Meena Hart Duerson of New York Daily News did some first-hand reporting when she asked competitive eating superstar Takeru Kobayashi to teach her how to eat hot dogs like a champ. What she came back with was this very screenshot-able video. And probably a stomachache.
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Duerson tried to follow the method of the Japanese eating master.
1. Separate two hot dogs from two buns.
2. Eat the hot dogs.
3. Dunk the buns in water or other liquid and smush it.
4. Eat the buns.
5. Repeat until time's almost up.
6. In the last spurt, make room in your stomach by jumping up and down and twisting your body.
7. Continue eating by using the technique above.
The reporter had a bit of trouble, asking, “I don't chew it? I just swallow it? Oh my God. I can't get it down my [muffled sounds].” Cue snickers of 14-year-old boys–and me.
She wrote in her report: “The sheer meatiness was almost enough to trigger my gag reflex. Apparently, true competitive eaters learn to block out this sensation–Kobayashi says he knows he's in trouble when he starts thinking about the taste of whatever food he's eating.”
Tomorrow is Nathan's Famous July 4 Hot Dog-Eating Contest. Kobayashi, who was crowned the winner of the New York competition for six years straight from 2001 to 2006, parted ways with the event in 2010 over a contract dispute. He will participate in a similar contest, the Crif Dog Classic, on the same day.
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