I first saw Japanese competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi a few months ago when he traveled to my neck of the woods to compete in a bratwurst eating contest. Now I hear he’s at it again, only this time it’s hamburgers.
Kobayashi is headed south this week to defend his title in a Tennessee hamburger-eating contest in which he is undefeated. He along with a dozen other finalists will be traveling to the Chattanooga headquarters of fast-food chain Krystal Co., to eat as many small, square hamburgers as they can in eight minutes. Kobayashi (who I am convinced has a bottomless stomach) took the title in the contest’s first year in 2004 and again in 2005.
So what does it take to win a professionally sponsored hamburger eating contest? Last year, Kobayashi had to swallow 67 hamburgers to win the title and a check for $10,000. And it wasn’t easy. According to news reports, “the eating machine” from Nagano had stiff competition from San Diego State University engineering student Joey Chestnut, who was tied with Kobayashi at 60 Krystals with 37 seconds left. In the end, Chestnut finished with only 62, but he will return to challenge Kobayashi this year.
Chestnut recently told newspaper reporters that he has spent the last few months training for the contest using frozen Krystal burgers because the restaurant doesn’t exist in California. Chestnut better eat up if he wants to take down the 172-pound Kobayashi who finished 69 Krystals during the first contest in 2004.
I mentioned earlier that Kobayashi competed and won the bratwurst eating contest this past summer, he also holds the title of hot dog-eating champion, after eating 49 hot dogs in 12 minutes at the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest 2006 at Coney Island, New York.
How many burgers can you eat in one sitting?