Don Gorske has eaten two Big Macs every day for 46 years. He’s just chomped on his 30,000th burger

UPDATE, MAY 7, 2018: The world record-holder for eating Big Macs has just eaten his 30,000th burger — and has promised to keep dining on McDonald’s until the day he dies.

Don Gorske has eaten two Big Macs every day since May 17, 1972.

Kids News reported on Mr Gorske’s personal challenge on February 28 this year, when his total was 29,877. It has taken him two months and one week to eat 123 more to reach the 30,000th.

He was officially entered into the Guinness Book of Records last year after eating his 28,788th burger in front of judges — a feat* no one in the world has come close to beating.

The retired* prison guard from the US state of Wisconsin told The Sun Online he is obsessed* with the fast food: “I love Big Macs so much I’ll keep eating them until I die.”

Incredibly, and despite medical advice that too much fast food is bad for you, 64-year-old Mr Gorske said his health was great.

“For some reason, I never get sick, I guess I’m lucky. My weight stays the same,” he said.

“I keep moving all the time, I like keeping busy.”

Mr Gorske, who became famous after his brief appearance on the 2004 movie Super Size Me, claimed when he tried a Big Mac for the first time he immediately gobbled two more — then returned twice the same day to have another six.

“I bit into that Big Mac and it was: ‘Boy, I would love to eat these everyday’ and that’s what I ended up doing.”

Since then he said the burgers have made up almost his whole diet.

“Most days that’s all I eat. I do eat other foods but not very much.”

In almost 46 years he says there’s only been eight days in which he hasn’t eaten a Big Mac, which prompted him to start hoarding “emergency” burgers in his freezer.

Snowstorms, work and travel were the reasons he missed days, though he also promised his mum he would abstain* on the day she died.

Nowadays Mr Gorske only visits McDonald’s twice a week. On a Monday, he’ll buy six Big Macs. He eats one, then wraps the rest in cling film and microwaves them as needed over the following days.

He returns on Thursday to buy another eight and repeats the process.

“It’s still my favourite food. So I’m pretty lucky — I can still eat my favourite food everyday,” Mr Gorske said.

This story originally appeared in The Sun and has been republished with permission.

GLOSSARY

feat: an achievement

retired: no longer working at the end of your career

obsessed: constantly talking about or wanting to do something

abstain: stop yourself from doing something

LISTEN TO TODAY’S STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

1. Your opinion

Are Big Macs your favourite food, too? Or perhaps you love lasagne or meat pies? Whatever it is, would you want to eat it every single day?

Think about it and decide if you could be like Don Gorske and live almost exclusively on your favourite food. Come up with three convincing reasons for your decision and write an exposition explaining why you do or do not think this is a great idea. Remember to include a title, an introduction that states your opinion, three paragraphs that each explain a different reason for your point of view and a conclusion.

Extension: Write a day’s menu that includes your favourite food as well as a variety of other choices that represent a healthy and balanced diet.

Time: Allow 30 minutes

Curriculum links: English, Health and Physical Education

2. Work it out

Write a series of mathematical equations that demonstrate how we can work out exactly how many Big Macs Don Gorske has eaten. There will be more than one way this can be calculated and it is up to you to decide how to do it, as long as all of your workings are shown. You will need to make sure you account for the few Big Mac-free days he has had in the past 46 years as well as allowing for leap years. You will know you have been accurate if your total is (or is close to) 30,000.

As you will be working with large numbers you may need a calculator to help you.

Extension: Perform some further calculations to work out what date Mr Gorske is due to reach his 30,100th Big Mac milestone on.

Time: Allow 20 minutes

Curriculum links: English, Mathematics

VCOP ACTIVITY

After reading the article, with a partner, highlight as many pieces of punctuation as you can find in green. Discuss how these are being used, where and how often. What level of the punctuation pyramid is the journalist using in this article?

IN ONE SENTENCE, TELL US WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT TODAY’S STORY

Please do not use one-word answers. Explain what you enjoyed or found interesting about today’s article. use lots of adjectives.