucy, demanding one’s attention with its severe angles and voluptuous, well-maintained torso. The only pie in the ointment is that, due to its position, this Big can be difficult to take a photo with. But, to be honest, being hit by a car as you trot across the Glenelg Highway is a small price to pay for such a wonderful photo op!

    When the moon hits your eye like Hamilton’s Big Pie – that’s amore!

    Feeling a bit cheeky, I pushed my hardline flexitarian diet to one side and gorged myself upon a brash, yet ever-so-slightly pompous beef burgundy pie with a generous dollop of tomato sauce. The service was snappy, my piping-hot meal served with a smile just as large as The Big Pie.

    As the rich gravy dripped down my chin, I was sequestered away upon a savoury tapestry of meaty scrumptiousness that would delight and tantalise even the most fastidious gastronomist. I knew that every decadent calorie was worth it – and I’m pretty sure I burnt off a week’s worth salivating over the nearby Big Bandicoot, anyway!

    Scoffing a mouthwatering cheese and onion pie as you take a selfie with this tempting treat should be enough to send anyone into a scrumptious food coma but, if you’re still hungry for more Big Pies, they’re certainly out there. Yatala’s Big Pie is widely regarded as Queensland’s greatest tourist attraction, whilst The Bilpin Apple Pie is a crust-see for those with a sweet tooth.

    Whichever Big Pie you choose to visit, I’m sure it’ll bake all your dreams come true!