Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Ah, there it is ... and right on schedule! ;-)

Yup, every year right after Nathan's does their thang, someone's gonna start this thread. Let's just go back a year and have a look:

http://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2007/06/competitive-eating.html

So, that's the "makes me nauseous" side. Now, as to it possibly being a "complete waste of food and energy" ... Have you ever seen a Las Vegas buffet?

Bottom line: Eating competitions have been happening since the first pie eating competition at a county fair Lord knows how long ago. Nathan's just does it bigger, as do others. It may sound flip to say this but, if you don't like it, just change the channel. WWE might be on somewhere ... or maybe even Hannah Montana in 3D on an IMAX screen ...

Not exactly--traditional pie eating contests usually had one slice of pie, with the competitor's hands tied behind their backs and the challenge wasn't stuffing yourself to the point of gastric rupture but to eat the pie in the quickest amount of time. Funny, gross, and silly to see people have their noses turn blue with the juice from the pie, yes, but not on the same level as inhaling 60 hot dogs. The level of respect and reverence given to the event is pretty strange. Why does compulsive overeating as a sport make it okay, but not okay when it's done in private?

Hey back at you FFC! Happy 4th. I was not around for the prior discussions either. I also did not even know about the contest until I saw it posted here. Here in PA we have Wing Bowl. It is always the Friday before the Super Bowl. Competitors eat wings, lots of wings. It was always a local thing, but in the past few years, the have been "out of towners" competing. I think that kind of ruined for the local Philadelphia folks. I don't understand that one either...... I am off to see 3D Hannah Montana. Enjoy your holiday! ;-D

@HeartofGlass, I've seen pie-eating both ways, with one competition involving whole pumpkin pies.

In-private on a regular basis is a real problem. But remember, a lot of leading competitive eaters only weigh about 100 pounds. They definitely don't eat that way every day. That's why it's a sport.

So if the competitive eaters are overweight, and the competition is part of an unhealthy eating lifestyle, then it isn't a sport :p

I'm not saying ban it, and yes, I do change the channel but I still think it's interesting and indicative of the contradictory attitudes our culture exhibits about overindulgence.

"So if the competitive eaters are overweight, and the competition is part of an unhealthy eating lifestyle, then it isn't a sport."

Obviously, you didn't read the previous thread either ... Here's what I'd written:

"If you go the the IFOCE's Eater's page you'll find most of the top contenders, especially those at the extreme top, are far from obese. I think the whole of it is actually a good lesson in moderation except at certain times when you want to thoroughly enjoy some aspect of food, such as an expensive buffet ... Gluttony is also drinking till drunk. And yet, millions do just that each and every day ... while these competitions happen once in a while ... Just because someone doesn't like something certainly doesn't mean it's something to be up-in-arms about."

That's what I said, and that's what I meant in what I wrote here as well. I implied nothing negative in what I wrote above.

I honestly wish that, in these kinds of threads, implications towards misconstruing something written could somehow be avoided. The internet is just really bad for these kinds of conversations.

Your implication is that the event must be healthy because most of the contestants, according to you are not obese (although some of them are)--so does that make it okay, or sport, for the thin and not for the obese? Why judge the health of a so called sport on body size?

Just because you can find other examples of outrageous gluttony and parodying of the meaning of food as nourishment doesn't make inhaling 60 hot dogs okay.

And this is not a one-time deal, given how many contests these 'athletes' participate in, to say nothing of their 'training.'

I think, given the choice, I would rather see a straightforward pissing contest--might be healthier.

@Heart, I never implied competitive eating is healthy ... never said so outright either. I said the better athletes are healthy. Big difference.

Yes, these competitions are "okay". Just because you think it's not doesn't make it so.

Yes, my comparisons are valid. Without other examples, understanding doesn't occur.

With that, here's another: No one has the right or the authority to tell anyone else what or how much to eat. Flat-out and period. That's called "choice" and "freedom", and similar words.

No, I'm not implying anything else here either.

"I'm not sure how one could injure oneself in a pissing contest"

I do believe alcohol volume and balcony height would both be factors. ;-)

Ah, so if health is not an issue, why not just sell tickets to a bulimia competition--like a competitive eating contest, only waiving the no puking rule. The goal of the contest could be to eat and vomit as much as possible within a certain time frame.

I find it a bit odd that we can pick on Paula Deen and talk about how she is trying to kill us with butter and the SE folks can be derided for articles about deep fried bacon. But its hands off a "contest" who's participants gorge themselves past the point of our much touted "moderation" on food that is notoriously unhealthy? Glad I got the straight in my mind now, thank you.

It's a disgusting hobby. Period.

Sorry for the "downer" post, but, with so much hunger and famine on the planet, just a tad unethical, as well. But, that's only my opinion.

There is class and there is classless.

It never made any sense to me but then neither does curling.

@Heart ... I've stopped replying because your posts have become nothing but nonsensical rants. I'll no longer waste my time trying to have a real, honest and mature conversation with you on this particular subject.

Just because you disagree with someone, LunaPierCook, doesn't mean the person is not taking in what you say--you simply attack me without replying to my points. This does seem like a glorification of compulsive overeating, a diagnosable medical condition much like bulimia.

Beth1, that's a great point--I never thought about the waste and the glorification about waste, especially with the rise in food prices. It's not just the waste of the contest, but also the waste of the 'practice' these individuals subject themselves to while 'training' for these events.

These contests have at their core nothing to do with "glamour" though that may be the glossy cover. And they have nothing to do with the price of pork, at home or abroad.

Contests such as this live in both places of gluttonous excess and in places of dire poverty.

The idea of somehow tying a sense of social responsibility to them (either for those who participate or in those who watch) is simply wishful thinking.

Human beings need this sort of release. There is gluttony hidden in each person on the planet - though it takes different shapes in different individuals.

And there is the desire to "win win win" hidden in each person on the planet too. Better, then - that this urge be exercised in these slightly foolish ways than in other ways that may not be so foolish.

As for whether these contests encourage overeating in a culture where too much overeating occurs as a general rule, I rather doubt it. Though certainly a contest like this could be used as a prop or excuse by those who say that society creates them and that they have no choice in the matter.

It's vulgar, yes. But then so many things are. "Vulgar" means "common". And humanity is mostly not saints, whether fortunately or not.

In the final analysis, the question must arise: Does this hurt anyone?

I can't see how.
It's not to my taste, but I really can't see how it hurts anyone.

If you'd like to see people donating hot dogs to starving children wherever that is a fine and noble thing. But disallowing these contests won't do that. That, comes from within and no amount of finger-wagging ever made it happen, anywhere.

Lets face is we all have different opinions on every subject under the sun, thats what makes life so interesting. Now lets all be intelligent mature human beings and agree to disagree. I'm going back to me corner now and continue making faces at everyone i disagree with! neener neener ;)

izatryt said -- I am going to host a mint eating contest. ;-O
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Well... even if everybody gets sick, we'll all have minty fresh breath. :)

@Lunie - That would be ghastly. Let's do it! You first!!

O you guys are riled today :). I am a fat person i will state the facts but i have NO desire to eat 60 hot dogs in 60 sixty seconds - or in a week. I think this makes it glamourous to be excessive. I don't let my kids even hear about this kind of stuff,but that is just me. On this 4th lets be happy that we all can have a differnt opion. ok fine it's the 6th but you know what i mean.

@LunaPierCook...This was the third 4th that I didn't have a 5th in front of me! Instead I had a 6 of 12 oz Diet Coke........LOL

@huneybumper, well this week was next week last week, and this week won't be last week till next week ... ;-)

Some people, usually males, often need outlets to express their dominance and superiority. I say better to do it by shoving hot dogs in your face than by UFC fighting. It's funnier, and the only real injury is to the participant's dignity.

@huneybumper ... that's grey matter, not green matter. But when brown matter hits the propeller blades, that's when you're up a river with no loo paper. You must keep current before the current keeps you!

Haha... ok, you people are crazy. :)

I'm not sure which but 10- $ 20,000.00 dollars to the winner....You really have to be in shape to excell at this Take a quick look at the two finalists....they both look like life long gym rats with eight-pack abs

What blows my mind is they actually have to train for this .....I guess at least if you want to finish in the money

No hurling,round trip lunch,calling for "EARLE" or "STREET PIZZA" allowed....lol