records

Most people have heard of Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs 4th of July competition - the one where Takeru Kobayashi shoves hot dogs in his mouth at lightening speeds - but did you realize that there are many different kinds of competitive eating contests? If you think shoving 59 hot dogs in your face is wild, how do you feel about pigs' feet and knuckles (the winner recently ate 2.89 pounds of the stuff) or gyoza (212 of them). In fact there are so many competitive eating contests that the folks at Senselist have actually put together a list of their favorite 16 competitive eating contests. Of those 16, my faves include:

• Rhubarb Pie: Winner ate 7.9 pounds of rhubarb pie in eight minutes; North Dakota State Fair, July 2006
• Jalapeno Peppers: Winner ate 247 pickled jalapenos in eight minutes; State Fair of Texas, October 2006
• Strawberry Shortcake: Winner ate 15.25 pounds of strawberry shortcake in eight minutes; Mattituck, NY, June 2007
• Chili Cheese Fries: Winner ate 5.44 pounds of fries; Long Beach, CA, February 2007
• Whole Turkey: Winner ate 4.8 pounds of turkey in 12 minutes; Artie’s Deli, New York, NY, November 2006

Oh and don't forget, Nathan's hot dog eating contest will actually air on ESPN tomorrow at 12pm ET. While you're waiting for your bbq to warm up, you can watch the much anticipated face-off between Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut (aka that guy who broke Kobayashi's record).

Speaking of records, the list of competitive eating records is pretty darn impressive. 7.75 pounds of turduckens in 12 minutes?!?

Source: SenseList and IFOCE

Even if you're not a competitive eater enthusiast, I'm sure you've probably heard of Japanese champion Takeru Kobayashi. You've probably seen him on the news because he holds just about every record and award for competitive eating. I say just about every because this past weekend Kobayashi's record was smashed by 22 year-old Joe Chestnut of San Jose, California. During the Southwest Regional Hot Dog Eating Championship in Tempe, Arizona, Chestnut devoured 59 1/2 hot dogs (plus buns) in 12 minutes. The previous record of 53 3/4 was set by Kobayashi at last year's Nathan's 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, New York. At the same event, Chestnut actually came in second with 52 hot dogs. Something tells me that this means FACE OFF at this year's 4th of July event. Either way I'm flabbergasted, I just don't understand how anyone can pack away that many hot dogs.

To check out video footage of last year's hot dog battle, read more

Is it just me, or does it seem like the Guinness Book of World Records adds another category to their ever-growing list of achievements everyday? The latest record to find its way into the book was set in the Xinjiang region of China by Li Enhai. His accomplishment? World's thinnest noodle. Since the noodle is thinner than a human hair, Li (who is also known in China as "The Noodle King") demonstrated the fact that he could get 39 noodle strands through the eye of a needle. The needle is larger than your standard sewing needle, but still 39 strands? Those are some thin noodles... The wildest part is, not only can Li make them super thin, but he can make them quickly too. When Li demonstrated his skills for the officials, the noodle-making took less than 2 minutes. If you're curious to see Li in action, there's a video of the noodle demonstration online.

Source: China Central Television