Don Gorske Eats 23,000 Big Macs

I don't now which is more astounding -- the fact that Don Gorske has consumed 23,000 Big Macs or the fact that he has lived to tell about it.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

A 54-year-old man says his obsessive-compulsive disorder drove him to eat 23,000 Big Macs in 36 years.

Fifty-four-year-old Don Gorske says he hit the milestone last month, continuing a pleasurable obsession that began May 17, 1972...

Gorske has kept every burger receipt in a box. He says he was always fascinated with numbers, and watching McDonald's track its number of customers motivated him to track his own consumption.

The only day he skipped a Big Mac was the day his mother died, to respect her request.

Seriously, that must have been tough for Gorske to go without his daily Big Mac when his mother passed away.

The correctional-institution employee says he doesn't care when people call his Big Mac obsession crazy. He says he's in love with the burgers, which are the highlights of his days.

After 23,000 Big Macs, you'd think Gorske would have fallen out of love with the burgers, but they still are the highlights of his day.

That is true love.

Given his 36-year loyalty to the "two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun," I think McDonald's should give Gorske a free Big Mac for life.

From the Fond du Lac Reporter:

Fully understanding Fond du Lac's Big Mac Daddy takes more than sorting through every box of memorabilia, wrapper and proof-of-purchase cluttering his home.

...[The story of the] physically fit husband, father, traveler and author has more layers than the sandwich he adores.

It's an obsession that began May 17, 1972, when he got his first car. Inside a safe box, he has all his receipts. Inside his head, however, are distinct memories of how his Obsessive-compulsive disorder mixes with numbers, dates and facts in a way his wife, Mary, just chuckles at.

"People might as well know how things like (OCD) get started," Gorske said. "I shouldn't say my parents fought a lot, but they did. My dad was constantly on my mom to penny pinch. If she would leave the faucet on, he'd yell at her. If she left the stove burner on, he'd yell at her.

"When I was really small, one of the first things I remember is she would say, 'Donny, can you make sure, before dad gets home, that the refrigerator is shut and the burners and everything are off?' I literally touched everything in the kitchen. I would go to the bathrooms to touch everything to make sure everything was off and the doors were shut."

...Gorske became fascinated with numbers before he entered school. His mother helped him track odometer readings from family cars and he used subtraction to determine average miles traveled in a week. Now, he is employed by Waupun Correctional Institution and deals with dates and numbers daily.

For Gorske, seeing McDonald's track its number of customers served only motivated him to track his share eaten.

His desire to keep records has even trickled into the 205-page book titled "22,477 Big Macs."

I wonder why Gorske hasn't sought help for his obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Maybe he has, though his OCD doesn't seem to keep him from functioning.

He seems to have a happy marriage and family and a good life. He's supposedly physically fit, which is amazing after 23,000 Big Macs.

Gorske doesn't seem to be suffering.

I guess if eating 23,000 Big Macs is wrong, he doesn't want to be right.