Stuff that Weighs More than Me: Whale Shark

The sweet chile salmon I had for dinner the other night [recipe here] got me thinking about the biggest fish in the sea, and that my friends is the whale shark.  (Before you get all sassy, regular whales aren't fish, they're mammals--so there nyeah.)  Despite it's organic, low-carb, largely vegetarian diet, this is one big mother of a fish.  And the lovely, gentle whale shark offers further proof that not all big girls live on McDonalds Big Macs and ice cream sundaes.  Here's the stats:

Diet: Plankton, seaweeds and small fish
Length: 18-32.2 feet
Approximate Volume: Similar to a school bus
Average Weight: 20.6 tons

Conclusion: The Whale Shark weighs more than me.

Stuff that Weighs More than Me: Riding the Rails

My excursion to the McDonalds Railroad got me thinking about rail cars.  As it turns out, passenger rail cars went through several heavyweight and lightweight stages depending on whether smooth ride (comfort) or fuel efficiency (speed) were in vogue.  This is sort of the transportation equivalent of the yo-yo dieter.  In any case, here's the current stats:

Rail Car Length: 60-70 ft.
Weight Empty: 30 tons
Weight Full: Up to 140 tons

Conclusion: Empty or full, a rail car weighs more than me.

Stuff that Weighs More than Me: Dover (and his Bloomin' Arse)

Went to the races today and so I have horses on the brain.  (Not literally, I mean--ouch!)  But I loved watching those beauties sprint across the line.  So I did a little research and here are the stats:

Hand=4 inches
Height: 15-17 hands (60-68 inches)
Weight: 900-1200 lbs.

Conclusion: A race horse weighs more than me (and is faster than me too). 
Want to hear more about my trip to the races?  [Click here.]

Stuff that Weighs More than Me: The World's Largest (Easter) Basket

Keeping with the Easter theme, today we're talking about the world's biggest basket (which becomes the world's largest Easter basket but only between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday).

The basket is a 160x replica of Longaberger's Medium Market Basket and is used as the Longaberger company headquarters.  Between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday large replica eggs are added to the top of the basket.

Here's the stats:

Bottom Dimensions: 192 ft. long by 126 ft. wide
Roofline Dimensions: 208-ft. long by 142-ft. wide at the roofline
Weight: I can't find any statistics or estimates.  But we're talking about a 7 story building here.  Shortly after the thing was built a small PLANE flew through the handles.  So I feel it's pretty safe to say:


It weighs more than me.

Stuff that Weighs More than Me: The World's Largest (Edible) Easter Egg

Oh.  My.  God.  Sure there's the architectural marvel of the world's largest Easter egg.  But we're talking about CHOCOLATE now.

In 2005, the people of Guylian lovingly created an object of flocks of further fantasies with this big beauty.  All it took was 26 master chefs, 8 days and 50,000 Guylian praline chocolate bars.  It was built in Belgium (where else?)  Oh, and YUM!

Here's the stats:
Height: 27 feet 3 inches
Width:  21 feet
Weight: 4,299 lbs

Conclusion: The World's Largest Edible Easter Egg weighs more than me.

Stuff that Weighs More than Me: The World's Largest Easter Egg

Holy hernias Mr. Bunny.  The world's largest Easter Egg is found in Vegreville, Canada and was built in 1975 to commemorate early Ukrainian settlements there.  The Pysanka is a tremendous computer modeling, engineering and architectural achievement containing 524 star patterns, 2,206 equilateral triangles, 3,512 visible facets, 6,978 nuts and bolts, and 177 internal struts.

The patterns are believed to represent specific meanings:
The stars symbolize life and good fortune.
The three-pointed stars reference the Christian Trinity.
The band that circles the egg represent eternity.
The windmills are said to reference a good harvest and prosperity.

Ready?  Here's the stats!
Egg Width: 25.7 feet
· Egg Height: 18.3 feet
· Total Height: 31.6 feet
· Material: Alumuinum skin
· Turns like a weathervane
· Star Patterns: 524
· Triangular Pieces: 2,206
· Visible Facets: 3,512
· Nuts and Bolts: 6,978
Weight: Over 5,000 lbs.
Conclusion: The World's Largest Easter Egg Weighs More than Me.

Stuff that Weighs More than Me: Where's the Giant Pita?

Well along with the decades-long argument between Lebanese and Israelis about where hummus originated, we also have a battle for who can make the biggest hummus plate.  The Israeli's launched the opening initiaitve in May of 2008--creating a giant 4 meter (4.35) yard plate containing 881 pounds of hummus.  (The Israeli's love hummus with the average, per capita consumption hovering at about 22 pounds.)  But the Lebanese battled back in October of 2009 creating what is now considered the world's largest plate of hummus.  Here's the stats:

Hummus Plate
Number of Chefs: 300
Mashed chickpeas: 2,976 pounds
Lemon Juice: 106 gallons
Salt: 57 pounds

Total weight: 4,532 lbs.


Conclusion:  The World's Largest Plate of Hummus--whether Israeli or Lebanese weighs more than me.