So Good » Competitive Eating http://www.sogoodblog.com An absurd look at the world of food Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:52:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 Pie Eating Contest = Food Fail http://www.sogoodblog.com/2009/09/01/pie-eating-contest-food-fail/ http://www.sogoodblog.com/2009/09/01/pie-eating-contest-food-fail/#comments Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:01:25 +0000 JT http://www.sogoodblog.com/?p=3137 Oh, where do I start?  Trust me when I say that competing in a pie eating contest was never on my bucket list.  That said, this past Sunday, that is just what I did at a favorite local sweet shop, Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop, which was celebrating its first anniversary. 
The mission: eat three mini-pies as fast as possible.  The competition: unknown.  The reward: a prize pack of top notch local goods, as well as immortality.

The contest pies (mixed berry, chocolate cream, coconut cream):

Pies3

Now you are probably asking, that’s not a ton of food, what’s the problem?  My friend, the problem is getting those pies down, and down fast.

The other issue was that I had never done this before, so I was totally at a loss for how to proceed from a strategy perspective.  Which pie do I start off with?  Do I go as fast as possible from the beginning, or start slow and gauge the competition?  Do I make such a mess that I only end up eating half as much as everyone else?  I had no answers.

I can eat a lot, but not usually under the gun.  And I like to enjoy my food and savor it; but this was not the time to smell the roses.  Also, silverware was not an option, so every eating rule I knew went right out the window.  So when the gun went off, I just went for it, shoveling in the chocolate cream.  I made the unfortunate mistake of chewing some of my food, which apparently really slowed me down.  I was half-way through the coconut cream, when the winner was declared.  Yeah… no chance. Not even close.  There are professionals, amateurs, and then there was me.  Although, upon further review, that is not such a bad thing.

This contest taught me truly what I am best at – taking my time, lingering over the especially good bites, and taking it all in.  While there is fame and fortune in competitive eating, it is certainly not for the true foodies among us.

H/t to @CoolinAustin for the pie photo.  And much respect to local mom and pop eateries making a go of it and succeeding.  Also, here is video of the event; thankfully, I am not featured.

]]> http://www.sogoodblog.com/2009/09/01/pie-eating-contest-food-fail/feed/ 5 Has Bacon Met Its Match? http://www.sogoodblog.com/2009/02/10/has-bacon-met-its-match/ http://www.sogoodblog.com/2009/02/10/has-bacon-met-its-match/#comments Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:15:09 +0000 JT http://www.sogoodblog.com/?p=1685

Bacon Explosion

The bacon craze sweeping the nation has been well documented on this blog.  I’m sure most of you saw the story in the NYT of the above “Bacon Explosion,” or as I like to say, the “Angioplasty, Please!”  As if it wasn’t enough for someone to make this “massive torpedo-shaped amalgamation of two pounds of bacon woven through and around two pounds of sausage and slathered in barbecue sauce,” someone else decided to eat it… by himself.  Enter competitive eater David Cagle, ranked #48, by someone with way too much time on their hands.

Not surprisingly, the bacon won – again.  You know the idea is bad when 4 out of 5 people in Houston think that something has too much fat in it.  Case closed.

H/t to NYT for the pic and @HoustonChron for the story.

]]> http://www.sogoodblog.com/2009/02/10/has-bacon-met-its-match/feed/ 5 Quest for the Golden Hot Dog http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/11/21/quest-for-the-golden-hot-dog/ http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/11/21/quest-for-the-golden-hot-dog/#comments Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:42:10 +0000 Eick http://www.sogoodblog.com/?p=1523 Some of the comedic minds from Upright Citizens Brigade have come up with a new web series about competitive eating called “Quest for the Golden Hot Dog.”  According to Tubefilter, the series features a number of actors from the Los Angeles indie comedy scene, along with UCB veteran Matt Besser.  The series will debut with a 4 espisode run next week on the website 60Frames.

Check out the trailer for the film below, as well as a clip featuring two women talking about their love of weiners.

 

]]> http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/11/21/quest-for-the-golden-hot-dog/feed/ 1 Joey Chestnut Defends Hot Dog Eating Crown http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/07/05/joey-chestnut-defends-hot-dog-eating-crown/ http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/07/05/joey-chestnut-defends-hot-dog-eating-crown/#comments Sat, 05 Jul 2008 18:42:37 +0000 Eick http://www.sogoodblog.com/?p=1133 Even with the contest shortened from 12 minutes to 10 minutes, Joey Chestnut and Kobayashi BOTH still managed to put down 59 hot dogs. Which lead to a 5 hot dog “dog-off.” In the end, the title (barely) stays in America’s hands.

Tim “Eater X” Janus finished a distant 3rd with 42 hot dogs, and Pat Bertoletti failed to challenge the leaders, putting back only 38 dogs. I have written before about how at the end of 2007, Pat Bertoletti was on the verge of claiming the #1 competitive eater ranking, having beaten Chestnut at grits, waffles, chicken wings and turkey. So is it that Chestnut and Kobayashi are just hot dog specialists? Or have Bertoletti’s skills regressed and he is sinking back towards the pack?

For those of you who missed the contest, below is video of the last two minutes of “regulation”, as well the 5-dog “dog off.”

Video via Serious Eats.

]]> http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/07/05/joey-chestnut-defends-hot-dog-eating-crown/feed/ 1 Eating All 12 McDonald’s Meals in One Sitting? Fail. http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/07/01/eating-all-12-mcdonalds-meals-in-one-sitting-fail/ http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/07/01/eating-all-12-mcdonalds-meals-in-one-sitting-fail/#comments Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:57:00 +0000 Eick http://www.sogoodblog.com/?p=1116 In February, So Good wrote about a young man named Ryan Giesel, who started a Facebook group called “If 100,000 people join, I’ll eat every McDonalds value meal, #1-12.” At the time, barely anyone had taken notice. The group, created in December of 2007, was languishing, with only a few thousand members. That’s when So Good decided that someone needed to take this kid up on his offer, because this was something America needed to see attempted.

So like any patriotic American who wanted to help do something great for his country, I wrote a detailed post about his Facebook group. Within 12 hours, the story was picked up by Fark and several dozen other websites. By the next day, the story was being reported by radio and TV stations across America, even as far away as New Zealand. The Facebook group instantly zoomed to more than 60,000 members and Ryan was interviewed by radio stations about his planned attempt. Ryan even set up a website, 12 Meals or Bust.

A few weeks ago, his Facebook group finally hit 100,000 members. True to his word, Ryan trudged to a nearby McDonald’s, and with his friends filming, he began slowly eating each value meal, one by one.

In his Facebook group, Ryan vowed:

“I will consume every value meal from McDonalds, starting with the Big Mac all the way to the Fish Fillet. I cannot get up, it will all be done in one sitting. I will consume every piece of food.”

So did he do it? NO. Ryan hit his 10th meal and then quit. He never even made it to the dreaded Filet-o-Fish.  Downing 10 meals is an incredible performance, but in the end he came up short.

Sadly, his night ended not in a moment of glory, but with intense vomiting in the parking lot:

Ryan may not mind that he didn’t make it to all 12 meals. Perhaps prior to actually having to attempt the eating feat, he lost his training focus after becoming an on-campus celebrity. He was too busy doing interviews with his college newspaper and, I can only surmise, hooking up with a steady stream of college fatties – who were turned on by the thought of him stuffing so many value meals into his gullet.

But alas, the fame probably didn’t last long. In the end he was left all alone. Just him, a bunch of McDonald’s value meals, and a string of horrifying memories of hooking up with really, really fat chicks.

For anyone who has 20 minutes, the video of his attempt to eat all 12 McDonald’s meals has been posted on Google Video HERE.

* Note: I have never met Ryan Giesel. I do not have evidence to back up some of my statements, particularly those about him hooking up with a lot of fat chicks. But these statements COULD be true. Let’s just say that I have no way of disproving them.

]]> http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/07/01/eating-all-12-mcdonalds-meals-in-one-sitting-fail/feed/ 50 So Good Blog/News Round-Up 5/7/08 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/05/07/so-good-blognews-round-up-5708/ http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/05/07/so-good-blognews-round-up-5708/#comments Wed, 07 May 2008 15:37:14 +0000 Eick http://www.sogoodblog.com/?p=948
  • Time Out NY says chefs are the new rock stars.
  • The world’s ten most disgusting beers.
  • Competitive eating: Nature or Nurture?
  • Burger King profits are rising.
  • A rant about limited edition candy.
  • Make your own microwave popcorn.
  • Quizno’s founder is bringing Smashburger to LA.
  • Indablog looks at the phenomenon of the fast food drive-thru rap.
  • Pioneer Woman makes spicy macaroni and cheese.
  • Pancetta-Wrapped Asparagus with Citronette.
  • Strip steak with steak rub.
  • Pecan crusted chicken salad.
    • ]]>     http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/05/07/so-good-blognews-round-up-5708/feed/ 1     So Good Blog/News Round-Up 4/28/08 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/04/28/so-good-blognews-round-up-42808/ http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/04/28/so-good-blognews-round-up-42808/#comments Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:53:03 +0000 Eick http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/04/28/so-good-blognews-round-up-42808/
  • Needed: 150 women to eat chocolate every day for a year.
  • Mars Inc. is buying Wrigley.
  • What makes NYC pizza so hard to top?
  • Slate says PETA’s $1 million prize to develop artificial chicken is a sham.
  • Sonya Thomas is the new sweet corn eating champion.
  • Null Hypothesis wonders why people are either oliver lovers, or haters.
  • Could this blog be the French version of So Good?
  • FastFoodCritic reviews Sonic’s tater tots.
  • CakeHead addresses what cake goes best with bacon.
  • A recipe for Steak Marsala.
  • Steak with Garlic Horseradish Sauce.
  • Grilled Peanut Butter and Pickle Sandwich.
    • ]]>     http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/04/28/so-good-blognews-round-up-42808/feed/ 3     So Good Blog/News Round-Up 4/14/08 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/04/14/so-good-blognews-round-up-41408/ http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/04/14/so-good-blognews-round-up-41408/#comments Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:18:05 +0000 Eick http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/04/14/so-good-blognews-round-up-41408/
  • Pizza ingredient costs are rising, and sales are falling.
  • Anheuser-Busch’s CEO says the company will not be sold “on my watch.”
  • A nice analysis of advertising campaigns for McDonald’s & Burger King.
  • Pat Bertoletti has won the Acme World Oyster Eating championship with 35 dozen oysters in 8 minutes.
  • Best Bites interviews Wolfgang Puck.
  • Sugar Laws makes Smoked pheasant salad.
  • Sweet pepper and chickpea salad.
  • Cumin and pepper crusted steak.
  • Roasted red pepper salad with almond stuffed olives.
    • ]]>     http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/04/14/so-good-blognews-round-up-41408/feed/ 0     ‘Major League Eating: The Game’ Releases Trailer http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/04/08/major-league-eating-the-game-releases-trailer/ http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/04/08/major-league-eating-the-game-releases-trailer/#comments Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:07:36 +0000 Eick http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/04/08/major-league-eating-the-game-releases-trailer/ Via Serious Eats. Here’s the new trailer for the upcoming competitive eating game. They also have set up a pretty nifty looking website for the game HERE.

    ]]>     http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/04/08/major-league-eating-the-game-releases-trailer/feed/ 3     Major League Eating: The Game on Wii http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/03/03/major-league-eating-the-game-on-wii/ http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/03/03/major-league-eating-the-game-on-wii/#comments Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:24:34 +0000 Eick http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/03/03/major-league-eating-the-game-on-wii/ I previously wrote that Mastiff was planning to make a competitive eating game. Now, we have some details from Wii Fanboy, via Serious Eats, plus a screen shot!

    major-league-eating-game.jpg

    The game will be available for download on Wii Ware starting May 11th, will feature online play and a leaderboard, and make “extensive” use of the Wii remote.

    ]]>     http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/03/03/major-league-eating-the-game-on-wii/feed/ 2     If 100,000 People Join My Facebook Group, I’ll Eat Every McDonalds Value Meal, #1 – #12 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/02/26/if-100000-people-join-my-facebook-group-ill-eat-every-mcdonalds-value-meal-1-12/ http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/02/26/if-100000-people-join-my-facebook-group-ill-eat-every-mcdonalds-value-meal-1-12/#comments Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:48:42 +0000 Eick http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/02/26/if-100000-people-join-my-facebook-group-ill-eat-every-mcdonalds-value-meal-1-12/ No not me. God no, I would never do that. But one young man (duh, I mean would a woman be stupid enough to do this?) has created a Facebook group (now up to more than 16,000 members) that makes this very promise.

    facebook.jpg

    The only stipulation the group’s creator makes, is that while he promises to eat all the burgers, nuggets and fries associated with the various value meals in one sitting, he does not have to drink all 12 sodas, and is free to drink as much or as little as he wants during the process.

    For those of you not up-to-date on your McDonald’s value menu, the list of all 12 meals appears below.

    mcdonalds.jpg

    #1 – Big Mac
    #2 – 2 Cheeseburgers
    #3 – Quarter Pounder w/ cheese
    #4 – Double Quarter Pounder w/ cheese
    #5 – Big N’ Tasty
    #6 – Double Cheeseburger
    #7 – Chicken Ranch BLT Sandwich
    #8 – Premium Chicken Club Sandwich
    #9 – Chicken McNuggets (10 piece)
    #10 – Chicken Selects
    #11 – Premium Chicken Classic Sandwich
    #12 – Fillet-O-Fish

    I just went over to check out McDonald’s Nutrition Facts and determine what the total caloric intake for this feast would be. Assuming that each meal is eaten with the standard medium fries, the total caloric intake of this endeavor would be….wait for it….wait for it….. 10,710 calories.

    To give you a sense of what it would take to burn those calories off, you would need to run 82 miles at an 8 minute pace OR have sex at a moderate pace for 87.8 hours. Hmmm…seems like an easy choice, and not just because I hate running.

    So I have a few questions and rule clarifications I would like to address to those who are proposing this endeavor.

    Questions:

    • Do all 12 meals need to be purchased at once?
    • If yes, must they all be eaten in the restaurant? Or can they be taken home?
    • If they can be taken home, is any reheating of the meals allowed? Or will the food be allowed to get cold?
    • What is the definition of “one sitting?” Is the eater not allowed to stand up until done eating all 12 meals? Or are reasonable exemptions allowed for bathroom and stretching breaks?
    • Does the food need to be eaten in a customary manner, or are eating “tricks” allowed? For example, does each burger need to be eaten like a normal burger, or can a pile of burger patties be eaten separately from a pile of buns?
    • Is the eater allowed to deliberately cause themselves to throw up at any point in order to accelerate their ability to put down more food?
    • Does each individual meal have to be eaten on its own, or can the eater mix and match? For example, could all 12 bags of french fries be eaten first, then the burgers, or vice versa?
    • If an entire meal must be eaten separately before the next meal is tackled, can the eater go in any order of the 12 meals that they wish? Or must they start at meal #1 and work up to #12?

    Personally, I think that all 12 meals should be eaten in order, from #1 through #12. Why? that will set up the final stage of the man vs. fast food challenge with perhaps the most intimidating McDonald’s sandwich of all: The Filet-o-Fish!

    filet-fish.jpg

    ]]>     http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/02/26/if-100000-people-join-my-facebook-group-ill-eat-every-mcdonalds-value-meal-1-12/feed/ 35     Major League Eating: The Game http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/02/09/major-league-eating-the-game/ http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/02/09/major-league-eating-the-game/#comments Sat, 09 Feb 2008 23:44:28 +0000 Eick http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/02/09/major-league-eating-the-game/ Video game maker Mastiff has purchased the gaming rights to make Major League Eating: The Game. The game will feature all your favorite competitive eating stars, such as Kobayashi, Joey Chestnut and Pat Bertoletti.

    mle_gamebox.jpg
    (Note: Not the real game box. Thanks to Soupy Trumpet for the photoshop job)

    Regular readers of So Good know that this is about the point in my post where I go off on some diatribe about the absurdity of this game, what it says about America, etc. etc. But I’m not sure any explanation or persuasion is needed on this one.

    ]]>     http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/02/09/major-league-eating-the-game/feed/ 2     So Good Blog/News Round-Up 2/7/08 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/02/07/so-good-blognews-round-up-2608/ http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/02/07/so-good-blognews-round-up-2608/#comments Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:16:55 +0000 Eick http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/02/07/so-good-blognews-round-up-2608/
  • Can I interest you in a ten-pound chocolate bar?
  • Heinz wants Angelina Jolie to be the new face of their Heinz Salad Cream.
  • The NY Times has a new food blog called Bitten, which will “use food as a window into the world.”
  • Joey Chestnut won the Philadelphia wing bowl with 241 wings.
  • Diet soda may be a factor in metabolic syndrome.
  • In-N-Out Burger has dropped a slaughterhouse accused of abusing animals.
  • Soaring cheese prices have hurt Kraft’s profits.
  • Candy Addict reviews Snickers Charged.
  • Closet Cooking has a recipe for a balsamic glazed chicken with roasted red peppers and goat cheese.
  • Domestic Goddess in Training makes steak, stout and cheddar pie.
  • Bacon pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
    • ]]>     http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/02/07/so-good-blognews-round-up-2608/feed/ 2     So Good Blog/News Round-Up 1/30/08 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/30/so-good-blognews-round-up-13008/ http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/30/so-good-blognews-round-up-13008/#comments Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:32:30 +0000 Eick http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/30/so-good-blognews-round-up-13008/
  • If you’re serving sangria in Virginia, you’re breaking the law.
  • Wendy’s is ending their red wig “That’s Right” campaign.
  • Spike TV will feature hard-boiled egg and ham eating contests during halftime of the Super Bowl.
  • There’s a semi-new hamburger blog you should check out.
  • Whoops. A Steak ‘n Shake manager is under fire for refusing to take a deaf woman’s order at the drive-thru window.
  • Blue Kitchen has a recipe for pan-grilled fish and soba noodle salad.
  • We [heart] Food has a roasted red pepper and green bean salad.
  • Whats4lunch reviews a sandwich from my old home turf, the Patriot Sandwich at the Vermont Sandwich Company.
    • ]]>     http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/30/so-good-blognews-round-up-13008/feed/ 5     Helping the Hungry By Eating All Their Food http://www.sogoodblog.com/2007/11/28/helping-the-hungry-by-eating-all-their-food/ http://www.sogoodblog.com/2007/11/28/helping-the-hungry-by-eating-all-their-food/#comments Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:34:23 +0000 Eick http://www.sogoodblog.com/2007/11/28/helping-the-hungry-by-eating-all-their-food/ Last week, on the day before Thanksgiving, competitive eater Tim “Eater X” Janus devoured a ten person Thanksgiving feast in just 15 minutes. The reason Janus did this was….wait for it…wait for it…….to raise awareness of those who go hungry.

    Hey thanks Tim, we were totally unaware that some people go hungry. However, after hearing that you ate a ten-person feast, we are now 100% aware that yes, hunger in America is an issue. Although based on this article, one can only assume that the reason hunger is an issue is because you are EATING FOOD THAT COULD FEED TEN PEOPLE.

    So Tim, instead of making people AWARE that some folks go hungry, why don’t you give that food to 10 hungry people? That way, and I know this suggestion is going to seem pretty radical – they can actually eat the food and not be hungry anymore!

    ]]>     http://www.sogoodblog.com/2007/11/28/helping-the-hungry-by-eating-all-their-food/feed/ 2