Friday mealtime promises to be epic

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/epicmealtime.jpg” caption=”Harley Morenstein, host of the popular YouTube cooking show Epic Meal Time, will take part in a live performance of the show Friday night at campus pub TwelvEighty. “]Hundreds of “haters” are expected at campus pub TwelvEighty Friday night when the
cast of the wildly popular YouTube cooking show Epic Meal Time visits campus for a sold-
out performance.

The weekly show, which features the tongue-in-cheek creation of outrageous high-
calorie meals made mainly out of meat, is hosted by Montreal native Harley Morenstein
and a group of his friends. They will perform a live version of the show in front of
viewers, who Morenstein refers to as “haters”, at 8 p.m.

Episodes of Epic Meal Time have included the cooking of a lasagna made of various
types of fast-food items, hamburgers and hot dogs made of donuts and candy, a
sandwich with 84 eggs and an “ultimate meatloaf”.

The show's most popular episode features the cooking of a 20-pound pig stuffed with
an 8-pound turkey, a 6-pound duck, a 4-pound chicken, a Cornish hen, a quail and
bacon-croissant stuffing, all wrapped in strips of bacon. According to the on-screen
calorie and fat counter, the meal – known as the TurBaconEpic – clocks in at 79,046
calories and 6,900 grams of fat. To date, the video has been viewed more than 10
million times.

Martin Gibala, chair of the kinesiology department, puts the meal in perspective.
According to him, the average person would have to run approximately 30 marathons to
burn off the calories found in a TurBaconEpic. To burn off the 84-egg sandwich, which has approximately 48,000 calories, a person would have to complete about 80 hour-long, high-intensity spinning classes.

Dr. Jan Young, medical director of McMaster's Student Wellness Centre, said that it's one
thing to consume an Epic Meal Time-like meal once as a lark, but another to fall into
unhealthy eating habits.

“Eating a high-fat meal one time isn't so much the concern,” said Young. “But poor
nutrition over the long-run leads to poor health.”

Young stresses a balanced approach to nutrition and often points students to the
Canada Food Guide as a reference. She recommends including adequate amounts of
whole grains, fruits, vegetables, calcium and protein in your diet as well as ensuring the
proper distribution of meals throughout the day. She also points to sleep as being a
major contributing factor in maintaining good health.

“And, of course, getting enough exercise,” she said.