It was an ordinary day. Reading about a fellow by the name of Joey Chestnut who recently broke his own World's Record for eating hot dogs in a 10 minute time span. He ate 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes to beat his old record by one hot dog. Now...how gross is that! People actually tune in to the contest on television to see him stuff himself with hot dog after hot dog after hot dog etc. Do you realize the average adult consumes between 1,550 and 3,000 calories a day.
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| Joey winning the contest. |
Joey consumed nearly 1,500 grams of fat and 2,000 grams of carbohydrates, as well as 55,000 grams of sodium, and what must be one heck of a post-contest stomach ache. Guy must be nuts! Can you imagine the amount of cholesterol he consumed in that amount of time? And what's just as bad is that he beat the second place contestant by 32 hot dogs. That guy ate 44 hot dogs and buns! And, to top off all of that...Michelle Lesco became the new woman's champ by eating 30 3/4 hot dogs. The women's winner last year was Miki Sudo who happened to be pregnant this year and didn't compete. What I read didn't say couldn't compete, but didn't compete. People actually bet on who will win and how many they will eat. Chestnut was considered a 2400-1 favorite by William Hill Sportsbook entering the day when the event was held. First of all, I can't believe anyone would consider eating hot dogs a sporting event. The contest is sponsored by Nathan's Hot Dog Stand in Coney Island, New York and began in 1916. Nathan Handwerker started the business that year when he created the hot dog recipe that he used while Nathan's wife Ida used her grandmother's secret recipe for the spices on the hot dog. Jewish immigrant Handwerker arrived in New York City in 1912 and soon opened a store on Coney Island, Brooklyn. Nathan and his wife spent their life's savings to open the hot dog stand that year.
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| Nathan's first hot dog stand |
When he first opened he charged 5 cents for a hot dog. A second store was opened on Long Beach Road in 1959 while yet another one opened in Yonkers, New York in 1965. The original stand still exists today. He also sells fried frog legs. There are now more than 1,400 stores in all 50 states, Guam, the District of Columbia and 17 foreign countries. Legend has it that on July 4, 1916, four immigrants gathered at the very first hot dog stand on Coney Island and made eating hot dog history. The contest today is still much the same today with contestants seeing who is the most patriotic by eating the most hot dogs. And, to top off all of that...ESPN broadcast the Nathan's Hot Dog Contest Eating Contest. During the contest the hot dog can be separated from the bun and eaten separately. Many contestants run the bun in water to make it easier to swallow. You are allowed to take a drink as needed. The winners were awarded $10,000 and the Mustard Belt, a WWE-like bedazzled championship belt with the Nathan's logo on it. And, to top that off, Joey Chestnut has his own line of condiments. Years ago I watched the contest a few times, but not anymore. Today it just about makes me sick thinking about anyone stuffing themselves with that many hotdogs when there are hundreds of people living within a few blocks in New York who would love to have one of two hot dogs so they don't starve. Wouldn't that be a great thing for Nathan's to do? Take a hot dog truck around some of the poor New York neighborhoods and spread joy and happiness by giving away hundreds of hot dogs in a bun. Never will happen though, since it wouldn't be broadcast on TV for all to see. So sad! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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