Competitive Eating

[Gifted Gourmet]

Would an allusion to the practices of Ancient Rome during it's decline trouble anyone?

Are you suggesting a "parallel" of any sort between the two civilizations here?? More specifically, is Nero fiddling while Michael Moore burns??

[Mayhaw Man]

I am pulling for "Crazy Legs" Conti. How can you not pull for a guy who, at the premier of the documentary about him:

Ate his way free after being buried alive under 100 cubic feet of popcorn at the film’s premiere

As for it being a sport-sure, why not? Maybe they could get it approved by the IOC and have chow downs involving foods of the countries hosting the Olympics.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Maybe they could get it approved by the IOC and have chow downs involving foods of the countries hosting the Olympics.

But no "performance enhancing" drugs and no gender testing, ya hear?? Those East Germans may try to switch the men and women as they did before unification, so one must judge their accomplishments accordingly! Looks like women are catching up volume-wise ....

[balmagowry]

Would an allusion to the practices of Ancient Rome during it's decline trouble anyone?

Are you suggesting a "parallel" of any sort between the two civilizations here?? More specifically, is Nero fiddling while Michael Moore burns??

Or while Barbara Haber burns. I'm torn. On the one hand, she has a valid point. On the other... did she give up her sense of humor when she retired last year? She used to have a pretty good eye for the ludicrous, and this sure as hell does have its silly side.

[gus_tatory]

There even was a headline about a championship eater who weighs a mere 100 pounds!

the 100-lb woman can eat over 1/10th of her body weight in cheesecake in 9 minutes.

from the article i linked here...:

"The records Thomas holds are astounding. Eleven pounds of cheesecake in nine minutes. Nine pounds of crawfish jambalaya in 10 minutes. Eight pounds of turducken (chicken stuffed in a duck stuffed in a turkey) in 12 minutes. Forty-three soft tacos in 11 minutes. One hundred sixty-seven chicken wings in 32 minutes."

i'm gagging.

[Susan G]

This is why the Third World hates us.

[Gifted Gourmet]

This is why the Third World hates us.

Sure, that and a million other things we have and do ... personally, with the situation of starvation in the Sudan, where Secretary of State Colin Powell just visited, it is easy to be sickened by these eating competitions. The Third World would be appalled at the "excesses" of this culture ... and the answer is ????

Edited July 3, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[srhcb]

This is why the Third World hates us.

Sure, that and a million other things we have and do ... personally, with the situation of starvation in the Sudan, where Secretary of State Colin Powell just visited, it is easy to be sickened by these eating competitions. The Third World would be appalled at the "excesses" of this culture ... and the answer is ????

It's funny how people from the "Third World" continue to aspire to come here considering how much we're told they "hate" us.

In that regard they would fit in real well, since Americans themselves have no equals in hypocracy when it comes to enjoying the benefits of our hard won Freedom while at the same time decrying our own personal definitions of it's excesses.

"The answer is...", paradoxicly in this example, something that used to be called "taste".

SB (as guilty as the next First, Second or Third World denizen)

[fifi]

Tomorrow night on A&E is a real highbrow special... Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating. Scroll down, it is 9-11 EDT. I am curious but I may have to pass.

[jschyun]

That's Crazy Legs Conti's movie. I saw it in the theaters during the Los Angeles Film Festival and I gagged at several points in the movie. I dunno, I mean I like competition and all, but...oh geez. However, the movie is compelling in the "I wonder when they'll barf" way and you get to see some interesting personalities. Kobayashi, the hot dog eating champ, doesn't say much, but you could tell he knows he is a star.

Conti was watching the movie in the back of the room, along with Grace Lee,the creator of the short movie that precedes it, which was actually the movie I had come to see because my cousin had produced it. He's actually pretty slim, which you see in the movie, but it's really kind of weird shaking his soft, skinny hand and looking at his pale skinny legs, after seeing him eat enough oysters to make him look seriously pregnant. He seemed very polite and nice but a little, uh, funky. If I remember correctly, he was wearing a frilly white shirt with a pale blue tux top and matching shorts that showed off his skinny legs. He's very tall actually.

[robyn]

Bad weekend. Father-in-law collapsed 2 lungs on Friday so we spent a lot of the weekend in the ER and the hospital. But today was such a beautiful day we couldn't resist a few hours at the Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair. And the star today was "the world's greatest athlete" (at least that's what they called him) - Takeru Kobayashi - competing in the Krystal Hamburger Square Off eating competition - which - according to the program - is sanctioned by the International Federation of Competitive Eating. This was the last regional qualifying event before the finals next weekend in Chattanooga.

Kobayashi is determined to add the burger eating championship belt (yes - there's a belt - just like in wrestling) to his hot dog crown. Also on stage was Eric Booker - who - we were told - ranks 4th in the world. As well as 14 other contenders.

The goal of the regional was to finish first (and go to the finals) - or eat more than 31 Krystals and thereby earn a wildcard to the final (the person who ate the most - but didn't win a regional - got the wildcard).

Now I have seen some strange things in my life - but this was right up there. First off - Kobayashi is really small (I read he's 5'7" - 131 pounds). And watching him eat is really fascinating. He pulls the food in half. Dunks it in water. Pushes it into his mouth - and it disappears. His technique is called the "Solomon" technique - and I believe he invented it.

Anyway - Kobayashi put away 50 Krystals in 8 minutes. Actually about 6 minutes - because after 6 minutes it was apparent that no one could beat him - and he had broken the world record of 42. So he stopped. Kind of like letting the clock run out in football . Booker - who is about 9" taller than Kobayashi and weighs about 3 times as much - came in second with 32 Krystals - earning himself a wildcard into the finals.

Anyway - this was the wildest least politically correct thing I've seen in ages. And fascinating in a morbid kind of way. I haven't the slightest idea whether this is a sport (if NASCAR and curling can be sports - I suppose this can be a sport). But it is certainly appropriate entertainment for a county fair on a beautiful fall day. Robyn

[robyn]

Here's an article about the eating contest I saw last weekend - pictures and all. Robyn

[chappie]

Saturday I won a bratwurst-eating contest sponsored by a local spa company and radio station. The rules were the first to eat five Johnsonville brats, plus buns, and the turnout was low (I was the only one who qualified by phone to even show up...).

There were four of us, and right before we started, the spa company president announced a bonus prize in addition to the "Octoberfest party package" ponied up by the radio station: $400 cash. Now it was serious.

I ate the first brat straight-up, dunking the bun in water a la Takeru Kobayashi. Midway through number two, I switched to eating all the meat, leaving a pile of bread to deal with later. Unfortunately, they were still hot from the grill, and harder to get down that I hoped. I even found myself pushing sausage down my throat. As I chewed the last bite of brat, I noticed the guy to my left closing in on me, though he employed no tactics other than chomp, chew, repeat. As I swallowed, he had about 1/3 a brat+bun remaining.

Quickly, I soaked my remaining buns in water and slurped the soggy mess down. It seemed like it took forever, but someone clocked my time around 4 minutes, 30 seconds. And I felt terrible, like one of those sausages had missed my stomach and remained lodged between some ribs.

Along with the much-needed $400 (I am a small-town newspaper writer paid in occasional ladles full of nickles) I received two sacks of sauerkraut, some beer — and 28 pounds of Johnsonville brats I have relegated to the freezer for a future in which I am able to consider a bratwurst again.

For four days now, I've felt sluggish, and the sad part is my feat was nothing. I went to www.ifoce.com to check out some of the records, and there, under Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas' bib sheet is a cruel and terrifying line: 35 Johnsonville brats in 10 minutes.

Thomas weighs less than half my bulk and devoured seven times the number of brats in just over twice the time frame. I don't get it. What happens next for these gurgitators? Does she then slip into a week-long coma? Could you bottle her stomach acid as a WMD?

[John S.]

Saturday I won a bratwurst-eating contest

←

Unflockingbelievable post. I admire your writing skills not to mention your obvious eating ability. Can I publish your experience word-for-word?

John S.

[Daniel]

Great report.. Very funny and enjoyable.. That picture is priceless too.. I dont know what is funnier, the look of determination on your face or thinking about how high the guy next to you got before the contest.. Either way, its hilarious..

[chappie]

The guy next to me was a bystander (actually I know him but hadn't seen him in about 7 years) who quickly joined in when the $400 bonus was announced. What impressed me most about him — other than the pink sneakers he sported to match his sweatshirt — was that, once I won, he held my hand up and continued to methodically finish his free brat.

[chappie]

Two more photos. The first, a pre-feast glimpse of the contestants: from left, my friend Izzy (she doused hers in ketchup and finished just 2.5); a mysterious J.J. — lean, hungry and the man I thought would devour the rest of us; me; and close runner-up Mead.

After winning I gave a ridiculous interview with the radio station in which I discussed my on-the-fly strategy shift, the glazed feeling emmanting outward from my innards, and the possibility of trying a scrapple-eating contest before working my way up the breakfast meats chain of minor-league chow competitions.

A friend of mine was driving his truck and this was the only station he could get. He had forgotten about the contest, and tuned in just as I was giving my interview. He said he had to pull over he was laughing so hard.

[Ninjai Fanatic]

hehe.. that's pretty cool tho aye, for $400.

Those 103 lb eating-champs amaze me indeed.

[Alinka]

Good thing I wasn't driving when reading your post . I'll have to join John S. in admiring your writing skills and sense of humor!

[chappie]

How on earth does Sonya Thomas do it? Take a look at those records... 65 hard-boiled eggs in 6 minutes, 40 seconds. Damn.

[robb]

To each their own I suppose. For me, I don't understand the point of eating (volume) contests.

[chappie]

Like any contest, the point is simple: win something. In this case it was $400 and 28 pounds of meat. I don't think any of the "professionals" are doing it for free, either, and with the increased attention to the contests (Verizon now sponsors the chicken-wing circuit, and most of the other major contests are sponsored), I would expect the top consumers to make a decent living off of it, unhealthy a living as it may be.

This all might dismay you, but it's really quite a fitting "sport" for modern America. Just one that I am not quite cut out for.

[John Braise]

To each their own I suppose.  For me, I don't understand the point of eating (volume) contests.

←

What other point could there be?

It's a contest.

[dougery]

I recently saw part of a show on competitive eating and was quite astounded by the fact that this is an organized.... shall I say... "sport"?

The following is the governing body of this activity.

http://www.ifoce.com/

This woman (37 yo and 105 lbs) out-ate huge guys that out weighed her 5 fold! How can she eat so much without blowing a gasket?!

http://www.ifoce.com/eaters.php?action=detail&sn=20

I find this whole activity amazing! Is this a direct reflection of American Culture (everything in excess, and as fast as possible)?

What was really hillarious was the play by play commentary. It would go something like:

"Her technique is astounding! Notice how she removes the bun and sips her water at strategic moments."

There is actually technique and strategy?

These folks actually train for these competitions! Hmmm... Maybe I could get a job as a personal trainer?

Edited November 16, 2005 by dougery (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

check this out if you want a real deep belly laugh ... sorry for that!

If I hadn't seen this with my own eyes: I.F.O.C.E., simply hard to digest ....