Clearly, Harold and Kumar aren’t the only ones eating at White Castle. Art definitely imitates life in the 2004 screwball comedy. In fact, this year, the Columbus, Ohio-based quick-service chain celebrates 85 years in the business. Since its start in March of 1921 in Wichita, Kan., White Castle has served more than 16 billion of its signature steam-grilled-on-a-bed-of-onions hamburgers, better known as “slyders” to members of this fast-food nation (just ask Harold and Kumar). And as the official sponsor of National Hamburger Month this May, the restaurant has several activities planned:

The 15th Annual Crave Time Cook Off: Each participant in this August event enters a unique recipe using 10 White Castle hamburgers. The winner gets a Crave Case of 30 burgers a week for one full year. Now that’s a lot of Slyders …

“By the Sackful: A Scrapbook with Recipes from 85 Years of Craving”: Recipes from past Crave Time Cook Offs are published in this new book, which now is available at www.whatyoucrave.com and www.amazon.com. Look online for 2005 recipes, including Castilla Tortilla Pie Casserole, White Castle Hash Bash, White Castle Quiche, Wrecked Castle Hot Dish and The Crave Casserole. Proceeds from sales of the book will be donated to Turkeys 4 America, a non-profit organization. Entries for future recipe books are due by July 6.

The 6th Annual Cravers Hall of Fame: Customers can submit their ultimate “Crave” story for consideration. Winners will be invited to Columbus, where they’ll be inducted into the hall of fame, along with members of rock group The Smithereens, as well as Harold and Kumar (actors John Cho and Kal Penn) themselves.

Fastest Griddle Contest: White Castle team members will compete on a regional and national level to determine who can cook and sack 30 quality burgers in the least amount of time.

For more information on White Castle’s 85th anniversary, visit www.whatyoucrave.com To share your Slyder experiences with others, visit the restaurant’s new Web site, www.truecastlestories.com.