The Biscuit, if you didn’t know, rows for the UNC-Chapel Hill men’s crew team. He was especially surprised to find a funny little article in rival N.C. State’s campus paper challenging him and any other team members this Saturday.

Looks like this is getting serious.

No matter who wins, though, we know which school has the better dining hall. (More on this in the next few weeks.)

If you want to consume 2400 calories, perhaps puke, and help the N.C. Children’s Hospital in one bite (OK, maybe a lot of bites), come out for the Krispy Kreme Challenge in Raleigh Saturday morning.

Apparently registration just filled (more than are 5,000 people doing it), but it should be a fun, maybe acrid and smelly, spectacle if you want something to watch in place of Saturday morning cartoons.

The Biscuit will be running in it. He’s even practiced eating the dozen donuts. They don’t go down hard, especially if they’re warm. The guilt of gluttony weighs the most in your stomach.

If you can’t make it out, check back early next week for a story and maybe some pictures or video.

If you’re there, come say hello. We’ll be wearing Carolina Blue unisuits.

In today’s column, I looked for the best meal I could eat in one sitting and enjoy every bite because it tasted good, didn’t cost too much and - most importantly - was extremely nutritious.

I found it with the Mediterranean Deli’s 4-item sampler.

Here are some nutritional facts and additional information to go along with the story. The nutrition information was derived using the USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory. (The numbers are all rough estimates because I couldn’t weigh everything, so take it with a grain of salt, which will be fine because you’re only at 3 percent of your sodium intake if you eat the meal)

Interesting facts:

- I did pretty well with carbs and protein; they worked out to be the right portions I mentioned in the article, and they were about a third of my recommended daily value, so I could still eat breakfast and dinner

- I’ll have to figure out what’s wrong with my fat intake. According to recommended portions, I should eat more fat so that it makes up about a third of my perfect meal, yet I’m already at half of my total daily intake

- John Anderson said there’s a good chance supplement pills don’t really do anything, so it’s good I’m getting plenty of vitamins and minerals from the food

- The only problem was the huge portions; I had to take some home, which never happens. A big problem is eating too much. Eat slowly so you realize you’re full

- Walnuts are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids, which might reduce the risk of heart disease

- Spinach: low in saturated fat, no cholesterol, very high in calcium, very high in dietary fiber, very high in iron, very high in manganese, very high in magnesium, high in niacin, very high in phosphorus, very high in potassium, very high in riboflavin, very high in thiamin, very high in vitamin A, very high in vitamin B6, very high in vitamin C, high in zinc

Well, it’s been a while hasn’t it? But The Biscuit has good news: a column in The Daily Tar Heel!

This semester, The Biscuit will be writing about food in Chapel Hill for UNC’s campus paper. The blog and articles will be integrated, so the site will supplement the columns with multimedia. That means there should be a steady supply of updates.

Expect the first real thing to run Wednesday. Before then, there might be a quick post. If not, see you then.

School is out for about a month, and The Biscuit is up in Boston. Although there will be lots of food, good food, in the frigid North, The Biscuit will probably relax until January.

Don’t fret, though, because there are already some stories in the works: Hanging out at Walt’s Grill; Which college has the best dining hall in the Triangle; the Krispy Kreme Challenge; The Biscuit’s hot sauce challenge. And some secret stuff along the way.

Enjoy the holidays and please let The Biscuit know if you have any ideas, suggestions or things you’d like to see on the site.

Until then happy eating. Go have fun with your food. In moderation.

So just a scattered, medium-winded post, some food for thought that starts with canned meat and ends with caloric burritos.

Apparently SPAM (Spiced Ham or Shoulder of Pork and Ham - the namesake is a big debate) is an economic indicator. Sales of the whateveritis meat product go up during hard economic times, bouts like these, according to the New York Times.

So The Biscuit bought a can (embarrassingly we’ve never had it before) and fried it up. The stuff was delicious, definitely worth it even when we’re not in a recession. Make sure you make the thing as brown and crispy as can be on the outside.

Financial woes aside, the problem becomes that many opponents of the mystery meat say it’s completely unhealthful. Looks like they’re right, but a small slice of 15 grams of fat is not scaring us away.

This made The Biscuit think: What is the worst food for your body out there? The answer will require a lot more research to find the real one, but check out this random link for a list of 100 gut-growing eats. Scroll down to look at Outback Steak House where it looks like they have no rules regarding nutrition.

The real surprise is Chipotle, the burrito behemoth that prides itself in fresh, high-quality ingredients and “only real food” (Is food ever fake?). The place is just terrible when it comes to healthful meals. And they’re devious when it comes to revealing the nutritional values of their menu-items.

Unlike McDonald’s, which lists the calories in a Big Mac, the Mexican (not really) eatery breaks its menu down into the smallest divisions possible. If you want to know what you’re eating, you have to add up the calories in their “naturally raised meats” and “hand mashed guacamole,” and beware that “numbers only tell part of the story.” Sure people can craft their own burritos, but franchises could at least offer an idea of the standard order and its contents.

The Biscuit doesn’t care that much about calories, but something about the corporate word choice is really irritating. Should eating be “an occasion, a celebration of real high-quality whole ingredients simply prepared to create extraordinary tastes - not a science experiment?” Hope the ingredients are real.

Let’s end on this, what you get when you finish a chicken burrito with cheese and corn salsa (no math necessary):

910 calories (1180 with sour cream and guacamole), 29.5 grams of fat (52.5 with the extras) and 2170 mg sodium (2390 if it’s loaded)

The tortilla is hands down the worst ingredient in all categories.

Fiesta!

For once eating will make other people besides yourself happy!

Restaurants throughout the Triangle will be donating 10 percent of their total receipts to charity as part of the 20th annual RSVVP Day. A lot of restaurants in Chapel Hill are participating. So go splurge. You might spot The Biscuit (probably in Carrboro).

When people talk about North Carolina cuisine, they talk about barbecue. Pork. Chopped. So what better way to get to know the state than attending the 25th annual N.C. BBQ Festival in Lexington?

The Biscuit recorded the experience, which was full of good food and even better people. Check it out below to see what you missed. You’ll definitely want to go next year. And if you’re wondering, it’s Western style.

This past weekend The Biscuit headed to the N.C. State Fair in Raleigh to sample some of the fried delicacies the vendors have to offer. For the most part, you can fry anything, and it will be good. Just not Oreos.

After learning that the Buckhorn Fleak Market is going to be closed to build a new shopping center, The Biscuit decided to drive over to Efland to check the grounds out before they disappear. Apparently the place is very popular for area Hispanics, who call it “la pulga,” or the flea, and the vendors sell all kinds of good food.

Unfortunately, The Biscuit got there later in the afternoon when things were wrapping up, so there was no cooked food, only produce.

To The Biscuit’s good fortune, however, we initially drove past the market’s entrance and ended up passing the Taquito de Oro lonchera. Hungry because there was nothing at the pulga, The Biscuit stopped by. Though the truck appeared to be cleaning up for closing, they had some pretty good food.

We ordered a barbacoa gordita and four tacos, one filled with al pastor, one with barbacoa, one with carnitas and the last with carne asada. Probably because they were about to close (it was around 4 p.m.), they gave us lengua, or tongue, instead of the carnitas, but it was surprisingly good. In fact, the meat had a slightly denser texture and didn’t look as sinewy or vessel-filled as the one The Biscuit had in Carrboro.

The al pastor, however, was a little questionable. There were about three very large chunks of fat for one little bit of pork, which made it not very enjoyable.

In the end, the gordita was the real winner. The Biscuit thinks calling it a really scrumptious Mexican take on a Philly cheese steak describes the item the best. The meat was as tender and moist as could be, doused in onions and cilantro, then covered with flavorful, melted and chewy cheese. The slightly crispy, slightly soft, thick masa tortilla was better than bread. Pour a little of the salsa verde on, and this a tasty, filling and cheap lunch.

So, if you ever find yourself in Efland, which is about 20 minutes west of Chapel Hill, on the weekends, stop by here for a quick meal to go that rivals the Carrboro taco trucks. At least head over there to check out the flea market before it closes.

Oh, and The Biscuit is excited because he’s heading to the N.C. State Fair and the N.C. BBQ festival this weekend! Stay tuned for cool findings.