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Biggest Headline of 2008: The Competitive Eating Craze

YumSugar — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 05:30:01 -0800

In general, sports have been known to have a positive impact on one's health. The exception might be in the case of competitive eating, a sport that has developed a massive following this year. Although I have yet to understand the appeal of competitive eating, there's no question that it holds some aura of mystique, as it made multiple headlines in 2008; here are just a few of them.

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Man Dies in Company-Sponsored Pastry Eating Contest

YumSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:00:22 -0800

A few months ago we noticed that competitive eating was a rapidly growing "sport": This year, 1.5 million people tuned in to ESPN to watch the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, and there's now a game, Major League Eating, available on the Nintendo Wii. Yet while it's entertainment for many, it comes at a cost for others. Yesterday, Saurab Sabharwal, a 22-year-old engineer at Nokia-Siemens in Gurgaon, India, died during a company-sponsored pastry eating contest held in the office cafeteria. After choking, he ran to the bathroom alone, and was found unconscious an hour later. Colleagues called for an ambulance, which rushed him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. This isn't the first death we've heard of from competitive eating. Last month, a Taiwanese student fell unconscious and died during a steamed bun eating contest.

Does this call for further measures to be taken, so that others don't get hurt? Should a medical expert have been mandated to stand by, just in case? Or should government officials consider placing a ban on eating contests?

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Joey Chestnut Wins First Ever World Pizza Championships

YumSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 03:00:42 -0700

Yesterday the world's best competitive eaters met at a pizza eating competition in New York City's Time Square. Joey Chestnut, the nation's champion in hot dog and hamburger eating, broke the record with an amazing 45 slices in ten minutes at the Famous Famiglia pizza eating competition. Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti was Chestnut's closest opponent - he ate 43 slices in the quick ten minutes.

Chestnut folded the regular cheese slices before launching them into his stomach. He washed the pizza down with water in paper cups and "never appeared to chew." After winning the pizza-eating contest, Chestnut is certainly the current star of Major League Eating. Although I find the whole thing pretty disgusting, I'm excited to see what other records Chestnut miraculously beats.

What do you think?

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Competitive Eating Is a Growing Sport

YumSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:00:41 -0700

It may not be in the Olympics - yet - but competitive eating has become one of the world's fastest-growing sports. Last month, as many as 1.5 million people tuned in to ESPN to watch Joey Chestnut beat Takeru Kobayashi in Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. According to the Major League Eating spokesman Ryan Nerz:

At the big eating events you have normal guys who get up and do this thing well, beat a bunch of people, and all of a sudden they have a camera shoved in their face. They get a whole new group of friends, a blog, a MySpace page, fans. It very quickly becomes their identity, and it transcends their former identity as a waiter at a pizza restaurant, an accountant, or whatever.

The profile of a typical competitive eater has also evolved in recent years. The demographic has changed from the overweight, blue-collar male champions to trimmer, younger, white-collar competitors that include men and women. Many competitors believe in the Belt of Fat theory - that a skinny build allows the stomach to expand with less difficulty than if it were surrounded by a constricting layer of fat tissue.

Have you or would you ever try competitive eating? For some recent records in the world of competitive eating, read more.

Mince pies: 6 pies in 10 minutes - Sonya Thomas

Nigiri sushi: 141 pieces in six minutes - Timothy Janus

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches: 42 sandwiches in 10 minutes - Patrick Bertoletti

Jalapeños: 177 pickled jalapeño peppers in 15 minutes - Patrick Bertoletti

Waffles: 29 waffles in 10 minutes - Patrick Bertoletti

Lobster: 44 Maine lobsters from the shell in 12 minutes - Sonya Thomas

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Nathan's Famous Dog Contest Ends in First Ever Dog Off

partysugar — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:41:55 -0700

The excitement was incredible this morning at Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Competition. The reigning champ Joey Chestnut and the Japanese firecracker Takeru Kobayashi faced off in a shorter - 10 instead of last year's 12 - minute competition to see who could eat the most hot dogs. For the first time in history, after the ten minutes, there was a tie: both Chestnut and Kobayshi, who eat at basically the same pace, had eaten 59 hot dogs.

What happened next was a dog off: whoever could eat five more hot dogs the quickest would win. Although it was neck and neck, Joey Chestnut was victorious and walked away with the coveted mustard belt. When ESPN asked why he had won, Chestnut remarked,

It's fourth ofJuly and you can get through something like this. It came down to who needed it more, he wanted it but I needed it.

Anybody that needs to win a hot dog eating competition seems a little crazy to me. If you missed the competition be sure to check out the video: read more.

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Would You Consider Entering A Food Eating Contest?

partysugar — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 09:03:38 -0700

Watching this video of our very own 7bits win a peach pie eating contest makes me wonder just how much I could eat for a prize. Do you think you could do it? Would you consider entering a food eating contest?

Top Chef Vegas: Episode 11

partysugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:00:55 -0800

After a brief hiatus with last week's Fabio-hosted reunion dinner, we went back to Vegas - and into Padma's hotel room - for this week's episode of Top Chef.

The final six chefs started things off by cooking breakfast in bed for their fearless hostess and her celebrity chef friend Nigella Lawson. For the elimination challenge, each contestant created a dish for a party, drawing inspiration from different casinos on the strip. Who was playing to win? Let's talk about it when you read more.

I love how Nigella said Eli's dish "would be" good hangover food - you know, in theory. Whose quickfire dish would you want to eat if you were hungover?
How did you feel about Nigella as a guest judge?
What casino do you think would be hardest to base a dish around?
Kevin's dish looked great, but can anyone explain what it had to do with the Mirage?
Why do you think Jennifer has seemingly lost so much of her confidence?
With all the focus on Bryan's son and family life, did you think he might get kicked off?
Isn't it odd that the remaining guys are sharing a room? Shouldn't they be able to spread out by now?
What was up with the wind in that party venue?
Are buffalo wings something you associate with New York City? What iconic NYC food would you riff on in Michael's position?
How do you feel about who won and lost?

Photo courtesy of Bravo

Yummy Links: From Lamb Burgers to Lemonade Cocktails

partysugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 06:50:24 -0700

Learn how to make the perfect lamb burger. - Saveur
A conversation between Adam Platt and Frank Bruni. - Grub Street
The future of fish farming has arrived. - Eat Me Daily
Make French food in a flash with this easy lamb chop recipe. - Serious Eats
What to do if you bust your friend’s china. - Chow
At your next party serve finger food in homemade paper cones. - Hostess With the Mostess
Jen Zevala talks about being the first contestant kicked off of Top Chef.- The Feedbag
Celebrate National Lemonade Day with 10 spiked lemonade cocktails. - The Epi-Log

Top Chef Vegas: Episode 1

partysugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:31:07 -0700

Well folks, the moment we've all been waiting for has finally arrived! The latest season of Top Chef debuted last night. There were showgirls, bright lights, deep-fried steaks, lobster, and Wolfgang Puck. Did you watch? Let's discuss this exciting episode after the break.

Yummy Links: From Hubert Keller to Root Beer

partysugar — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 07:50:04 -0700

The hottest chef at last weekend's food festival in San Francisco? DJ Hubert Keller. - Eater SF
How to start your own food truck. - Grub Street
If you love Pop Tarts, you'll enjoy this Pop Tart art. - Eat Me Daily
Taste test: milk chocolate bars. - Serious Eats
Where to taste wine while traveling in Sonoma. - Chow
Are you America's best home cook? Enter this contest and you could win big. - Food & Wine
Kelly Choi just got a little more ridiculous: here she is dressed up as Catwoman. - The Feedbag
The latest trend to hit the beverage scene is old-fashioned root beer. - Bon Appétit

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