For years, hometown festivals?and urban gatherings?have featured speed eating contests. Whether you participate or watch (camera phones in hand), It’s all in good fun. But for some, eating professionally is a serious business?with records to be made and prize titles to defend. Monday marked the annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, often referred to as the ?Olympics? of competitive eating. In the spirit of the ?sport,? this week’s links investigate just what’s cookin?.
Love good old PB&J sandwiches? Could you eat 42 of them?in just 10 minutes? That’s the current record, held by professional eating champ Patrick Bertoletti. Check out more competitive eating records, officially maintained by regulatory group Major League Eating (?the undisputed authority on competitive eating worldwide?).
If you’ve never seen a professional eating contest, ABC News has coverage of the 2011 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. Prepare to be amazed?and perhaps mildly disturbed.
Sure, It’s possible to work up a hearty appetite, but 40 to 60 hot dogs is pretty hard to imagine for even the hungriest reader. How do competitive eaters fit it all in without getting sick? And are they hurting their bodies? This WebMD feature sheds light on the sometimes surprising answers.
This Wall Street Journal article offers a further explanation of the science behind competitive eating, plus some stomach x-rays comparing regular and competitive eaters.