66 HOT DOGS (AND BUNS!) IN 12 MINUTES . . . IS HE HUMAN?

JOEY CHESTNUT has given eating a whole new meaning. In his first two seasons on the competitive eating circuit, Chestnut racked up amazing wins, including the dethroning of Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi at the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Championship in 2007, Joey's rookie year. As if eating 66 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes to clinch that win wasn’t staggering enough, Joey’s Krystal hamburger win later that year—103 burgers in just 8 minutes!—is barely believable. Is there no bottom to this human being’s stomach? His other records include:

• Asparagus: 8.8 pounds in 10 minutes
• Chicken Wings, 12 minutes: 7.5 lbs Buffalo Chicken Wings in 12 minutes
• Chicken Wings, Long form: 182 chicken wings in 30 minutes
• Grilled Cheese Sandwiches: 47 grilled cheese sandwiches in 10 Minutes
• Gyoza: 212 in10 minutes
• Krystal Hamburgers: 103 in 8 minutes
• Horseshoe Sandwiches: 6 lbs, 5 oz horseshoe sandwiches in 12 minutes
• Hot Dogs: 66 Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs and Buns in 12 minutes
• Jalapeno Poppers: 118 Jalapeno Poppers in 10 minutes
• Kolache Factory Kolaches: 56 in 8 Minutes
• Pizza Hut P'Zones: 4.82 lbs in 6 minutes
• Pork Ribs: 8.4 pounds in 12 minutes
• Pork, Pulled: 9 Pounds, 6 Ounces in 10 Minutes
• Pork, Pulled Sandwiches: 45 in 10 minutes

WANT FRIES WITH YOUR COWBRAINS?

The INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF COMPETITIVE EATING is the official "governing body" for competitive eaters—you know, those folks who chow down vats of mayonaisse, piles of butter sticks, tables of hot dogs, cases of cow brains . .  . well, you get the picture. Thanks to the IFOCE's efforts, the sport of competitive eating has risen in popularity and profile, with more competitions each year, greater media coverage, and very likely more kids like Shermie “Thuff Enuff” Thuff dreaming of the day they turn eighteen and can belly up to the pro table. They'll always have company though—in the form of trained medical personnel. Every IFOCE-sanctioned eat-off requires an Emergency Medical Technician be present. Seriously, if you're stuffing that many things down your throat that fast, there's bound to be a log-jam. Don't ever try to speed eat without a trained medical pro around. A sample of eating records:

Competitive eaters are called "gurgitators" or even "athletes" by some. They train for their sport—guzzling entire gallons of water at a time to expand their stomach, chomping countless bags of carrots to strengthen their jaw muscles, and working out like fiends to shed the dreaded "Fat Belt" that could constrict their tummies during an eat-off. It's an extreme lifestyle, with some pretty gnarly health risks. Six-time Hot Dog-Eating Champ Takeru Kobayashi suffers from a debilitating jaw injury as a result of his years of training and competition.

THE SUPERBOWL OF COMPETITIVE EATING

NATHAN'S FAMOUS FOURTH OF JULY HOT DOG EATING CHAMIONSHIP is the superbowl of competitive eating. First held in 1916 at a nickle hot dog stand on a tiny corner of Surf Avenue in Coney Island, New York, this annual competition now gets international media attention. In 2007, 50,000 people gathered on that corner, just outside the doors of Nathan's Famous. Millions more watched on TV. That day, the fans witnessed rookie Joey Chestnut crush six-time hot dog-eating champ Takeru Kobayashi by eating 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes. To qualify to be one of the twenty eaters as this Ultimate of Final Tables, eaters must win regional competitions throughout the year in various kinds of foods, not just hot dogs. Then, at the stroke of noon on the Fourth of July, the Final Twenty competitors launch into a frenzy of grabbing hot dogs, ripping them into pieces, dunking them in water for easy sliding, then shoving them in their mouths—all at a whirlwind speed that makes their motions one big blur.  The eater who has downed the most hot dogs at the 12-minute mark wins the Yellow Mustard Belt, the ultimate competitive eating trophy.

YOU CAN'T KEEP A GOOD TSUNAMI DOWN

TAKERU "TSUNAMI" KOBAYASHI is the poster boy for competitive eating. Kobayashi won the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest six years in a row, startling the world with his downing of 50 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes in 2001, nearly doubling the previous record. In that magic moment, Tsunami put competitive eating on the map. He'd reached a new record of 53-3/4 hot dogs and buns when Joey Chestnut knocked the crown from Kobayahi's head, beating the Master of Meat in 2007 by three hot dogs and buns—66 to 63. But when we're talking 63 hot dogs (and buns!) in twelve minutes, that second place rank is still amazing, don't you think? That's why Shermie Thuff wants to beat Tsunami so badly. Shortly before losing to Chestnut, Kobayashi suffered a serious jaw injury that has since cost him several wins and rendered him completely unable to defend his title in the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship. Will this jaw injury keep him on the sidelines forever? Only time will tell. Some of Tsunami's other, but no less impressive, records include:

• Cow Brains: 57 (17.7 pounds) in 15 minutes
• Lobster Rolls: 41 Lobster in 10 minutes
• Rice Balls: 20 pounds rice balls in 30 minutes

HOT FACTS ABOUT HOT DOGS

HOT DOGS, TUBE MEAT, WEINIES, FRANKS. Whatever you call 'em, they're as All-American as apple pie. But . . . ever wonder what's actually in the things? Well, if your package of dogs says "with variety meats", you're getting something extra special, that's for sure—like hearts, kidneys, or liver, for instance. Sound like more than you bargained for? Don't fret, most hot dogs don't have variety meats anymore. These days, they mostly come with plain old meat trimmings (poultry or beef), spices, ice chips, and curing ingredients. And Americans love them. This year, Americans will eat enough hot dogs at major league ballparks to stretch from RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., to AT&T Park in San Francisco. New Yorkers will be doing most of the eating, with Los Angeles and Baltimore coming in right behind them. And guys are more likely than girls to have eaten a hot dog in the past week. So, what do all these hot dog eaters like on their hot links? You may be surprised. According to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, the favorite condiment on a hot dog is . . . drumroll, please . . . mustard! Ketchup comes in a close second. However, some people are adamantly anti-ketchup when it comes to hot dogs. In Chicago, most "true" hot dog stands and restaurants refuse to even stock ketchup, believing that dousing a dog in red stifles the taste of the dog rather than compliments it. And now, for the most important fact about hot dogs ever: Hot dogs typically come in 10 packs while hot dog buns come in bags of 8 because the buns are baked in clusters of four, in pans designed to hold eight rolls. You'd think the hot dog manufacturers would adjust to the pan clusters already, but except for a few rebel companies, they are set in their ways. Even with this controversy, Americans stay loyal to their tube meat. Why, they even gave the mighty hot dog its own holiday: July is the National Hot Dog Month, and 19th July is the National Hot Dog Day.

Is all this hot dog talk making you hungry? Wanna order up some doggies, but still not sure what to call them? Try these names at the next hot dog stand and see what they get you:

• “Heisser Hund” (German)
• “Varmkorv” (Sweden)
• “Grillpolser” (Norwegian and Danish)
• “Worstjes” (Dutch)
• “Makkarat” (Finnish)

One last fact: The World's Longest Hot Dog was 60m (196.85 ft), and rested within a 60.3m bun. Are you up for it?

DEAD HORSE, ANYONE?

KETCHUP is America's favorite red condiment. But it hasn't always been made out of tomatoes. Ketchup started out as a general term for sauce, typically made of mushrooms or fish brine with herbs and spices. Some popular early ingredients included blueberry, anchovy, oyster, lobster, walnut, kidney bean, cucumber, cranberry, lemon, celery and grape. Mushroom ketchup is still available in some countries, such as the UK. Banana ketchup is popular in the Philippines. Tomato Catsup has a high acid content (due to both the tomatoes and vinegar in it) and therefore does not have to be refrigerated after opening. The acid content is also handy for restoring the glow to copper pots and pans. Each country has a different use for ketchup, the most common being:

• Sweden: on pasta
• Eastern Europe: on pizza
• Japan: on rice
• Denmark: on spaghetti
• Thailand: on dip for potato chips
• Great Britain: on fish and chips
• Spain and India: on eggs
• United States: on hamburgers, hot dogs, and French fries

Ice cream makers Baskin Robbins tried Ketchup Ice Cream once. It was the only vegetable flavored ice cream they ever made. Is it any wonder they discontinued it? Bleck! Speaking of bleck, how about the nickname Australians have for ketchup: Dead Horse. Bleck, indeed. And finally, just what are those 57 varieties Heinz likes to talk about? We'll never know: One hundred years ago, Henry Heinz was inspired by a shoe advertisement for '21 styles'. He began totting up his own product range and even though it extended beyond 57, something attracted him to the number 57. It seemed so distinctive, almost mystical. It was then that he coined '57 Varieties'.

THE GOO, THE WHOLE GOO, AND NOTHING BUT THE GOO

MUSTARD. Wanna know where the "must" in "mustard" came from. And the "tard"? The prevailing belief is that it comes from the Romans. They mixed unfermented grape juice, known as "must," with ground mustard seeds to make "burning must", or mustum ardens. Hence "must ard". There are many varieties of mustard. In the United States, yellow mustard is the kind we refer to as "mustard". It's a mild mustard that gets its bright yellow color from the spice turmeric. It was introduced in 1904 by George T. French as "cream salad mustard". Yellow mustard ranks as the United States' third most popular condiment, after salsa and ketchup. In fact, the USA loves their mustard so much, we have a museum dedicated solely to mustard. The Mount Horeb Mustard Museum in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, features the world's largest display of prepared mustards. The museum was conceived and founded by Barry Levenson, former Assistant Attorney General for the state of Wisconsin. It centers on a mustard collection he began in 1986 while despondent over the failure of his favorite baseball team, the Boston Red Sox, to win the 1986 World Series. On the first Saturday in August, the museum sponsors an annual celebration of National Mustard Day. Mark your calendar!

ONLY THE BEST

HARIBO GOLD-BEARS ARE THE ORIGINAL GUMMI CANDIES, and for Shermie "Thuff Enuff" Thuff, only the best will do. Haribo Gold-Bears are his favorite candy. “Gummy” or “gummi”, whichever way you spell it, you're right. Although, since the inventor was German, the “gummi” spelling just feels right, doesn’t it? As for the odd name of the original bears, “Haribo” is an acronym for Hans Riegel Bonn—which is itself a combination of the candy maker Hans Riegel and his hometown Bonn, Germany. Hans invented the gummi bear in 1922, and it was an instant hit! Sixty years later, Disney created a cartoon show, “The Adventures of the Gummi Bears,” about a family of gummi bears that lasted 65 episodes.

What’s in a gummi bear? Most of the candy makers use sugar, glucose syrup, and gelatin. Haribo Gold-Bears stick to pork gelatin, so they’re definitely not kosher. Fortunately, kosher candy fans who find themselves in the cafeteria of the Jewish Museum Berlin can use a vending machine for kosher versions made by non-Haribo comapnies.  As for their flavorings, the Haribo Gold-Bear color-to-taste relationship may surprise you:

• WHITE: Pineapple
• GREEN: Strawberry (nope, not lime…go figure)
• YELLOW: Lemon (or as Shermie would swear, Lemon Pledge)
• ORANGE: Orange
• RED: Raspberry

How are gummi bears made?  The ingredients are poured into large boilers, then heated and stirred by large paddles. Colors and flavorings are added, then pipes transfer the mixture to the production area. There, nozzles squeeze the mix on to the starch boards, where it is left for three to five days. Afterwards, beeswax is added to make the candy shiny and less sticky. (Hey, you’re already eating pork gelatin, so beeswax shouldn’t seem so strange.) Then they are packaged and shipped. Want to see how they’re made with your own eyes? Although there are 18 Haribo factories, they’re all in Europe. So, no poking your nose into the gummy bear factory during a cross-country All-American “Weird Wonders at the Side of the Road” road trip. Driving tourists will have to stick to visiting the World’s Largest Ball of Twine in Cawker City, Kansas—which, as of 2003, was 17,000 lbs, 40 ft in circumference, and had over 7,000,000 feet of twine wrapped around it. Wow. But this is Fun Facts about Gummi Bears, not twine, so back to the bears. Like all good things, there are imitators. In 1981, Trolli introduced gummi worms. Like Haribo's original gummi candy, these worms were a hit . . . but who wants to eat worms? Bring on the bears—the Haribo Gold-Bears! Nothing but the best, even when it comes to shiny, rubbery food.

EATING DISORDERS: FOOD IS NOT ALL FUN AND GAMES

15 PERCENT OF HIGH SCHOOL BOYS ARE DIETING, with peer pressure, media influences, and the weight demands of sports such as wrestling leading the list of reasons why. BIG MOUTH offers an entertaining, funny, farcical, and emotionally powerful opportunity to explore these pressures. 24 million Americans suffer from eating disorders, 10% of them male. Celebrities who have gone public about battles with eating disorders include Matt Damon, Billy Bob Thornton, Elton John, Paula Abdul, Fiona Apple, Tracey Gold, Princess Diana, and Spice Girls Geri Halliwell and Victoria Beckham. The following is a selection of the eating disorder statistics, with emphasis on young people:

• Over half of females aged 18-25 would prefer to be run over by a truck then be fat; two-thirds of them would rather be mean or stupid.
• Two out of 5 women and 1 out of 5 men would trade three to five years of their life to achieve their goal body weight.
• 11% of high school students have been diagnosed with an eating disorder
• 15% of high school boys are dieting
• 40 – 60% of high school girls diet; 13% purge
• 30 – 40% of junior high girls worry about weight
• 80% of all children have been on a diet by the time that they have reached the fourth grade
• 40% of nine-year-old girls have dieted; 9% of them have vomited to lose weight
• 45% of 1^st – 6^th grade boys and girls want to be thinner, 37% have already dieted
• 42% of 1^st – 3^rd grade girls want to be thinner
• The #1 wish of girls 11- to 17-years-old is to lose weight

Eating disorders are serious conditions that need medical intervention. When the body is denied the essential nutrients it needs to function normally, it is forced to slow down all of its processes to conserve energy. This “slowing down” can have serious medical consequences. Some warning signs of eating disorders include:

• Dramatic weight loss.
• Preoccupation with weight, food, calories, fat grams, and dieting.
• Refusal to eat certain foods, progressing to restrictions against whole categories of food (e.g. no carbohydrates, etc.).
• Frequent comments about feeling “fat” or overweight despite weight loss.
• Anxiety about gaining weight or being “fat.”
• Denial of hunger.
• Development of food rituals (e.g. eating foods in certain orders, excessive chewing, rearranging food on a plate).
• Consistent excuses to avoid mealtimes or situations involving food.
• Excessive, rigid exercise regimen—despite weather, fatigue, illness, or injury—the need to “burn off” calories taken in.
• Withdrawal from usual friends and activities.
• In general, behaviors and attitudes indicating that weight loss, dieting, and control of food are becoming primary concerns.

If you suspect that you or someone you know may be suffering from an eating disorder, contact the National Eating Disorders Association’s Information & Referral Helpline: 1-800-931-2237. NEDA's website is www.NationalEatingDisorders.org.

Website © 2006, 2007, 2008 by Deborah Halverson. All rights reserved. Photos and text on this website may not be re-used electronically or in print without permission.

*photos of Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi by Associated Press; photo of cow brain sandwich by Daniel R. Patmore, Associated Press