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Friday, May 30, 2008
Competitive eaters inhale nearly 10 pounds of pumpkin pie
Photos
David Gordon
Tom Gilbert (left) and Joe Menchetti compete in a pie eating contest on the Chris Tabb Show, on Wednesday night, May 28, 2008. Menchetti, who holds the world record, lost to Gilbert, though Gilbert did not beat the record.
By Travis Andersen
GateHouse News Service
Posted May 30, 2008 @ 05:05 PM
CAMBRIDGE —
It was down to national pie-eating champion “Gentleman” Joe Menchetti versus Tom “Goose” Gilbert.
The two appeared Wednesday on “The Chris Tabb Show,” a program that was recorded at the Comcast studios in Cambridge and airs nightly in towns throughout the Bay State.
Menchetti, a 38-year-old ticket broker from Wallingford, Conn., went into the contest ranked No. 1 in the Association of Independent Competitive Eaters, a national group with 50 ranked “food warriors” waging battle in the U.S. and abroad.
Gilbert, a 27-year-old mental health worker from Amherst, had been stuck at number two—until Wednesday.
With cameras rolling and host Chris Tabb looking on, the two men sat at a table with 14 pumpkin pies laid out from Petsi Pies, which has locations in Cambridge and Somerville. They gazed stoically at the fare while awaiting instructions from Arnie “Chowhound” Chapman, association chairman.
“We’re playing under picnic rules,” Chapman said. “You will not mush, mutilate or mash the New England icon known as pumpkin pie.”
Under picnic rules, food warriors must eat their grub in the same manner as people from the home culture—in this case with a utensil. Both men chose spoons and ate a combined 9.16 pounds of pie over the next five minutes.
Gilbert came away with a bigger slice, inhaling 4.66 pounds to Menchetti’s 4.5. When asked how he felt after claiming the association’s top ranking, Gilbert shrugged and said, “I’m not hungry anymore.”
Menchetti still holds the world pumpkin-pie eating record, at 5.89 pounds over a 5-minute period. The two will square off in a rematch July 18 in Chicago.
While they’ll be eating meatballs in the Windy City, association food warriors swallow an impressive—if not digestive—range of delicacies in their competitive eating careers. Menchetti packed away 89 cicadas in 60 seconds during a contest in Washington, D.C. in 2005.
“I could have done more, but they were low on the bugs,” Menchetti said. He took first prize at the bug buffet, gobbling more insects than the second and third-place finishers combined.
Tabb, a Boston-based comedian, said he contacted Chapman about filming a contest on his show after watching competitive eaters on television.
“It was crazy,” Tabb said. “Because I called him and asked if he had anyone local who could come in and film, and he said, ‘Only our No. 1 and No. 2 in the country.’”
Cambridge
Bayou Blue man hones hot dog-chomping skills
Published: Friday, May 30, 2008 at 3:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 12:41 p.m.
LAURA McKNIGHT/STAFF
James Howell of Bayou Blue tackles a plate of hot dogs May 23 at Big Eddie’s Cafe in Bayou Blue. Howell is the only local person competing at a hot dog-eating contest June 7 at Sam’s Club in Metairie. If Howell chomps his way to a win June 7, he earns a seat at the table for Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Laura McKnight
The activity at Big Eddie’s Café in Bayou Blue eases to a standstill as one of the men seated at the counter picks up a pair of bare hot dogs and jabs them purposefully between his jaws.
The hot dogs disappear into James Howell’s mouth at a brisk pace, his teeth gnawing them like a tree chipper. The hot dogs gone, Howell turns to a bun, which he dips into a glass of water to smooth its ride down his esophagus.
Howell is not just enjoying a mid-afternoon snack. He’s preparing for serious competition.
The 40-year-old Bayou Blue resident is honing his hot dog-devouring skills in an effort to eat his way into the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest.
The televised competition, held annually at Nathan’s Famous Hotdog stand on Coney Island, N.Y., is sanctioned by Major League Eating and draws competitive-eating stars from across the planet, such as Takeru Kobayashi.
Howell is one of 15 competitors slated to battle for a spot on Coney Island during a regional qualifier set for June 7 at Sam’s Club in Metairie. The winner of the Metairie competition will join other regional winners at the Fourth of July contest in New York. The Metairie competition requires contestants to eat as many hot dogs as possible within 10 minutes.
"I just wanted to enter just to say I did it. It’s starting to turn into you better do it or else," Howell said, describing how friendly pressure has started to build from the staff and other regulars at Big Eddie’s Café. Howell, who visits the café near-nightly, entered the hot dog-eating contest on a lark, but has gained a base of enthusiastic fans at the small diner at La. 182 and La. 316.
"We’re all pushing for him," said David Nehlig of Bayou Blue, another regular at the eatery.
Big Eddie’s serves as an informal training site for Howell, with café workers and regulars egging him on as he polishes off plates of franks. Cooks serve Howell extra hot dogs to help him practice, and café owner Eddie Herron recently offered to sell Howell hot dogs at discounted prices, Howells said.
Howell plans to sport a Big Eddie’s Café T-shirt and ball cap, donated by Herron, while gobbling hot dogs in the contest.
The upcoming event in Metairie marks the first time a regional qualifier for the Nathan’s contest will be set in the New Orleans area, said Kristy Reed, spokeswoman for Sam’s Club. It’s also the first year for the discount chain to host regional qualifiers in its stores. When picking sites, the chain chose five cities that have never before held a regional contest, Reed said.
The Metairie competition pits Howell against eight other Louisiana residents as well as sport eaters from Alabama, Florida, Texas, Ohio, Tennessee and New York, Reed said. The contest includes first-time sport eaters like Howell as well as experienced competitive eaters like Juris "Dr. Bigtime" Shibayama of Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Howell bowls in a league and watches sports of any kind on ESPN, including the annual Nathan’s Famous hot dog-eating contest. But the 6-foot, 2-inch, 245-pound truck driver said he didn’t intend to be a hardcore competitor when he signed up for the New Orleans-area contest.
Chestnut on trading cards, video game
Vallejo native parlays eating exploits to more notoriety
By RICH FREEDMAN/Times-Herald staff writer
Article Launched: 05/30/2008 06:57:41 AM PDT
If ever there were a time Joey Chestnut would be considered "The Babe Ruth of competitive eating," it's now.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Vallejoan with the voracious appetite not only has one, but two trading cards flashing his smiling mug.
What was once limited to baseball players, Topps cards has unleashed a "legends" series that includes "Jaws," a 24-year-old San Jose State University student and the International Federation of Competitive Eating's No. 1-rated chow hound.
"It's so awesome," Chestnut said earlier this week from his South Bay engineering job. "I just go with the flow."
"The flow" that includes numerous eating records can add trading cards into the blender. Just another achievement for the humble kid from V-Town.
"Topps called me back in January and wanted to know if I'd be willing to be on a card," Chestnut said.
After accepting the fee, he signed and returned 400 cards.
"I don't know how many they're making. I think it's in limited production," Chestnut said.
Because his uncle owned a memorabilia shop when Chestnut was a kid, "I've always had plenty of trading cards," he said.
Of course, Chestnut noted, "I never thought I would be on one. It's so different."
Chestnut didn't know the precise reason behind the marketing of his mug, but believed it was because he "brought back the title to America" after beating Japan's Takeru Kobayashi in the Nathan's hot dog eating contest last July.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Arizona Events: Nathan's Famous Hot God Eating Circuit Visits Tempe
Category: Arizona Events
Winner to Represent Arizona at Coney Island on July Fourth
America's top competitive eaters will battle at the Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe on Saturday, May 31, 2008 at 1:00PM. On the line is the title of Arizona Hot Dog-Eating Champion and the chance to compete in the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, NY on July 4, 2008. The Tempe qualifier, having witnessed Joey Chestnut’s record-breaking performance last year, is always drama-filled. The line-up this year features last year’s runner-up, Tim “Gravy” Brown of Chicago, the potato wedge eating champion of North America. Challenging him will be 29th-ranked “Double-O” Kevin Ross, a newcomer who has eaten nothing but hot dogs for lunch for the last two months in preparation. Also competing will be the oddly coiffed, “El Toro” Jiminez, the Las Vegas resident whose hair is fashioned into horns. Nipping at their heels will be Russ “The Mad Stork” Witzke and Jesus Cabrales of Peoria, AZ.
The line-up this year features two ambitious up-and-comers with a rivalry so bitter that they only talk at contests. The favorite is 12th-ranked Erik “The Red” Denmark of Seattle, the hard-boiled egg eating champ with 61 in 8 minutes, who will do battle with 13th-ranked Tim “Gravy” Brown of Chicago, the potato wedge eating champion of North America. Also competing will be El Toro Jimenez, a horn-haired gurgitator from Las Vegas, as well as rookies David “Conan” Cohn of Pheonix and Wallace “Bye Bye” Beisel of Mesa. “Our hot dog eating contest has always been the high point of the Coney Island calendar, but never has the excitement been bigger than 2008,” said Wayne Norbitz, President and COO of Nathan’s Famous, Inc. “Fans worldwide consider the Nathan’s July Fourth contest to stand among the greatest sporting events in history, and we are thrilled to sponsor events throughout the country as we approach what will surely be a dramatic Independence Day.” Richard Shea, president of Major League Eating, the group that governs the Nathan’s Famous contest circuit, said: “I believe an unknown eating champion is walking the streets of Hartford, a champion who possesses the pride of Connecticut and the stomach capacity required to set a new world hot dog eating record.” In 2007, 45,000 fans crowded the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island to witness Joey Chestnut’s victory over Takeru Kobayashi. An additional 1.5 million households tuned in to the contest’s live telecast on ESPN. Chestnut ate a world record 66 Nathan’s HDBs in the 12-minute contest. Kobayashi, who struggled with a jaw injury, placed second with 62. Kobayashi has spent the last several months recuperating to prepare for the rematch. It’s become a tradition for Nathan’s Famous to donate 10,000 hot dogs to hunger relief organizations on July Fourth, and the company plans to expand on its tradition of charity at this summer’s event. MLE Gives, an initiative that assists hunger-related charities, has raised over $35,000 since Thanksgiving. The Nathan’s Famous 2008 qualifying circuit will visit more than a dozen cities, including Philadelphia, PA, Las Vegas, NV, Minneapolis, MN, Atlanta, GA and San Francisco, CA. Qualifiers are open to those 18 years of age and older and registration is handled online. Interested parties can visit www.nathansfamous.com. The winner of each qualifier receives the right to compete in the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, which, according to archives, has occurred each July 4th in Coney Island, NY since 1916. Event Information:WHAT: Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest Qualifier WHERE: Food Court at Arizona Mills Mall, 5000 Arizona Mills Circle Tempe, AZ 85282WHEN: Saturday, May 31, 2008 TIME: 1:00 p.m
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Let us remember on This Memorial Day
Saturday, May 24, 2008
42-Year-Old Mom Wins Hot Dog Eating Contest
POSTED: 7:56 pm EDT May 24, 2008
UPDATED: 9:25 pm EDT May 24, 2008
GREENSBURG, Pa. -- Some of the region's best competitive eaters gathered in Greensburg, Westmoreland County Saturday to determine the Iron City hot dog eating champion.They came with nicknames like Steak-bellie and Wing Kong.But the winner of todays munch was Juliet Lee, 42, a mother of two from Maryland.She is also ranked as the 10th best competitive eater in the world.The one-hundred-five pound woman downed 29 dogs in ten minutes.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Competitive Eater Crazy Legs Conti Experiences ‘Deja Chew’
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
A Story Of a Farmer The Son And The Elderly Grandfather
As the saying goes what goes around comes around , I haven't been treated in competitive eating as well as I'd have wished I should have been , yes I had my share of publicity and the limelight , but I had more of my share of injustices in my time to zero out whatever bones were thrown my way.
I want to let everyone know that thou I received the lifetime achievement award , I fell that my presence in competitve eating is being discounted and I leave the sport treated like a piece of crap.
So i would like to remind all the eaters how I get treated a major figure in the sport as I exit the ce table will have a direct effect on all of you...and now I'd like to tell you this tale of a farmer his young song and the elderly grandfather who worked a farm. one day the elderly grandfather became to ill to work and the father then tells his son , that on my farm if you don't work you don't eat and so put grandpa in the barn to starve to death . as the young son walks the elderly grandpa away the father shouts back , I want him to starve to death but not freeze to death so here's a blanket to wrap around him so that he may be warm ...a few minutes pass and the young son returns with half a blanket the Father says . whats this , the Young son says I 'm saving half for you someday , Well George will save half a blanket for the Joey Chestnuts when they cease to be as productive as in their prime ..end
Humble' Bob hoping to qualify
Royersford's "Humble" Bob Shoudt should fare well at Saturday's qualifier for the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island. The Nathan's champ is also three-time Wing Bowl champion Joey Chestnut.
Amateur eaters are welcome at the contest, beginning at 12:15 p.m. Saturday, but advance online registration is required at nathansfamous.com. Shoudt's a professional eater ranked fifth-best in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
• There was a huge upset in the 4th Annual Gyro Eating Contest at the Festival of Greece at St. Basil the Great Greek Orthodox Church on Eldridge Parkway. Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti defeated world champion eater Joey "Jaws" Chestnut by downing an even dozen of the massive, 12-ounce sandwiches in 10 minutes.
Chestnut was second with 11 gyros, followed by "Humble" Bob Shoudt (9.5 gyros) and "Nasty Nate" Biller (6 gyros).
Biller, a rookie on the eating circuit, hopes to enter more than 50 contests this year. He is a graduate student at New York University.
Bertoletti won $2,000 for his record-breaking effort in the event, which was sanctioned for the first time by the International Federation of Competitive Eating. Chestnut took home $1,000.
Gyros are Greek delicacies made with shaved beef and lamb, onions, tomatoes and tzatziki sauce, all stuffed in a fluffy pita bread. They're tough to eat fast.
• My favorite part of reading the Houston Chronicle online (chron.com) is the reader comments after each story or blog entry.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Stolen Ideas
* Pictured Don ''Moses'' Lerman
Back in 2001and 2002 I sent nearly every food pervision company , every dairy company butter producer and all hot sauce manufactures a 25 page portfolio about myself as a competitive eating champion and the new burgeoning sport.They were all sent returned receipt requested , so I know that they received them , and almost each and every one has stole my idea ' my interlectial property'' so to speak ,and that's a shame , give credit where its due , invite me to an event let me be a spokesman ,, but don't trample on my good will. I made theses portfolios when the sport was new and fresh on the scene , it seems that and I'am not being given any credit for my efforts and thats not right..end
Don Lerman Tossed Aside Like An Old Shoe By The I.F.O.C.E.
Don Lerman who recently won the lifetime achievement award , is no lon3er needed its seems in any capasity by the I.F.O.C.E. Once a top star who came to Shea communications as the Bens matzah ball Champ and helped futher the then burgening sport. has seems to hit a dead end . Lerman who hoped to make being taped as a judge for the upcoming Laredo la Costena Jalapeno contest ( since he is a former champ). says he was never contacted in any way shape or form It seem that I'm not one of their favorites , says Lerman who recently turned down a job as judge for a hot dog contest at a AAA baseball team because they were not Nathans hot dogs and being on the wall of fame he says was sort of unwritten obligation a sort of a good will ambassador, I felt it wasn't right to judge a non nathans contest . Loyalty is not rewarded says Lerman all they care about is the top 5 eaters it seems , lerman went on to say''I gave them the best years of my life , my blood my sweet and tears,and in the , I'm tossed away Like an old shoe and thats not right"....end
Don ""Moses'' Lerman as Matazh Ball Champ
Castroville fest draws 30,000 with food, song
By NICK RAHAIM • The Salinas Californian • May 19, 2008
CASTROVILLE - Steamed, fried or grilled, in muffins, soup or burritos, the "artichoke center of the world" celebrated its signature vegetable over the weekend.
The 49th Annual Artichoke Festival brought more than 30,000 people to Castroville, whose population is about 7,000. The Marshall Tucker Band rocked Saturday with its smooth, sour-mash Southern style, and WAR took to the stage Sunday with its funky Afro-Latin rhythms.
"We had an excellent weekend," said Jennifer Roybal, the festival's publicist. "We actually ran out of beer and artichokes."
With a car show displaying more than 100 classic cars and low-riding cruiser bicycles, Roybal said WAR's famous anthem, "Low Rider," couldn't have been more fitting.
"WAR was the big feather in our fedora," she said.
On Sunday morning at 9:45, spectators packed the sides of Merritt Street, Castroville's main drag, for the festival parade. At the parade, politicians -including Salinas City Councilman Tony Barrera on horseback -community groups and marching bands cruised the street waving to onlookers.
Later in the day, two former artichoke-eating champions and three challengers stuffed their faces to see who could eat the most artichokes in three minutes. Hugo Ruiz, who was born and raised in Castroville but now lives in Fresno, ate nearly a pound. Ruiz beat out Kim Hussey of Turlock, who won in 2006.
Over the course of the weekend there were four artichoke-eating contests.
"No one chews like me," Ruiz said. With a stomach freshly full, he said that the event did not make him sick of artichokes and pointed to more than a dozen he would soon take home with him.
"I just may need to wash them down with some beer," he said.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Stick to Blogging Order now!
Competitive Eating Stars to Battle at Rock Center
Crazy Legs Conti, left, Timothy Janus, right, courtesy IFOCE.
Attention competitive eating fans
s – hey, stop snickering; it’s a legitimate sport regulated by an International Federation! As one fan site says, "For those of you who doubt it's a sport, try making your body consume 20 pounds of food in 10 minutes." Anyway, C.E. fans will definitely want to plan for an extra-long lunch break on Tuesday, May 20th, when two of the world’s biggest "gurgitory gladiators" will lock horns in a Battle Royale for watermelon eating dominance.
The face-off will pit Timothy Janus, AKA Eater X, against Crazy Legs Conti. Janus is the tiramisu-eating champion off the world and set the record for tamales by downing 71 in 12 minutes; Conti’s a regular at Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest and wowed fans by eating his way out of a 96-cubic foot sarcophagus of popcorn at the debut of his own movie, Zen and The Art of Competitive Eating.
Besides cheering on their favorite eater, fans will also get to play around on Nintendo’s WiiWare channel, which just came out with Major League Eating: The Game. The video trailer for the game, which we posted last month, is distinguished by some virtual competitive vomiting.
Nintendo World Store, 10 Rockefeller Center, 5/20, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Contestants down dogs for trip to Coney Islan
Matteson Contest winner eats 31 franks in 10 minutes
As the clocks neared 10 minutes, two young men on Saturday chewed their way closer to a trip to Coney Island.
Chicagoan Tim "Gravy" Brown, who took 13th at last year's Fourth of July competition, and Minnesota resident Patrick Vandam were neck and neck, up to their elbows in hot dogs, keeping their eyes on the prize - a spot in the July 4, ESPN-televised Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York.
Vandam, a 5-foot, 10-inch, 160-pound rookie, was crowned the regional champ after devouring 31 hot dogs in the contest held in the Sam's Club parking lot in Matteson.
In a close second, Brown, at 6 feet and 200 pounds, downed 281/2 hot dogs.
Their styles were similar. Both men removed the hot dogs from their buns, gnawed away at them two at a time, then dunked the Wonder Bread buns in liquid.
"What's my strategy? Aside from eating as fast as I can, that's about it," said Vandam, who danced between plates. "I'm not a good dancer by nature."
The smallest of 12 contestants, Vandam guessed he gained about eight pounds by the end of the competition - full of beef, bread and water.
"I'm not in a hurry to go eat anything else," he said, before leaving with his trophy. "I've never been to Coney Island. But people say it's quite a trip."
Brown's arms were stained with the remnants of his choice drinks: orange and raspberry Crystal Light.
"I'm doing all right," he said. "I have a little lead in my gut right now, but it was a lot of fun. This is a great group of guys."
He listened to M.I.A. and Zoinks! on headphones to tune out the cheering crowd and chewing competitors.
"It's really about focusing," he said. "I need something. As long as it's loud and fast."
Brown, the local favorite, was expected to win. He ate 25 hot dogs in 12 minutes at last year's July Fourth event.
He's devoured 24 sliders in eight minutes and ate 3.76 pounds of turkey in eight minutes for the Spike TV Turkey Bowl in October.
"I do a lot of water training because it's easy," he said. "I'm pushing for 30. I have some stiff competition."
Vandam, who took second place a week earlier in Minnesota by eating 30 franks, was that stiff competition. But Brown hasn't given up yet.
Intent on representing Chicago in Coney Island, Brown will be competing May 31 in Arizona and will travel again to a Texas competition, if necessary.
George Shea, chairman of Major League Eating, which governs the Nathan's Famous contests, said the competition is traveling to Sam's Clubs nationwide as the store chain recently announced its decision to serve Nathan's Famous hot dogs at 570 locations.
He introduced the 12 male competitors who traveled to Matteson from Wisconsin and Minnesota as well as Springfield, Elmhurst, Darien and Chicago.
Shea counted down from 10 minutes, keeping close watch on Brown and Vandam before he and a team of judges announced a winner.
"You all can cheer for Patrick Vandam at the July Fourth competition," he said.
Last year, more than 1.5 million people tuned in to ESPN to watch Joey Chestnut annihilate 66 hot dogs in the 12 minutes, taking the mustard yellow belt from reigning six-time champion Takeru Kobayaski.
802-8812.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Don Lerman Disrespected by Nokia add ... In an attempt to claim someone other than Don Lerman Holds the worlds Butter eating Record Nokia has put an add on the market that is a slap in the face to great Moses Lerman it belittles his title and discounts the truth and if you check the glutton bowl tape it is actually 71/2 sticks in 5 min....end
Arturo Rios Wins East Hartford with 22.75HDB
Don Lerman East Hartford 2004 Win
1st Place Arturo Rios 223/4 HDB
2nd Place Russ Keeler 191/2 HDB3rdPlace Pete Davekos 161/2HDB
Gyro Results TodayPat Beroletti Wins with 12 gyros
Joey Chestnut 11 Gyros
Bob Shout 91/2 gyros
Nathan Biller 6 gyros
East Hartford Nathans Today Full Results
* enlarge to read
Friday, May 16, 2008
Posted: Friday 05/16/08 04:53 PM EDT
A man once named the world's biggest is gunning for a new record: most weight lost. How much has he slimmed down so far? Find the answer in our 20-question news quiz.
Take the Quiz, Get Your Score
Catholic Newspaper Rips ESPN, Mike Golic for Displaying Gluttony With Eating Contest
Posted May 15th 2008 5:55PM by Michael David Smith
Filed under: NFL Media Watch, ESPN
On the May 1 edition of ESPN's
Mike and Mike in the Morning, co-host
Mike Golic participated in a competitive eating contest in which he scarfed down 15 chicken wings, while professional competitive eaters around him ate significantly more.
It was intended to be a lighthearted moment on the show. But some people took it seriously. Really, really seriously. Peter Finney Jr., a writer for the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of New Orleans,
has this to say:
The hedonistic display was bad enough - Golic finished last to "professional" eaters Tim "Eater X" Janus, Pete "Pretty Boy" Davekos and "Crazy Legs" Conti - but the gluttony-as-sport, far from laughable, should sting any correctly formed conscience.
I guess my conscience isn't correctly formed, then, because I don't feel the least bit stung by watching competitive eating.
Why should I feel stung? Here's the explanation:
"I think it is a little obscene, especially right now given the fact that people are increasingly concerned about getting enough good food to eat," said Natalie Jayroe, director of Second Harvest Food Bank of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, which since Hurricane Katrina has provided more than 151 million pounds of food to families and seniors.
"Encouraging people to engage in gluttony is not good for their lives."
Sorry, but that's absurd. There is
a Peter Singer school of thought that says almost everything Americans spend money on is wasteful and would better be used treating the sick and feeding the starving, and I'm not unsympathetic to that school of thought. But to single Golic out as the one example of wasteful consumption is utterly ridiculous.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Ranked third by the Association of Independent Competitive Eaters, Ian "The Invader" Hickman of Herndon has his sights on strawberries for the Deaplane Strawberry Festival on May 24th. Some of his other records include 117 Herndon man seeks national strawberry-eating title
RestonBy Gregg MacDonaldSource: Fairfax County TimesTUESDAY, MAY 13 2008
Despite competitive eater Ian “The Invader” Hickman's great successes, he says he still feels he has some unfinished business when it comes to strawberries.
Having previously competed twice and finishing no better than third place at the annual National Strawberry Eating Championship in Delaplane, Hickman would love nothing more than to win this coveted title for his home state of Virginia and finally add strawberries to his long list of eating titles.
"This event is in Virginia, it's my house," Hickman, 25, declares."The sweetness of these delicious strawberries can only be fully realized when a Virginian brings the title home where it belongs.”
Last year's champion ate 9 pounds of strawberries in seven minutes.
Hickman, a Herndon resident who stands at 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs only 165 pounds, has established several world records and captured several national eating titles since he started competing in 2005 at the age of 22. His accomplishments include downing 10 pounds of chili in only five minutes, capturing the National ¼ lb. Hot Dog Eating Championship, and grabbing the World Black & White Cookie Eating Championship.
In addition to his domestic victories, Hickman has competed in Tokyo against the mighty Japanese Food Fighters and held his own.
Hickman said he first became interested in becoming a competitive eater after watching actor John Candy eat a huge steak in the movie "The Great Outdoors," and later consumed his own 64-ounce porterhouse in a Lexington, Ky., steakhouse that offered the meal free to anyone who could finish it in less than 45 minutes. Hickman ate the steak – along with a side and a salad – in only 19 minutes.
"That's when I knew I might have talent as a competitive eater," he said.
A billing consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton, Hickman says he generally attends one or two contests a month and particularly likes to win those within driving distance from his Herndon home.
For details on how to watch Hickman try for the strawberry-eating title, visit www.delaplanestrawberryfestival.com. Proceeds from the festival are used to support ministries, with outreach grants to numerous local, regional and international nonprofit organizations, including Salvation Army of Fauquier, Fauquier County Social Services, Hospice of Fauquier and Rapidan, American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity and the Diocese of Sudan.
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enlarge to read
Newsday Votes Nathans Hot Dogs #1 InTaste Test
Strawberry Festival coming to Oxnard
California Strawberry Festival
Two participants wear the namesake fruit as part of the Tart Toss at the California Strawberry Festival, held every May in Oxnard, CA.
By Elina Shatkin, Times Staff Writer
May 15, 2008
The Soupy Sales pie-in-the-face routine has nothing on the California Strawberry Festival, where would-be pie-oneers can practice their own version of the classic slapstick maneuver. At the tart toss, stick your head through a cutout in a wooden board. If the tosser successfully hits the target (your face), you win. All you can lose is your dignity. "As funny as it sounds, people say, 'I've always wanted to have a pie thrown in my face,' " festival manager Bonnie Weigel says. Just ask Sales. The comedian and children's TV show host who elevated the humble pie toss into an art form took from 19,000 to 25,000 pies right in the kisser. If you prefer cramming at least as much dessert into your face as you smear onto it, the festival's shortcake-eating contest (strawberry, of course) offers a fleeting but messy opportunity for speed eaters and would-be gluttons. Nancy Rodriguez, one of the hosts of Ventura radio station Q104.7's Clubhouse morning show, counts herself among the latter. "I'm a little competitive," Rodriguez says, "but more than anything I thought, 'All the pie I can eat for a buck? You can't beat that.' " At this messy battle, competitors -- some of whom have trained for years at backyard barbecues, family dinners and buffet extravaganzas -- have 60 seconds to inhale as much pie as they can without benefit of forks or hands. Nicholas Lopez, 18, has competed twice and in 2003, at the tender age of 14, won first place. With all the humility of a true champion (or a bored teenager), he doesn't take excessive pride in his accomplishment. "I wouldn't call it a talent at all," Lopez says of his ability to down copious amounts of food in record time. "It was just being hungry." And the recovery was brutal. "I don't think I ate for a long time afterward," he says, "maybe three or four hours." Rodriguez, who didn't come close to winning in her first attempt, has a strategy this time. "The first year I was a little afraid of sinking my face into the pie and getting extremely messy. One of the mistakes I made was focusing too much on the person next to me and seeing how quick they were going. This year I'm going to focus on swallowing the strawberries instead of chewing them one by one," she says. Other highlights include a strawberry stomp, in which competitors have one minute to see how much berry juice they can mash out; performances by swing band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and rock drummer Sheila E; a build-your-own strawberry shortcake contest and a cornucopia of strawberry-based foods, including a strawberry pizza. "The days of the old country fairs are gone," Weigel says. "I think this really recalls a time when things were simpler." CALIFORNIA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL
WHERE: Strawberry Meadows of College Park, 3250 S. Rose Ave., Oxnard.
WHEN: 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Sat. and Sun. PRICE: $12, general; $8, seniors; $5, children ages 5 to 12 INFO: (888) 288-9242 www.strawberry-fest.org/
Twins fans chow Down on a New promotion...
Andrea Larson would like to see plenty of fans sitting in Sections 232 and 233 at the Metrodome next Monday and Tuesday.
She also is hoping that Takeru Kobayashi isn’t one of them.
That’s because the Minnesota Twins are trying something new: “All-You-Can-Eat” Nights, at which patrons who buy tickets in the chosen sections can eat for free ... and eat ... and eat ... and eat ...
“I think it’s a great idea. It could be really fun,” said Larson, the Twins’ corporate communications manager. “I thought of college kids: If it’s all-you-can-eat, you can save a little money.
“I hope that people don’t just (gorge) because it’s free.”
Here’s the (ahem) skinny: The Twins will sell up to 1,000 tickets in the all-you-can-eat sections on Monday and Tuesday. It’s usually a $21 ticket; on
