Fast Food Friday Returns! Joe vs. The Big Bell Box Meal
Having killed an entire bottle of Tums since my last Fast Food Friday outing, I decided to "think outside the bun" and head to Taco Bell this week.
There I found the new "Big Bell Box Meal," a cardboard chest of paper-wrapped faux-Mexican delectables whose advertising campaign encourages you to "eat like a man!"
My manhood thus challenged, I smacked down the $5 to prove I could down this 1,000 plus calorie "meal" and still stand up.
Unfortunately, I underestimated the Big Bell Box Meal. It made me its bitch, leaving me wrecked, bloated, nauseous and scared, twitching in a meat-cheese-sugar coma, softly sobbing: "No mas...no mas..."
Let's start with what's in this thing.
It seems to depend where you get it. It was originally advertised with the Bacon Club Chalupa, Beef Crunchy Taco, Bean Burrito, Cinnamon Twists and a large drink for $4.99. Mine was, instead, a Cheesy Double Beef Burrito, Beef Crunchy Taco, 1/2 lb. Beef and Potato Burrito, Cinnamon twists and a large drink.
Either way, I think we can all agree that this is, objectively, more food than a single healthy human should eat in one sitting. It is certainly more bad fast food Mexican than a single healthy human should eat in one sitting.
Knowing this, there's an exhilarating little twinge of fear when they hand you the closed box, like the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach from the CLANK CLANK CLANK sound of a steel rollercoaster as you slowly ascend that first hill.
The box seems designed to play on this. This is one mine looked like:
In the upper right hand side they've stamped the following warning:
Unfortunately, all this buildup leaves you in for a bit of a let-down when you crack it open to find...you know, some fast food tacos and cinnamon twists:
Don't get me wrong -- it still looks like a lot of food. But it's sort of like when you finally got to see the monster in Cloverfield. After all that...it's some boney sorta lizard thing with a fangy pug nose? That's it? Those weird spider-crab things were scarier.
But oh, that's what the Big Bell Box Meal wants you to think. Having lulled you into a false sense of security, it goes to work on your living guts as you shrug and hoist its first burrito.
"Not bad," you think.
Sure, this cheesy beef burrito thing is essentially just a soft beef taco with some rice and generic cheese sauce...but that's about what you've come to expect from the Bell people, and they're not going to throw you any curve balls.
As you unwrap the second one, your confidence begins to waver. Looking down at that box, at how much food is still there, is a bit like looking down as you stand on a 40 story ledge. The view was nice nice till you noticed all the pigeons and the vertigo set in.
When the second one's gone down you decide to take it easy -- sip on that Baja Blast and munch a few cinnamon twists as a sugary sweet counterweight to all that beef and processed cheese.
Oh, man. That wasn't such a good idea.
By the time you get down to just that crunchy taco the very smell of it makes you gag. You've downed a pound and a half of meat and cheese already and chased it with sugary carnival fries and and an effing Mountain Dew. What are you, stupid?
Had to give that last taco away.
And had a hard time finding someone to take it off my hands.
So -- the winner and still champeen... the Big Bell Box Meal. No way around it. It had its way, smacked me on the ass, tossed some bills on the night stand and left me feeling dirty.
But what was the real damage?
Calories: 1,370.
Total Fat: 63 grams
Sodium: 3910 milligrams
Carbohydrates: 159
Sugar: 22 grams.
(Source: Taco Bell)
That's more than a Wendy's Baconator AND a McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese worth of calories and fat.
And that's assuming you have water or a diet drink. And who are you kidding? You won't.
My advice: if you're going to order this little box of gastronomic horrors, bring a friend and split it.
Comments (4)
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I tried this yesterday. Mine contained a queso crunchwrap as the largest item. I'm not sure what is inside a queso crunchwrap but I can assure you that my determination to not let the big box get the better of me was the only reason I was able to finish it.
It's a good advertising campaign, hours after finishing the meal I was still being reminded of the Big Bell Box Meal...
Posted on June 27, 2008 6:35 PM
I think the crunchwrap thing would mix it up a bit and that would be good -- but I'm not sure I'd be able to finish it any easier.
Posted on June 27, 2008 6:38 PM
Oh my god this is hilarious. I got my Big Box yesterday as a thing i'd randomly try since i'm so indecisive. I'm eating my second one right now but your review made me LOL so hard.
One curious thing though, today I woke up from being BOXINATED this morning and felt pretty depressed. Now that i'm eating the BIG BOX i'm pretty content... what I wonder though is for... how long?
;_;
p.s. hasn't Super Size Me taught us anything? Why are there even FATTER, UNHEALTHIER foods now available?!
Posted on July 22, 2008 5:48 PM
LOVE the Big Box Bowel Blaster.
I always used to get the same thing @ the Bell. The "same thing" varied from year to year, but I always seemed to be in a rut.
I love the variety of the meal. I love not knowing what exactly will greet me.
I never eat it all, but I enjoy the journey.
This time it's been downsized. A "premium" treat is the feature -- Either a Steak Fajita Melt or a Jalapeno Chicken Melt. Teamed up with the standard drink & cinnamon twists. Replacing the taco and bean burrito is a single double decker taco.
Never much was a fan of the double decker. Beans are dry, and just don't eat as well as the bean burrito with its' "red sauce" to hydrate things. Still, not bad eats with enough hot sauce.
This time I went with the Jalapeno Chicken Melt. I figured, "slightly spicy chicken with cheeZe? Go for it...." HA! I was wrong! Chicken, rice, cheeZe, and..... ACTUAL JALAPENOS. Well, brined and preserved jalapenos. Still-- A fiery hell, the likes of which have never been seen by a taco bell customer who didn't request some hell on the side.
All in all---
I like the "premium" item with the slightly fancier item better than the trio of crapola.
Looking forward to the next incarnation.
Posted on August 23, 2008 2:55 AM