I wish that was my witty title, but it’s actually the tag
line of Nom Nom Noodles, a soup/sandwich shop in western Houston. Tucked into a
strip mall in a suburban part of town, the stark blue walls and industrial look
of the restaurant betray a Spartan feel. Metal tables that seat four are strewn
across the floor, while a large projector TV played Sports Center in the late
afternoon, before the evening rush. Many come for the lo mein and banh mi, but
I am here for a different, and much larger meal, the E-nom-ous challenge.
This industrial mixing bowl of pho (a traditional Vietnamese
beef and noodle soup) contains 2 lbs. of meat, 2lbs of rice noodles, cilantro, red
onion, doused in a bucket of broth. Costing $19.99 + tax, hundreds have tried
to consume it in the allotted one hour limit, but only 13 have succeeded.
Should the feat be accomplished, the glutton receives a t-shirt, $50 gift card
(that cannot be used to pay for the soup recently consumed) and their name and
picture on the wall of fame, which is truly the most enticing aspect.
With a variety of meats selected, pictures taken, the
countdown began. The rare eye round steak was similar to roast beef. Leanest of
the cuts, it was soft and easy to eat. The brisket still had some intramuscular
fat, which lended itself to the flavor of the soup. The flank steak though,
still had chunks of fat and some connective tissue, which I was grateful I was
not required to eat. Despite the fat in the meats, the soup itself was not
swimming in oil. The broth, which as in most pho, is the most desirable part,
was created with beef bones and simmered for hours. Slightly sweet, slightly
sour, satisfyingly salty, the broth made slurping down the white, gelatinous
noodles easier. But let’s face it, 2lbs of noodles is not easy to eat, no
matter how good the broth is.
After removing my belt, stripping to my t-shirt, 37 minutes,
and a number of squirms, I finally reached the bottom of the bowl with a
triumphant slurp. Victory, and a very full belly, were mine. T-shirt in hand, I
waddled out, trying to decide what movie I was going to watch as I would hit
the elliptical all night. Check out pictures of the challenge and their food.
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