Heat, gluttony and hot dogs: it must be the 4th of July
For most of America, the Fourth of July conjures thoughts of fireworks, family, and cookouts. But hours before any of those things really start, many Americans will turn their attention to a curious spectacle that has become another holiday tradition: the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Every year on Independence Day, thousands of spectators, braving the heat and the effects of inexplicable fervor, descend on an intersection in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn to watch an elite corps of competitive eaters consume as many hot dogs as humanly possible in 10 minutes.
The definition of human possible has one meaning for most of the carnivorous world; it has something completely different for most participants. That’s especially true for the defending champions, Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo, who are back to defend their titles and potentially expand the idea of what’s humanly possible.
Mr. Chestnut holds the world record for men of 76 hot dogs and buns eaten in 10 minutes in 2021, while Ms. Sudo holds the world record for women of 48.5 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
mr. Chestnut, also known as “Jaws,” won the men’s contest for the 15th time last year by eating 63 hot dogs. Mrs. Sudo won for the eighth time by eating 40 hot dogs.
The Nathan’s competition, which is divided into separate men’s and women’s events, has been held every year since 1916. The modern incarnation is fueled by a supercharged dose of puns and patriotism from George Shea, who oversees the event with his brother, Rich Shea.
Over the years, the Sheas have gently forced mayors including Rudolph W. Giuliani, Michael R. Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio to preside over weigh-ins rich in one-line moans. (After delivering such a moan in 2012, Mr. Bloomberg famous comment aloud: “Who wrote this [expletive]?”)
They’ve expanded the Coney Island event into a national spectacle of competitive eating run by Major League Eating, a group that describes itself as “the governing body of all stomach-focused sports.” The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and ESPN3.
For those of you who might be curious, scientists (scientists!) have determined that the human body is capable of eating – at most – 83 hot dogs in 10 minutes, according to a study published in 2020 that was based on 39 years. match data.
According to that paper, the world’s most elite human competitive eaters could rival a grizzly bear in terms of the amount of food eaten per unit time.
Bears can eat about eight hot dogs per minute and Mr. Chestnut can eat about 7.5 hot dogs per minute. But the bears usually tick off at around six minutes, while Mr. can devour chestnut hot dogs for up to 10 minutes straight.
“Most top eaters use a pretty similar technique: we separate the meat from the bun,” said Mr Chestnut, in an online video describes his champion technique. “If you need to eat it quickly, dip the bun in water.”
He said he began training for the game in late April each year, with a series of exhibition games followed by periods of fasting. On warm days he also eats outside.
He’s managed to eat more than 80 hot dogs in 10 minutes on five separate occasions during training, he said, but never could have repeated that feat in competition.
“A lot of it is psychological and mental,” he said. “Your body is telling you that you are full.”
Mr. Chestnut is also what, in other contexts, might be called a plural hyphen. In addition to his hot dog eating skills, he holds world records in the rapid consumption of Big Macs (32 in 38 minutes), tacos (82 in eight minutes), and funnel cake (5.9 pounds of it in 10 minutes).