On Tuesday, spectators lined shoulder-to-shoulder at Coney Island, wearing a number of sporting hats that captured the essence of the day, including Nathan’s effervescent hot dog hat and a blue hat provided by an antacid company.
For most Americans, Independence Day means fireworks, family, and food. But hours before these things really kick in, many Americans turn their attention to another holiday tradition, the strange spectacle of Nathan’s famous hot dog eating contest.
Each year on Independence Day, thousands of spectators defy the effects of heat and unexplained frenzy as they gather at the crossroads of Brooklyn’s Coney Island neighborhood to watch an elite legion of gluttons smash a human in 10 minutes. Watch it consume as many hot dogs as possible. .
A human definition of what is possible has one meaning for most of the carnivorous world. For most contestants it’s a whole other thing. That’s especially true of defending champions Joey Chesnutt and Miki Sudo, who have returned to defend their titles and perhaps expand the notion of what is possible for humans.
Chesnut holds the world record for men eating 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes in 2021, while Sudo holds the world record for women eating 48.5 hot dogs in 10 minutes. ing. Both were strong contenders.
The women’s contest started first, and the last person to be introduced was Ms. Sudo, who was described as “the spiral that swirls around the core of the American spirit.”
She won by eating 39.5 hot dogs in 10 minutes, six more than her closest rival, Mayoi Ebihara.
The men’s event, scheduled for noon, was postponed after rain and lightning hit the area, forcing fans to evacuate.
Chesnut, also known as Jaws, ate 63 hot dogs to win the men’s contest for the 15th time last year. Mr. Sudo ate 40 hot dogs and won the championship for the eighth time.
Legend has it that the Nathans Games, divided into separate men’s and women’s competitions, have been held annually since 1916. But the legend does not match the facts. In 2010, Mortimer Matz, one of the contest’s original promoters, admitted it was a hoax, “Coney Island Pitchman Style.”
The event actually started in the early 1970s and its current form is fueled by the excess puns and patriotism of George Shea, who oversees the event alongside her brother Rich Shea.
Over the years, the Shears have gently forced mayors like Rudolph W. Giuliani, Michael R. Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio to host moaning-heavy weigh-ins. (After such a moan in 2012, Mr Bloomberg famous saying Shout out, “Who wrote this? [expletive]? ”)
They expanded the Coney Island event into a national food competition spectacle run by Major League Eating, an organization that bills itself as “the governing body of all sports centered around the stomach.” The men’s contest will be broadcast live on ESPN2. The women’s competition was streamed live on the ESPN app.
For those interested, a 39-year study published in 2020 found that the human body can eat up to 83 hot dogs in 10 minutes, according to science. It seems that people (scientists!) have decided. Contest data.
According to the paper, the world’s most elite and competitive humans can match grizzly bears in terms of the amount of food they eat per unit of time.
A bear can eat about 8 hot dogs a minute, and Mr. Chestnut can eat about 7.5 hot dogs a minute. But whereas bears usually finish eating in about six minutes, Mr. Chesnut says she can keep grilling hot dogs for 10 minutes straight.
“Most gluttons use a similar technique: separate the meat from the bun,” Chesnutt says. in online video I will explain his championship technique. “If you have to eat quickly, you have to soak the bread in water.”
He said he started training for the contest at the end of April every year, going through a series of contest practices followed by a period of fasting. We sometimes eat outside on hot days.
He said he managed to eat more than 80 hot dogs in 10 minutes on five separate occasions during training, but was unable to replicate the feat in competition.
“A lot of it is psychological and spiritual.” He said. “My body is telling me it’s full.”
