Let’s Be Frank: Hot Dog Eaters are No Weenies
June 29, 2007
Fifteen of America’s finest competitive eaters traveled to Cinemark Theaters – Century 20 in Daly City in an effort to win the title of California Hot Dog-Eating Champion.
In the spirit of gurgitation, the eaters donned shirts parodying the traditional Uncle Sam slogan: apparently in the world of competitive eats, the Uncle wants you… to eat a giant hotdog!
This year’s contest winner was seventh-ranked Rich “The Locust” LeFevre, champion of both spam and birthday cake eating. A former Bay Area resident and senior citizen who routinely out-eats gurgitators twice his size and half his age, LeFevre faced competitors like Andrew “Skinnyboy” Lane, “El Toro” Jimenez, “Krammin” Kevin Ross, as well as newcomer Bert Chi.
Chi is a native of San Francisco and recently joined the competitive circuit; the Daly City qualifying contest was his first competition.
“When I was younger, I used to eat a lot,” Chi said. “I’ve always enjoyed eating, and I’ve always eaten really fast.”
The contest was an official qualifying round of Nathan’s famous worldwide hot dog-eating circuit. After consuming 21 jumbo dogs to take first place, LeFevre will now represent the United States in the 92nd Annual Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog-Eating Contest on July 4 in Coney Island, New York.
Chi’s hot dog consumption for the day was eight (he claimed he ate 12 in a trial run), and it was clear that he was struggling when the emcee remarked in jest, “Bert Chi, how are you feelin’? Bert has slowed down to sort of a free lunch situation.”
Chi mentioned the hot dogs eaten in this particular competition were jumbo dogs, larger than those used in most competitions. “I still had four minutes [left], but I hit the wall,” he said of his performance. “You get to a point where you can’t eat anymore. I tried to get one or two dogs in the last four minutes, but I ended up just chillin’.”
Chi’s preparation for the hotdog showdown consisted of eating celery, lettuce, cabbage, and other greenery, plus drinking lots of water, to safely expand the stomach. He did this and ate bigger meals for about a week and a half. The day before the competition, he did not eat anything at all.
Competitive eating is not limited to hot dogs, though these are the most iconic items on the menu. All kinds of foods are put into competition by a group that organizes and sanctions not unlike a sports federation. The world of competitive eating is a rapidly growing spectator sport: in 2006, 30,000 fans crowded the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island to witness the match-up between Takeru Kobayashi of Japan and Joey Chestnut of California. An additional 1.5 million households tuned in to the contest’s live broadcast on ESPN. Chestnut ate an astounding 52 Nathan’s Hot Dogs and Buns in the 12-minute contest, nearly dethroning Kobayashi who ate 53.75 hot dogs and buns and secured his sixth straight title. Earlier this month Chestnut shattered Kobayashi’s record, downing 59.5 hot dogs and refueling hope that the Mustard Yellow International Belt will soon return to American shores.
The Fourth of July contest will also be a highly anticipated event for Asian American fans. There are three Asian American competitors who have qualified for the Nathan’s final — Kobayashi and Sonya Thomas, both well known among competitive eating fans, and Juliet Lee, a relative newcomer on the eating circuit.
Perhaps it was the upset stomach, but Chi was reflective about his future in competitive eating: “I really wanted to try this at least once in my lifetime; but all in all, I know that this is definitely not healthy in the long haul.”
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