Gluttony as a sport

Comment: Here's a "sport" I just don't get.

Chestnut chows down 68 hot dogs; sets record

Excerpt:

For the third straight year, Chestnut beat out his main rival, Takeru Kobayashi. The two lived up to their ravenous reputations. They made quick work of the 17 other eaters, and set personal best scores: Chestnut ate 68 dogs to Kobayashi's 64.5.

The event lasts 10 minutes and the two were keeping pace with each other until the last minute where Chestnut pulled away.

"I've been practicing hard," said Chestnut in an interview with ESPN after the contest. "After the second minute, I knew that my body was cooperating."

Chestnut and Kobayashi are considered the game's best and have different techniques to eating. While Kobayashi has a smooth, effortless approach, Chestnut muscles them down. Late in the competition Chestnut's face turns red and contorts as he drools.

He's got the competition down to a science: grabbing two hot dogs, forcing them into his mouth and taking a minimal number of chews as he gulps them down his throat. He then dips the buns in water and lets them slide right down.

Speed eaters gain weight, clog arteries but have few regrets

Excerpt:

Don Lerman set a record by eating seven sticks of salted butter in five minutes. During six years of competitive eating, he gained 100 pounds.

Dominick Cardo, known as "The Doginator" in competitions, woke up at night sweating, nauseated and feeling stomach and chest pains.

Both former competitve eaters competed in the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest. This year's competition airs Saturday on ESPN.

"Any way you look at it, it's not healthy," Dave "Coondog" O'Karma, a retired competitive eater, said of his former hobby. "You do it once in a while, and it's fun. I don't think loading your body with fat and salt is healthy."

After 35 years of gobbling hamburger, oysters, eggs, corn on the cob and even bull testicles, O'Karma listened to his family and retired from the competition.

Despite having quit for health reasons, ex-speed eaters fondly recall the thrill of competing, cramming food down their throats and basking in the cheers.

"I'm probably a hypocrite," said O'Karma, who directs the Association of Independent Competitive Eaters. "There's a sixth-grader in me who loves a good hot dog contest."

The toll of competitive eating on the body has not been researched, and it appears unlikely that such a study will take place, since it is a small, specialized population.

In 2007, four University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine doctors who specialize in gastroenterology and radiology conducted an experiment on the stomach activities of a competitive eater and an average eater.

The average eater ate seven hot dogs before he felt sick. Champion speed eater Tim Janus ate 36 hot dogs in 10 minutes before doctors intervened.

Janus, a trim 29-year-old at the time, insisted that he did not feel full. Through training and competing, he no longer felt full regardless of how much he ate. His stomach did not have muscle contractions called peristalsis, which move the food down the digestive tract.

Joseph Christian "Jaws" Chestnut

Records:

• Macaroni and Cheese: 10.5 pounds in 7 minutes at the HP Pavilion in his hometown of San Jose, CA during a Stealth lacrosse game February 21, 2009.
  
• Waffles: 18.5 waffles (8 oz.) in 10 minutes at Waffle House at the Waffle House World Waffle Eating Championship in Atlanta, Georgia on September 4, 2005.
  
• Jalapeno Poppers: 118 Jalapeño Poppers in 10 minutes during the GoldenPalace.net Intercollegiate Eating Championship at the University of Arizona in Tucson on April 8, 2006.
  
• Pork Ribs: 9.8 pounds pork rib meat in 12 minutes at John Ascuaga's Nugget Casino Resort during the Best in the West Nugget World Rib Eating Championship in Sparks, Nevada on August 27, 2008.[7]
  
• Horseshoe Sandwiches: 6 pounds, 5 ounces of horseshoe sandwiches at the Illinois State Fair during the GoldenPalace.net World Horseshoe Eating Championship in Springfield, Illinois on August 12, 2006.
  
• Steak: 4.5 pounds of steak, plus sides, in 8 minutes, 52 seconds at Big Texan Steak Ranch on March 24, 2008.[8]
  
• Gyoza: 231 during Nisei Week in Little Tokyo in 10 minutes during the World Gyoza Eating Championship in Los Angeles on August 23, 2008.
  
• The Heart Attack Grill's 8000 calorie Quadruple Bypass Burger in 1 minute and 47 seconds.
  
• Pulled Pork: 9 pounds, 6 ounces in 10 minutes during the Harrah's Pulled Pork Eating Championship in Council Bluffs, Iowa on September 16, 2006.
  
• Asparagus: 8.6 pounds of tempura-fried asparagus at the World Deep Fried Asparagus Eating Championship in Stockton, California, on April 26, 2008.[9]
  
• Chicken Wings: 8.98 pounds of wings in 12 minutes during the TripRewards Ultimate Hot Wing Eating Championship in New York City on May 21, 2007.
  
• Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs and buns (short form): 68 hot dog and buns in 10 minutes during the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY on July 4, 2009.[10]
  
• Pizza Hut P'Zones: 4.82 pounds of Pizza Hut P'Zones in 6 minutes in New York City on July 10, 2007.
  
• Pulled Pork Sandwiches: 45 Pulled Pork Sandwiches in 10 minutes during the Myrtle Beach World BBQ Eating Championship in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on September 1, 2007.
  
• Hamburgers: 103 Krystal Hamburgers in eight minutes at the Krystal Square Off Finals in Chattanooga, Tennessee on October 28, 2007.
  
• Chicken Wings: 241 wings at Wing Bowl XVI in Philadelphia, on February 1, 2008.[11]
  
• Matzoh balls: 78 matzoh balls at Kenny & Ziggy's World Matzoh Ball Eating Championship in Houston on March 2, 2008.
  
• Kolaches: 56 sausage & cheese kolaches at The Kolache Factory's World Kolache Eating Championship in Houston on September 14, 2007.