Kobayashi and Competitive Eating

I am a fan of competitive eating. I probably know more about it than the average person (that's not saying much considering that I kick ass at Trivial Pursuit). Competitive eating, despite its slow international ascent, is a uniquely American sport. Make no doubt about it folks, this is a sport and these participants are gastronomical gladiators. Competitive eating combines consuming the greatest volume of food with the element of pure speed, it comes down to: who can eat the most the fastest? This simple question is what makes competitive eating so incredible and so incredibly fascinating. Here are a few things, as a novice, that you need to know about the sport:

1. Takeru Kobayashi of Nagano, Japan- is the undisputed King of Competitive Eating, six years ago he burst onto the competitive eating scene with a virtuoso performance at the Nathan's Famous July Fourth Hot Dog Eating Contest. In this landmark performance, Kobayashi ate 50 hotdogs (with hotdog buns) in 12 minutes- the mark doubled the previous record of 25. The Nathan's Famous event held in Coney Island New York every July 4th is the landmark, elite, best-in-class event in the competitive eating landscape. Kobayashi has won this premier event, and the associated prestigious Mustard Belt, six years in a row. Kobayashi is known for his unique eating form-two hotdogs together followed by two buns dipped in water and his trademark: Kobayashi wiggle

2. The Belt of Fat Theory: simply put this theory says: body fat in the abdominal restricts expansion of the stomach. Therefore fat people are limited to how much food their stomach can hold. In 1998 Ed Krachie wrote a journal article called "Can Abdominal Fat Act as a Restrictive Agent on Stomach Expansion? An Exploration of the Impact of Adipose Tissue on Competitive Eating". It was rejected by all of the many scientific journals in the United States and Canada to which it was submitted.

3. Joey Chestnut- of San Jose, CA is the first real competition to Kobayashi. Recently, in a regional qualifier, Chestnut broke Kobayashi's hot dog record (the premier record in competitive eating) by eating 59.5 hotdogs (Kobayashi's best was 53.5). Chestnut is ranked #2 in the world and is considered a favorite to win the 2007 Nathan's Famous event

A major storyline leading into this year's event has been Kobayashi's arthritic jaw. While many have claimed that this is a ruse by Kobayashi to explain his impending defeating, I don't believe that to be the case. Knowing that he is a competitor, the undefeated 6-time reigning Hotdog Champ, and ready to defend his title in the memory of his mother (who recently passed away), I highly doubt this a ploy. I do believe that it will be difficult for Kobayashi to defend his title as Chestnut is in prime form, but that is why we watch! So onwards to July 4th for an epic showdown on Coney Island.

For those of you interested in competitive eating check out the sport's governing body, the International Federation of Competitive Eating, here you can learn more about your favorite eaters and such amazing records:

Butter
7 quarter-pound sticks, salted butter
5 minutes
Don Lerman

Cheesecake
11 pounds Downtown Atlantic Cheesecake
9 minutes/ Sept. 26, 2004
Sonya Thomas

Cow Brains
57 (17.7 pounds)
15 minutes
Takeru Kobayashi

Doughnuts
49 glazed doughnuts
8 minutes
Eric Booker