Competitive Eating: A New Sport or a New Low?
Takeru Kobayashi
The Narthan’s Hotdog eating contest, held annually on the 4th of July at New York’s Coney Island, has evolved from a charming curiosity begun in 1916 (the winner ate 12 dogs/buns in 15 minutes) to a flat-out monstrosity dominated this decade by a 132lb Japanese eater who literally doubled the world record in one year.
Watching this event evokes images of a WWF extravaganza. The fans are raucous and the competitors are, well, freaks. This year American Joey Chestnutt ate an astonishing 68 dogs and rolls in 10 minutes beating out Kobyashi, his Japanese rival by two dogs. The contest is not a pleasant sight. The eaters jam dog and buns into their mouths after dipping them into water or lemonade (a technique pioneered by Kobyashi). There is goo and slop all over the place as the frantic gorging goes on. A 105-pound woman, Juliet Lee managed to cram down 47 dogs. Needless to say, she is a crowd favorite. And there are rules. One may not dunk their roll or dog for more than 5 seconds. And of course, puking is grounds for instant disqualification.
This Nathan’s contest has fueled something known as the CEC or Competitive Eating Circuit. Pizza, brisket, sushi, yakisoba noodles, blueberry pies, oysters, watermelons, jalapenos, burgers, polish sausage: just about any food imaginable is fair game on the eating circuit. The eaters contend that they are athletes; indeed, they train like athletes as they focus on stretching the capacities of their stomachs. And it’s a match made in heaven for the companies that make and market these foods: hence, the prize money is growing.
Personally, I think it’s all inordinately grotesque. There is nothing inherently attractive or interesting in watching a bunch of bariatric freaks of nature ram whatever down their gullets. It is not a sport: it’s an absurd anomaly. Participants should be pitied rather than praised. And let’s look at the long-term health issues. The winner this year at Nathan’s will gain about ten pounds in those ten minutes. Care to guess how he gets rid of most of those calories when the contest is over? And what do you think Kobyashi’s esophagus is going to look like when he hits 40?
I like Nathan’s hot dogs. I usually have two, Chicago style at Dog Almighty on S. Lamar. Maybe three on a day when I’m really hungry. Just for the hell of it, I tried the Kobyashi technique: broke my dog in two, dunked my roll in water, and stuffed the entire gooey mess into my mouth. I couldn’t eat two dogs that way let alone sixty.
Please God, can we stop this madness? Food should be leisurely enjoyed, not ferociously ingested.
