A 2-MINUTE GLUT CUT? NO, FRANKS
WIENERS & LOSERS:Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut. WIENERS & LOSERS:Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut. By ANDREA PEYSER June 16, 2008 -- AN UPROAR has gripped the World Cup of gluttony - and it's enough to induce one to upchuck. Or, in the parlance of the International Federation of Competitive Eating, spark a "reversal of fortune." The folks who run Nathan's annual July 4 hot-dog eating contest in Coney Island - where the nastiest eaters on the planet have for decades shoved dozens of tube steaks down their gullets - have trimmed the eating time from 12 minutes to 10. To understand the enormity of the change, imagine running a 31/2-minute mile in a minute and a half. Or stuffing down 66 all-beef frankfurters, complete with buns, as reigning champ Joey Chestnut did last year, in 600 seconds rather than 720. George Shea, of Major League Eating, which runs the show, said it's about preserving history. Recently unearthed notes, apparently scribbled in 1917, the contest's second year, referred to the bout lasting 10 minutes. MLE also found a 1986 New York Times story in which the winner ate 15½ dogs in 10 minutes. But these days, top competitors are guaranteed sponsorships of at least $25,000. One of these is the slim, six-time champ Takeru Kobayashi, 28, of Japan, who was out-eaten last year by the California-trained Chestnut, 23. Now comes the rematch. But can either eat more than 66 dogs in 10 minutes? The Brooklyn Paper, which broke the story of the time change, sensed a conspiracy. During his losing effort last year, Kobayashi appeared to vomit. Could this be a move to keep his upchuck out of sight? Conspiracy? Nonsense! said Shea - who calls releases of effluvia "reversals of fortune." "We thought this was the right thing to do," he said. "Does this impact the most hotly contested rivalry since Ali-Frazier?" Stay tuned, gastronomes. andrea.peyser@nypost.com